Mar 14 2025 10 mins 160
After Donald Trump proposed that Canada could be consumed as America's 51st State, Adam Gopnik reflects on his homeland's history with the United States and Canada's new-found patriotic toughness - and how it differs from nationalism.
'It’s is only a little startling, though very Canadian, to find the new motto 'elbows up' radiating everywhere in Canada,' Adam writes, referring to a defensive position found in the country's premier passion, ice hockey.
'It is a classic patriotic stance - not throwing a punch, but letting the other side know that there are angles in your physique and resistance,' he writes.
'The picture now is one of an entire country, elbows proudly up'.
Producer: Sheila Cook
Sound: Peter Bosher
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
