OTTAWA — Ontario Premier Doug Ford arrived at a meeting with the prime minister and all of the country's other premiers Wednesday armed with his now frequent message of unity and strength in a fight against American tariffs — and a new anti-annexation accessory.
While making remarks on his way into the meeting, Ford sported a navy blue baseball cap with the words "Canada is not for sale" on the front and the year of Confederation — 1867 — on the side.
The message on the headwear, in the style of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's red "Make America Great Again" hats, is a reference to Trump's stated desire to make Canada the 51st state.
It comes from Ottawa entrepreneurs Liam Mooney and Emma Cochrane, who run Jackpine Dynamic Branding.
They started offering patriotic accessories through strongandfreehat.ca after watching a recent interview Ford did with Fox News, in which the host pushed Trump's idea of annexation, saying it would be a "privilege" to be taken over by the United States.
"We thought, 'No, it's a privilege to be Canadian,'" Mooney said Wednesday in an interview.
"Trump has his iconic hat, so this is sort of a rebuttal."
The website's offerings include baseball caps and tuques emblazoned with either the words "Canada is not for sale" or "strong and free." The current hats for sale differ slightly than the custom one they made for the premier after his office reached out to them, but they will soon have the Ford edition ready to buy, Mooney said.
Mooney and Cochrane weren't sure if Ford would wear it so publicly, but now that he has, they are flooded with messages, inquiries and orders from across the country, he said.
The premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met to discuss the country's plan to respond to Trump's threats to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods right after he takes office next week.
In all, three hats were made for the premier's order, including a red one, Mooney said, so he will be watching closely to see if the others pop up anywhere else.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2025.
The Canadian Press