It was troublesome to overlook Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s message to would-be American expansionists on Wednesday: He wore it proper on his hat.
Talking to reporters in Ottawa forward of a premiers’ assembly with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to debate Canada’s response to the specter of U.S. tariffs, Ford wore a navy peaked cap emblazoned with the phrases “Canada just isn’t on the market” in white block letters.
The design clearly evoked the “Make America Nice Once more” slogan fashionable amongst supporters of president-elect Donald Trump.
Trump has not too long ago threatened to impose a tariff on all Canadian items and has mused about utilizing “financial power” to “get rid” of the border between the 2 international locations. These threats led to Wednesday’s assembly in Ottawa.
“That is about on a regular basis Canadians standing up for the nation,” Ford mentioned when requested about his alternative of headwear.
He mentioned he obtained the hat from Ottawa’s Jackpine Dynamic Branding, and later thanked the corporate on X.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford arrives to a gathering in Ottawa on Wednesday carrying a hat emblazoned with the slogan ‘Canada just isn’t on the market.’ (Blair Gable/Reuters)
Jackpine’s Liam Mooney mentioned the concept for the hats got here final week when he and his companion have been watching Ford being interviewed on Fox Information and heard the host say it will be a “privilege” for Canada to affix the U.S.
“We thought, no. It’s a privilege to be Canadian,” Mooney mentioned.
Mooney mentioned they rapidly got here up with the “cheeky” slogan, which he confirmed is an intentional riff on the MAGA model, and shortly constructed an internet site with the assistance of on-line merchandising big Shopify.
Mooney mentioned a member of Ford’s employees noticed the hats and known as to ask if one might be prepared for the premier in time for Wendesday’s assembly.
“We went from idea to the premier’s head in a single week’s time,” Mooney mentioned, describing the response as “overwhelming.”
Liam Mooney of Ottawa’s Jackpine Dynamic Branding says the concept for the hats got here after he heard a Fox Information host say it will be a ‘privilege’ for Canada to affix the U.S. (Olivier Plante/CBC)
By Wednesday afternoon, Mooney mentioned Jackpine had made tens of hundreds of {dollars} in gross sales, thanks largely to the plug from Ford. However Mooney described the enterprise as a “small act of patriotism” relatively than a money-making scheme.
“It does not matter what your political affiliation is, what your occasion affiliation is or what your worldview is perhaps. I feel we are able to all agree that Canada is a tremendous county, and in a world of countries Canada stands alone as a really distinctive and wonderful nation,” he mentioned.
“We wish individuals to really feel delight in [their] nation, and we wish individuals to really feel like there is a means that they will make an announcement.”
The hats are at present made in Vietnam and Bangladesh, however Mooney mentioned Jackpine is scrambling to ascertain a wholly Canadian provide chain that may contain unionized labour.
