B.C.-Washington border communities rally for peace amid rising political tensions

The towering Peace Arch monument, standing on the Canada-U.S. border between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., bears two inscriptions: "Children of a Common Mother" on the U.S. side, and "Brethren Dwelling Together in Unity" on the Canadian side. 

On Saturday morning, dozens of residents from both countries gathered at its base for a rally calling for unity and friendship amid rising tensions between Canada and the U.S.

Attendees held signs condemning U.S. President Donald Trump's repeated remarks about annexing Canada as the 51st state, while others sang songs and chanted slogans, hoping diplomacy and goodwill would prevail over the strained relations between the two neighbours.

Among them, a trio from the Bellingham-based activist group Raging Grannies dedicated a song to the bond between the two nations.

"We understand the situation and support the things you do, the rage you feel is really just, though we will miss you until it's over..." they sang.

Haidee Landry, one of the event's organizers from Langley, B.C., said the gathering, dubbed the "Peace, Love, and a Handshake" rally, was about showing solidarity while making it clear that Canada will remain a strong and sovereign nation.

"We want them to still come … come for a coffee, come for a meal, we still love you," she said of B.C.'s American neighbours. "But we don't want to live with you, we don't want to be your roommates."

Landry added that many Americans she has spoken to disagree with the steps taken by the Trump administration and have voiced their support for Canada. But Canadians, she said, are firm in their decision to avoid cross-border travel as an act of resistance.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nine-hectare Peace Arch park that straddles the 49th parallel served as a loophole for loved ones separated by border closures. Now, Landry said, the park is once again a meeting place for those seeking common ground.

Mary Lou Steward, mayor of Blaine, Wash., a border town of about 6,200, said the decision by many Canadians to avoid entering the U.S. is already taking an economic toll.

"People are seeing their business down 30 per cent," said Steward, who was also in attendance. "We value the Canadians coming across, I understand they're angry … we'll get beyond this, we'll work hard to repair the relationship, which this monument stands for."

Len Saunders, an immigration lawyer in Blaine, said the absence of Canadian shoppers is striking.

"This is like COVID all over again," he told CBC News during an interview earlier this week. "You can see it in the Costco parking lot, at Trader Joe's. Canadians are voting with their wallets right now. That's what's happening."

Recent data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows a sharp decline in cross-border travel, with nearly 500,000 fewer Canadian travellers entering the U.S. in February compared to the same month last year.