Did Trump make Canada Day great again? Some observers say, in a way, yes

Just a few years ago, Canada Day was going through a serious identity crisis.

Calls to #CancelCanadaDay were trending in 2021 after preliminary findings from a ground-penetrating radar survey at a former residential school in British Columbia had found some 200 potential unmarked graves at the now-national historic site. In 2017, protesters with Idle No More descended on Parliament Hill, calling for a national day of action called UNsettling Canada 150 on the country's 150th birthday.

Enter, Donald Trump and his threats to annex Canada if the country doesn't voluntarily become the 51st state — something that's dominated headlines this year.

"There is a switch this year suddenly," said historian Matthew Hayday.

The threat to Canadian sovereignty has galvanized Canadians, the University of Guelph department chair said. This year, he expects celebrations with "the whole rhetoric of 'elbows up' and championing Canada."

Trump's taunts and very real tariffs may be driving a resurgence of patriotism, but while some Torontonians are heading to Ottawa to celebrate, some Indigenous people say their concerns remain and shouldn't be forgotten. 

"July first can, in some ways, be a microcosm of a given year of what the national mood looks like," Hayday said.

Earlier this year, Canadians across the country were boycotting American products and cancelling vacations plans to the U.S. Those sentiments may not be as potent now, but for many the sentiment lingers.

Yao Ameyaw told CBC Toronto he's still avoiding spending money south of the border, and he'll be travelling to Ottawa for Canada Day.

"There is a bit of bad blood whether spoken or not, between us and America," he said.

Patrick Shea and his wife will also be heading from Toronto to the nation's capital. He agrees Canada-U.S. relations have "reinvigorated [Canadians] sense of nation and our sense of belonging together," but hopes the tensions die down soon.

"It may pass like a kidney stone, but it's going to pass."

For Tira Cardinal, who is Indigenous, the holiday is an opportunity to spend time with friends, but she won't be celebrating.

"I'm going to be wearing an orange shirt on Canada Day," she said, adding that she isn't surprised Indigenous issues aren't front of mind for many Canadians this year.