How un-Canadian it seemed to my old friend when the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, before performing its evening program broke into a vigorous playing of the Canadian national anthem, O Canada, and patrons rose and sang enthusiastically. He’d never seen that happen before at Roy Thomson Hall.

Yet this new Canadian nationalism is on display everywhere after President Trump’s menacing threat to make Canada our 51st state and his jolting, imposed tariff on all automobiles made in Canada and imported to the U.S. As with most of the Trump tariffs, there were confusing qualifications and exceptions. Would cars containing parts manufactured in the U.S. and included in the Canadians cars be excluded? Who knew? The economic consequences were predictable and soon to be felt on slowed assembly lines in Ontario that were being affected by the anticipated tariffs and downturn in exports.

I have just returned from Toronto where I spent a week seeing old friends and former colleagues of mine from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) where I worked for 20 years in Toronto and London, UK – 5 of those years as the Chief News Editor of TV News.

I wanted also to get a better sense of what party stands the best chance of winning the April 28th national election and is likely to form the new government. The Trump tariffs and 51st state rhetoric have transformed the political scene in Canada.

I had also been in Toronto in late January- before Trump’s ill-advised bullying- and I couldn’t recall speaking to anyone, whether journalist or Uber driver, who believed that the governing party of then Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, had any chance of winning the next election, whenever it was called.

But the once charismatic Trudeau who had led Canada to three election wins and 10 years of governing, finally accepted his fate and stepped down.

Then after a whirlwind month-long campaign to replace him, Liberals chose Mark Carney, a Canadian super star banker who’d not only headed the Bank of Canada but also Britain’s Bank of England. He had grappled with monetary crises in Canada and BREXIT in Britain. By becoming the Leader of the Liberal Party, he automatically became acting Prime Minister of Canada. Not only did Carney instantly project an image of a skilled, forceful leader able and willing to confront the villainous Trump, but he drew on his once enthusiastic ice hockey player background and marketed the expression of “Elbows Up” to symbolize Canada’s new defiance and resistance to American aggression. His campaign slogan: “Canada Strong.”

The public opinion polls rebounded in the Liberals favor, reversing a whopping 25-point lead for the opposition Progressive Conservative party led by a pugnacious leader Pierre Poilievre.

Going into the final week of the campaign and advanced voting already underway, Carney’s Liberals lead slightly in most polls, aided by what could be the defection of voters to him from other minority parties whose members also believe that he’s far and away the strongest leader to negotiate with President Trump.

What is unknown is whether two national television debates recently, one in French where Carney struggled more than the other leaders, and one in English where Poilievre appeared to score points on his “Change” mantra that voters need to reject the broken promises of exhausted Liberal governments, will make a difference in the outcome.

If Carney does prevail and wins a new 5-year mandate, it will be testimony to his remarkable political trajectory and to the grossly misjudged intervention in Canadian politics by Donald Trump.

But regardless of who wins, Americans should understand that Canadians are furious about what they see as a betrayal of a long and mutually beneficial friendship. There is a new Canadian “true North strong and free,” and looking elsewhere in the world for trustworthy friends and respectful partners.

John William Owen lives in Bend.