Their country seems to represent all that Donald Trump is against – from its welcome of tens of thousands of Syrian refugees to its proud defence of universal healthcare.
But a tiny yet determined minority of Canadians roundly reject the notion that Trump holds little appeal in Canada, and instead are actively rallying their compatriots to join them in backing the controversial candidate.
“I know what he says doesn’t click with a lot of people. They don’t understand it,” said Joe Ring, 67, who in February launched the Canadians 4 Donald Trump Facebook page. “You know I look at the whole big picture and I see us all affected the same way. Regardless of whether you’re American or Canadian, we have an issue in front of us that we all have to settle with,” he said. Ring said that, like Trump, he feared the increasing concentration of power in the hands of a small political elite.
The retired construction worker from northern Ontario first heard Trump speak last year. “And for some reason or other, it just hit me. That guy means what he says and he’s right. He’s looking at the big picture of how the country is changing.”
His group now counts more than 100 members, but Ring concedes he’s part of a small movement in Canada that has been largely uncomfortable about voicing their opinion. Anti-Trump rallies have popped up across Canada, while one Vancouver man is recruiting Canadian volunteers to travel south to key battleground states to campaign for Clinton.
Polls carried out earlier this year found between 73 and 80% of Canadians polled would cast their vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton while around 15 to 20% said they would vote for Trump.
The numbers are likely to have shifted in recent months amid allegations by several women of unwanted sexual contact and after the leak of the Access Hollywood tape.
Asked about the allegations, Allison Nesdoly, another Canadian Trump fan, blamed what she called the “Clinton campaign smear” and media when asked about the allegations. “There’s two sides to every story and I believe the media is out to make Trump look worse than it probably actually is,” said Nesdoly. “Trump is also known to give females some of the best jobs out there too, but nobody says anything like that.”
She and her husband launched the Canadians for Donald Trump Facebook page this summer with the aim of fostering support for a president who could counter the progressive policies of Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister. “To be totally honest, I’m not a big fan of Trudeau right now,” said Nesdoly, pointing to Trudeau’s recent vow to impose a nationwide carbon tax. “I don’t think he’s being realistic. He’s a trust fund kid, he doesn’t know what it’s like to have to work hard for a living and to have to pay for your own shit.”
Trump – to whom the 29-year-old mother from Saskatchewan shifted her allegiance after Ben Carson dropped out – earns her praise for the way he runs his company. “There’s concerns about Trump, about his attitude and the fact that he could make a lot of enemies with some of the things he says. Which OK yeah, it’s probably a decent concern. But I don’t know – there’s not a hell of a lot of choice but I just can’t see supporting Hillary,” she said. “She’s a big time sellout.”
A Trump presidency could benefit Canada, she said, pointing to his campaign promise to greenlight TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline. “To me, I think Trump would be more for the United States and Canada than Trudeau would.”
Her Facebook page has attracted more than 1,700 members in the span of a few months, she said, suggesting Trump might be more popular in Canada than some may realise. “We’ve just had people wanting to join every day. And I know we’re not the only Donald Trump page out there.”
One of the most active discussion groups seeking to bring together Canadians rooting for Trump launched in February. The goal, states the Canadians For Donald Trump page, is to increase awareness of Trump’s campaign and the “positive effects that his election will have for Canada”.
The group has been mostly met with “bemused fascination”, laughed Daniel Erikson, one of the co-founders of the online community of about 6,900 people.
The 34-year-old venture capitalist from Calgary acknowledged that a Trump presidency would probably be detrimental to Canada in the short term.
“The relations between a progressive like Trudeau and a possible president Trump are going to be frosty at best.” But he hoped Trump would help keep Trudeau – and his majority government – in check. “There’s heavy globalist leanings, a lot of social justice warrior-type rhetoric that comes out of Ottawa now.”
In the long run, he believed having Trump at the helm of Canada’s largest trading partner would be a boon to Canada. “In the circle that I run, when we’re standing around and having a drink and talking about politics in general, the overarching thing I hear is ‘wouldn’t it be nice to see someone run the country like you run a business,’’’ said Erikson.
The unsavoury aspects of Trump’s campaign – from the allegations of sexual misconduct to the outlandish behaviour – are the price demanded of a candidate that comes with business acumen and track record like Trump’s, he asserted. “You also have to be willing to plug your nose and close your eyes and deal with the fact that not everything they’ve said their entire life has been polished through a political filter.”
He laughed as he added, “With our inherent Canadian politeness, it’s an interesting mountain to climb.”
