It was difficult to miss Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s message to would-be American expansionists on Wednesday: He wore it right on his hat.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa ahead of a premiers’ meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss Canada’s response to the threat of U.S. tariffs, Ford wore a navy peaked cap emblazoned with the words “Canada is not for sale” in white block letters.
The design clearly evoked the “Make America Great Again” slogan popular among supporters of president-elect Donald Trump.
Trump has recently threatened to impose a tariff on all Canadian goods and has mused about using “economic force” to “get rid” of the border between the two countries. Those threats led to Wednesday’s meeting in Ottawa.
“This is about everyday Canadians standing up for the country,” Ford said when asked about his choice of headwear.
He said he received the hat from Ottawa’s Jackpine Dynamic Branding, and later thanked the company on X.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford arrives to a meeting in Ottawa on Jan. 15, 2025.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford arrives to a meeting in Ottawa on Wednesday wearing a hat emblazoned with the slogan ‘Canada is not for sale.’ (Blair Gable/Reuters)
Jackpine’s Liam Mooney said the idea for the hats came last week when he and his partner were watching Ford being interviewed on Fox News and heard the host say it would be a “privilege” for Canada to join the U.S.
“We thought, no. It is a privilege to be Canadian,” Mooney said.
Mooney said they quickly came up with the “cheeky” slogan, which he confirmed is an intentional riff on the MAGA brand, and soon built a website with the help of online merchandising giant Shopify.
Mooney said a member of Ford’s staff spotted the hats and called to ask if one could be ready for the premier in time for Wednesday’s meeting.
“We went from concept to the premier’s head in one week’s time,” Mooney said, describing the response as “overwhelming.”
Liam Mooney of Ottawa’s Jackpine Dynamic Branding said the idea for the hats came after he heard a Fox News host say it would be a ‘privilege’ for Canada to join the U.S.
Liam Mooney of Ottawa’s Jackpine Dynamic Branding says the idea for the hats came after he heard a Fox News host say it would be a ‘privilege’ for Canada to join the U.S. (Olivier Plante/CBC)
By Wednesday afternoon, Mooney said Jackpine had made tens of thousands of dollars in sales, thanks largely to the plug from Ford. But Mooney described the venture as a “small act of patriotism” rather than a money-making scheme.
“It doesn’t matter what your political affiliation is, what your party affiliation is or what your worldview might be. I think we can all agree that Canada is an amazing county, and in a world of nations Canada stands alone as a very unique and amazing country,” he said.
“We want people to feel pride in [their] country, and we want people to feel like there’s a way that they can make a statement.”
The hats are currently made in Vietnam and Bangladesh, but Mooney said Jackpine is scrambling to establish an entirely Canadian supply chain that will involve unionized labour.
