‘We need to show our patriotism’: Manitobans gear up for Canada Day amid Trump’s ‘51st state’ rhetoric

A new report shows increased patriotism in Manitoba ahead of Canada Day. Danton Unger reports.

It’s Ho Ho Oh Canada for the Santa Claus on Narin.

The jolly old Saint Nick is a year-round staple in East Elmwood, decked out in fresh outfits celebrating all sorts of holidays—from St. Patrick’s Day to Halloween.

This year the couple behind the Santa Claus—Richard Holm and Nicole Abbott—took a special effort to make the man in red extra patriotic.

“With everything that’s on the news, we need to celebrate Canada Day more than ever right now. We need to show our patriotism,” Holm told CTV News, pointing to Santa’s new Canadian umbrella hat, red scarf, and a shirt proudly proclaiming ‘Canada—True North Strong and Free.’

“We’ve got Santa here all decked out and hoping we make some people smile as they drive by.”

But Santa Claus isn’t the only one going all out this year for Canada Day.

According to a Probe Research poll commissioned by the Winnipeg Free Press, 60 per cent of Manitobans feel more proud to be Canadian than they did last year.

This comes as U.S. President Donald Trump continued making comments about his desire to annex Canada, telling Fox News in an interview Sunday, “Frankly, Canada should be the 51st state. It really should.”

Probe Research surveyed 1,000 adults between May 28 and June 10. The results carry a margin of error of plus/minus 3.1 percentage points.

Probe Research Partner Curtis Brown believes the extra patriotism in Canada is thanks to the rocky relationship with our neighbours. He noted the poll asked Manitobans if they are concerned Canada as we know it won’t exist in five years. The response was just about split down the middle.

“With Trump and this talk of the ‘51st state’ and everything going on with that, and this big worry that maybe Canada as we know it is not going to be the country that has been—you know, there is a lot more patriotism being expressed,” Brown said.

The poll also found 57 per cent say they plan to make more of an effort to celebrate Canada Day this year.

That comes as no surprise to the Flag Shop in South Osborne, which has seen its foot traffic more than double.

“It’s kind of reawakened that sense of being Canadian and wanting to show it proudly,” said Mathew Hobson, a sales associate at the store.

He said demand has been up since February, but in the lead-up to Canada Day, flags have been flying off the shelves.

“We’re seeing a big rise in people wanting to fly a Canadian flag in front of their home for Canada Day,” he said.

People like Jeff Gosman, who stopped by the shop Monday to pick up a new Canadian flag.

“We’ve got a lot to be proud of,” he said as he held his new flag up in front of him. “We’re sort of under attack by the United States, who used to be our best friend and it now seems to be a bit of an enemy. I just hope that it’s resolved and we can get back to a friendly relationship with no tariffs.”

Meanwhile, on Narin, Holm hopes Santa’s Canada Day getup will bring a smile to people’s faces. After all, red and white have always been Santa’s colours.

- With files from CTV Your Morning