I have always thought I possess more worldliness than most, but when I met your Editor-in-Chief and my friend Dylan Follett, I somehow couldn’t stop myself from thinking, “I wonder if he’ll say ‘eh’ a billion times.” 

Before I share an opinion, I’ll give a quick introduction. My name is Elizabeth Truelove. I attend the Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas, and am the Editor-in-Chief of my school’s newspaper, “The Fourcast.” I take pride in how up-to-date I stay on local and domestic news, but clearly, I’m lacking in the foreign department. 

While reading about the economic strife between America and the rest of the world, as well as reflecting on my own opinion to write this piece, I realized the one exception to America’s “worldliness”, including me: Canada. 

Growing up in Texas, I learned the differences between American and Mexican history, given the role of Texas in both accounts. Then, when I grew interested in politics, the border served as one of the largest state issues and is still a very relevant topic in local news. In each Spanish course, I learned of the strong population of immigrants from a multitude of Spanish-speaking countries across our border and the language barriers that harm their community, 

So, to say my education about the country to my south is greater than the one up north is a massive underestimation. 

Hockey, maple syrup, moose and the accent were practically all I knew about Canada, at least leading up to President Donald Trump’s recent economic agenda. Due to our inherent self-absorption, many Americansbelieve that reading our media channels can equate to this “worldliness” I mentioned. Unfortunately, in differing ways, these news sources hold biases that influence every consumer’s opinion, regardless of their background. 

Personally, the biggest stereotype implied throughout the news I consume is that Canadians, and more specifically, their government officials, are compliant and don’t share the president’s ferocious passion for change. Until recently, this was easy to believe. Through my eyes, Justin Trudeau never seemed like a strong character, unable to play politics with the more belligerent American politicians. However, even though Dylan made sure to disprove this idea to me, I believe this stereotype has become increasingly prevalent in current domestic news. 

Our current president seems to believe the stereotype of the meek and compliant Canadian and has stated many times that Canada is meant to be “our 51st state.” However, his audacity has provoked questions about the validity of his statements, which we desperately need in this generation of social media. 

While plenty can be said on Trump’s tariffs, I’m no economist and must speak from the perspective I’m much more well-versed in: journalism. I’ve watched and read the news long before the tariffs were threatened, witnessing how American media has redirected its attention from our own president to the Canadian reaction. 

Whether from the most recent SNL cold-open or reading “The New York Times,” more and more of the public’s attention has turned to the state of Canada’s economy. More of my classmates have brought this up than any other political event in the past few months. 

So, while plenty of this publicity comes with mal-intent, it’s made a large impact, culturally, on the American opinion of Canada. 

The tame, orderly and submissive perception of Canada has now been completely dismantled by your response to Trump’s actions. I first noticed the responses from industries that anticipate the largest hit from the tariffs. Then, the social media campaigns followed. 

Notably, the “elbows up” rallying phrase has been attached to numerous posts from celebrities, influencers and even politicians. At first, I had no idea what it meant, but after a quick search, I learned of its origin, hockey.

The cry for unity across Canada has most definitely been heard in my country, especially among my generation. Before and during the process of writing this article, I’ve spoken to friends and classmates about this issue, and their sentiment is unanimous: Canada has stepped up to voice their opinion. 

Most of the people I’ve spoken to agreed that Canada has always seemed like a country whose political power and voice didn’t match its size. It felt that as America, and our government, grew more aggressive and outspoken, Canada submitted to our political power. However, for the better, that has changed. 

In my eyes, Canada has grown more patriotic and confident in their title as a political power across the globe. While I’m guessing few Americans watched Trudeau’s farewell speech, I can say, as one of them, I was thoroughly impressed with his ability to rile up the crowd in hope for the future of Canada. Americans will always feel that sense of superiority over everyone, but I certainly have more empathy for our northern neighbors. 

Honestly, how could I not be impressed by a country that took a page out of America’s book and demanded change, instead of asking for it? 

So, while Canada will continue to face economic and political aggression from the American media and government, you have never seemed more unified. Though I never thought of your Editor-in-Chief as a pushover, I’ve certainly been proven wrong regarding your country. So stay strong, you’re making changes that have made waves across my country.