It’s Brunch time, and Kellie Knight is making scrambled eggs. She is also making a statement.
“Eggs have been a symbol of many changes that occur in this country. The prices of groceries have not dropped since [U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration day] On January 20, as promised, “says the four -year -old mother and owner of Protero’s Post Resort, in Northwest Angle, Minn.
“I think about how everything is political now. You can’t have breakfast without thinking about politics.”
Knight is closely observing the commercial war between Canada and the United States, as well as repeated Trump’s threats about Canada State 51.
She and the more or less residents throughout the year of her isolated fishing community have a lot at stake.
Outside Alaska, it is the only part of the United States that is north of the 49 parallel, and only exists due to the error of a surveyor on a defective map of 1755.
Surrounded by three sides by Canada, cut from the United States continent by Lake of the Woods, it has no land connection with the rest of Minnesota. The only way to get by road is through Manitoba and residents have to register with border agents by iPad or telephone every time they go and go.
Everything at the angle must be brought, including the power of Manitoba Hydro. Due to their location, most products have to cross at least one edge.
“We greatly give our Canadian neighbors,” says Knight. She predicts that the high price of eggs will be “small potatoes, compared to what we could see. We could have a really rude awakening, you know, ahead.”
Even so, she supports Canada’s attempt to defend herself.
“I think Americans need to feel the pain. We honestly do it. We need to be awakened and I am willing to make it hurt a little so that we understand that this is not how you play well, it is not like cultivation good relationships.”
Annexation anguish
In the future, Paul Colson is moving trees, preparing for what awaits is a summer fishing season occupied in his family business, Jake’s Northwest Angle Resort. Like most here, you make a living with tourism.
Colson is American. His wife Karen is Canadian. His children are dual citizens. Then they know that things are a bit tense at this time.
“We think that borders are quite stagnant or static, and that is not the case of history at all,” says Colson. “Go for a garage sale and get a balloon, and look: ‘oh, that country no longer exists'”.
A Leger survey on March 24 found that one in five Americans would like his condition to join Canada, more than double the proportion of Canadians who wish to become the state 51.
In the 1990s, the angle made great news when he organized a similine in the secession of the United States on a fish dispute. In 2019, a petition asked the United States government to adjust the border, to become part of Canada.
No one with which CBC News spoke here wants to be part of Canada.
Karen does not believe that Canada becomes the state 51. But although Paul Colson, who voted for Trump, does not believe that the president of the United States once puts “boots on the ground” and invades Canada, says that there are economic reasons for the United States to attach to its northern neighbors.
“They do not hold the cards. They are not, right? Canada is 10 percent of GDP [gross domestic product] From the United States there is no this to win this for Canada, “he says.
“Canada is in an extremely weak position here, extremely weak. The oil passes through the United States, although it is Canadian oil. The train passes through the states, and most of the transport [the] States “.
Paul points out the fact that Canada has been under the pressure of NATO allies to achieve the objective of the Military Alliance to spend at least two percent of its GDP in defense.
In their electoral campaigns, the liberals promise to increase the defense expenditure of NATO to two percent by 2030. The new Democrats would meet that goal by 2032. Conservatives have committed themselves to the objective of NATO spending, but they have not yet provided a deadline.
Colson argues that the reason why Canada does not believe that he needs an army “is because they are next to the United States.”
In political debates with their Canadian friends, he tells them that “say some thanks to the US army” every time they go to the hospital “because they could not afford to have national medical attention and an army. There would be enough money” to pay both, he argues.
Tariff divisions
On Wednesday, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced what he is calling “retaliation” tariffs in imports from dozens of countries, but for now, there will be no additional encumbrances in Canada that what was previously announced.
Sitting with a Pepsi in Jerry’s Bar And Restaurant, Joe Laurin says that people in their circles have traditionally been against tariffs. Recently he withdrew from the local polaris concessionaire and now prepares snow motorcycles, takes tourists on boat trips along the lake and directs the Local Radio Station of Angle online.
“You don’t want to be penalized or taxed on things you want to buy,” he says. “You don’t want to say: ‘Well, I can’t have a crown [Royal whisky] Because that is Canadian and I have to have Jack Daniel ”, which is done in Tennessee.
But then, he and his friends heard that Canada has had tariffs on agricultural products such as meat and dairy even before this commercial war.
“Why is that?” He asks. “I don’t think it’s really transparent for the average person who has never used the word ‘tariff’ until this last month.”
The Trump administration has disseminated misinformation about the true terms of trade between the two nations as a pressure tactic, falsely presenting the “Over-Quota” tariff rates that they almost never charge Like the normal rate.
“Everyone shares small cartoons that are going and coming on trying to joke the situation, but you know, it will be a joke for a while, but then it will get serious, since it is affecting people’s livelihoods,” says Laurin.
He thinks that politicians on both sides of the border should be locked in a room until they have negotiated an agreement.
Tense relations between Canada and the United States can mean that life will become even more complicated for the more or less 100 residents throughout the year of Northwest Angle, Minn. It is the only part of the United States, outside Alaska, which is north of the parallel 49.
Knight believes that tariffs and the deteriorated relationship between Canada and the United States will affect the livelihoods of ordinary people, not the billionaires surrounding Trump.
As the winter ice fishing season ends and preparations for spring and summer begin, Knight says he is seeing less reservations in his resort. He is concerned that Canadians cancel trips to the US. As protest, and Americans choose to stay at home and save their money.
“The fingers crossed that people will still come,” says Knight with a sigh.
“It seems that the thug of the school patio is winning and that is not the way in which life is supposed to work.”
