"Never seen Canadians so mad": Late night hosts joke about tariff tension
The US and Canada are experiencing tension over tariffs, and the subject has become fodder for American late-night hosts.
Canadians have been prominent in several American late-night show monologues in the past couple of days amid the roller coaster ride of tariff discussions between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Donald Trump.
On Monday, after a phone call with Trump, Trudeau announced that the proposed 25% tariffs would be postponed for at least 30 days.
The prime minister’s speech caught the eye of Late Night with Seth Meyers writers, highlighting just how polite Canadians are even when frustrated.
They showed this clip during Meyers’ monologue, with Trudeau saying, “I think Canadians are a little perplexed as to why our closest friends and neighbours are choosing to target us… I don’t think there’s a lot of Americans who wake up in the morning saying, ‘Ugh. Damn, Canada. Oh, we should really go after Canada!”
“I have never seen Canadians so f**king mad. I mean, they have blown their fuses!” joked Meyers.
@latenightseth You know it’s bad when you’ve upset the #Canadians. #ACloserLook ♬ original sound – Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Late Show host Stephen Colbert also stuck with the stereotype that Canadians are nice.
“[Canada is] our largest foreign supplier of crude oil. Also, our largest supplier of polite oil,” he joked.
He then joked about other Canadian stereotypes, saying our cars run on maple syrup and we ride moose to work.
Of course, President Trump remained the bigger punchline.
Colbert fact-checked Trump’s claims that the tariffs are about stopping the flow of fentanyl across the border.
“Canada contributes less than 1% of the fentanyl street supply in the US. So he’s lashing out at Canada for no damn reason,” he said.
“What will this do to the longest continuous peaceful border in the world? How will this affect our cooperation with a vital NATO ally? What will this do to our relationship with our imaginary girlfriend from camp?”
The show also mentioned the Toronto Raptors vs. Los Angeles Clippers game, during which Canadians booed the US national anthem.
“The Canadians are booing us! Even worse, then they have to boo us again in French!” joked Colbert.
He also took a jab at Canadian staple ketchup chips, saying Americans have one month to eat as much of the flavour as they want. After one bite of a chip, he says, “And I’m all good!”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube
All jokes aside, Canadians are taking matters into their own hands.
According to a February 2Â poll from Research Co., which surveyed 1,002 adults in Canada, more than three in five Canadians (63%) say they will avoid buying goods originating from the US if a non-American alternative is available.
The data certainly reflects the reactions online.
One Canadian on the subreddit “Loblaw Is Out of Control” suggested boycotting products made in the US.
Others are urging retailers to add “Canadian-made” symbols on products to help those who want to boycott US products during the tariff war make informed decisions. There’s even a petition asking grocery stores to add these labels.
Some major grocers in Canada have also pledged to promote made-in-Canada goods in light of the tariffs.