Over a hundred people gathered Saturday at Peace Arch Park on the U.S.-Canadian border to celebrate the long friendship between the two countries with handshakes.
The show of solidarity comes after President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada as the 51st state and his imposition of tariffs on cross-border trade. People from both sides of the border shook hands — straddling Blaine and Surrey, B.C. — to send a message.
“They may break our formalities, but they can’t break our personal ties,” said Jeff Smith, one of the organizers from the United States. “We don’t agree with what’s going on right now with the U.S. policies and rhetoric. We want (Canadians) to know we share mutual respect with them.”
Rallies took place at 22 border towns under “Elbows Up, Canada” a coalition of groups from coast to coast on what’s considered the longest international land border in the world. Eight Canadian provinces and 13 states run along the 5,525-mile boundary, including the border with Alaska. According to their website, the Elbows Up, Canada movement represents “American and Canadian advocacy groups united in their commitment to preserving and strengthening the relationship between neighboring countries” that have been close allies for generations.
The Peace Arch rally was organized by Haidee Landry, a Canadian from South Langley, along with Smith, from Bellingham. Both are part of the Peace, Love and a Handshake group on Facebook.
Landry organized the first U.S.-Canadian friendship event on March 16. Six adults and two kids showed up. Landry brought a banner, met people who were interested in the idea and sat down with them to organize. Now, it’s a recurring event, with speeches and live music on Saturday.
“There’s honour in a handshake amongst long standing friends and sovereign allies,” Landry wrote on Facebook. “Flags and messages of solidarity are welcome.”
Landry said part of the point of the rally is “to debunk disinformation that's going out into the American public.”
She added: “You know, Canadians are not hard to deal with, I don't think. Maybe we're tough. But I don't think we're hard to deal with.”
The Peace, Love and a Handshake rally will be part of the “Day of International Friendship” rally on Aug. 16 that includes northern and southern U.S. border towns, as well as their Canadian and Mexican neighbors.
Visit friendsxborders.org for more information.
“I keep telling people we’re all in this together,” Landry said. “All of North America. We need to work on this.”
© 2025 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
