- Title: 'Canada is not for sale' hat goes viral after Trump threats
- Date: 24th January 2025
- Summary: TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA (JANUARY 22, 2025) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FOUNDER AND CEO OF JACKPINE DYNAMIC BRANDING, LIAM MOONEY, SAYING: “(Ontario) Premier (Doug) Ford said something along the lines of, well, you know, he may think that he could go and buy things, but we're not for sale, Jesse - responding to (Fox News host) Jesse Waters. And that line sort of set us
- Embargoed: 7th February 2025 11:00
- Keywords: 'Canada is not for sale' Canada Donald Trump Doug Ford Emma Cochrane Justin Trudeau Liam Mooney Ontario Ontario Premier Doug Ford Ottawa Toronto hat viral
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: Canada
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA007554722012025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. President Donald Trump's verbal threats towards Canada gave one entrepreneur an idea.
Liam Mooney, founder of an Ottawa-based design firm, made a hat emblazoned with "Canada is Not for Sale" in response to Trump's tariff threats and comments suggesting Canada become the 51st U.S. state.
“When threats of annexation and threats of crippling tariffs have been uttered in the media or on social media, it felt incumbent upon us to take an action, some sort of small act of patriotism, to respond to big bluster,” Mooney said.
“It's just protecting our national sovereignty and saying we're not for sale. At a baseline, Canadians can agree on that,” said Emma Cochrane, a creative director at Mooney’s design firm.
The hats gained attention after Ontario Premier Doug Ford wore one during a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other premiers in Ottawa last week to discuss Trump's tariff threats on Canadian exports.
Such tariffs would criple Canada's economy and also raise prices of oil and other goods in the United States. Trump is threatening tariffs at a time of political turmoil and division in Canada, with Trudeau set to resign in March after nearly a decade in power and the opposition Conservatives leading polls in a federal election expected later this year.
Mooney said that he and his wife designed the hats after seeing one of Ford's recent interviews on Fox News. The host urged the premier to consider annexation, suggesting it would be a "privilege" for Canada to merge with the U.S.
Ford responded that Canada is not for sale.
According to Mooney, tens of thousands of hats have been ordered online since last Wednesday when the business started gaining momentum.
"Canada is a sovereign nation. We won't be bought. We won't be sold. We won't be backed into a corner,” Mooney said.
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