With relations icy, many Canadians lament hosting World Cup with U.S.

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TORONTO -- Clad in Canada gear with a red cowboy hat and a maple leaf painted on her face, Catherine Paternal was ready to celebrate Canada’s national soccer team. But she is in no mood to be co-hosting Canada’s first World Cup with its southern neighbour.

U.S. President Donald Trump in recent weeks has renewed threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, and said he might not renew the trilateral trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico — the co-hosts of this year’s World Cup.

“The World Cup is about bringing countries together. I don’t feel like the U.S. is a good example of bringing people together right now,” said Paternal, a 44-year-old from Mississauga, a city neighbouring Toronto.

The U.S. president has also imposed tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles from Canada, accused Ottawa of taking advantage of the U.S., and on many occasions referred to Prime Minister Mark Carney as “governor.” Canadians for over a year have boycotted U.S. products and cancelled trips south of the border.

Most Canadians Reuters spoke to said they were not willing to put their feelings aside during the World Cup.

“Absolutely not,” 68-year-old Linda Anson said bluntly in Toronto, when asked if she would make the trip to catch games in the United States. She highlighted Trump’s remarks about Canada as the main reason and said she would have preferred the World Cup to be hosted exclusively in Canada and Mexico.

“We are a sovereign nation,” her husband Bruce added.

• IN PICTURES: Canada at the FIFA World Cup

Canada fan Liam Delaney went straight to the Toronto Stadium from work to catch a glimpse of his team playing against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their World Cup opener on Friday. He did not mince his words in regard to the U.S. president.

“I think he is ruining the world of football for North Americans. He is making us look really bad,” he said.

A poll from Abacus Data this month showed 80 per cent of Canadians think the United States is on the wrong track. Another survey, from Nanos, showed 53 per cent of Canadians believed boycotting U.S. goods and avoiding U.S. travel had been helpful in strengthening Canada’s position with the United States.

Not everyone agrees with that stance.

Mauricio Gonzalez, a Mexican Canadian, wants everyone to park those tensions awhile.

“Just put that aside ... just enjoy soccer for a month, and we can resume everything else after,” he said.

Canada has worked closely with its joint hosts to make the World Cup a success and the engagement with the U.S. and Mexico has been positive, said Bahoz Dara Aziz, spokeswoman for Canada’s secretary of state for sports.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the World Cup required close co-ordination between various U.S. partners and FIFA, without commenting specifically on its co-hosting nations.

We were friends

The world’s showpiece soccer event is being played across 16 cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States, after they were named joint hosts during Trump’s first presidency in 2018. Canada plays its second match, against Qatar, in Vancouver on Thursday.

Catherine Thomas, a resident of the city of Oshawa, reminisced about a time when the U.S. and Canada were steadfast allies.

“When we started with this World Cup thing, the U.S. and Canada were still friends,” she said. “I don’t feel that way towards the U.S. now.”

Even Justin Trudeau’s patriotism came into question as annoyed fans queried why the former prime minister had ditched the first World Cup game on home soil in favor of Los Angeles. He was spotted in the stands watching the U.S. opening match with pop star girlfriend Katy Perry after she had performed at the U.S. opening ceremony.

“Sometimes supportive boyfriend duties call. But you know who I’m rooting for to take the Cup,” he posted on social media.

By Bhargav Acharya and Kyaw Soe Oo, Reuters

Additional reporting by Wa Lone; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Rosalba O’Brien