It was hard to miss Ontario Premier Doug Ford's message to would-be American diplomats Wednesday: He's wearing it on his hat.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa ahead of a meeting between the prime minister and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss Canada's response to the US tariff threat, Ford wore a navy top cap emblazoned with the words “Canada is not for sale” in white letters.
The design clearly evoked the “Make America Great Again” slogan popular among supporters of president-elect Donald Trump.
Trump has recently threatened to impose tariffs on all Canadian goods and has considered using “economic power” to “eliminate” the border between the two countries. Those threats led to Wednesday's meeting in Ottawa.
“This is about everyday Canadians fighting for the country,” Ford said when asked about his clothing choices.
He said he got this hat from Jackpine Dynamic Branding of Ottawa, later he thanked the company in X.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford arrives at a meeting in Ottawa on Jan. 15, 2025.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford arrives at a rally in Ottawa on Wednesday wearing a hat emblazoned with the slogan 'Canada is not for sale.' (Blair Gable/Reuters)
Jackpine's Liam Mooney said the idea for the hats came last week when he and his colleagues were watching Ford being interviewed on Fox News and heard the host say it would be “an honor” for Canada to join the US.
“We thought, no. It's an honor to be Canadian,” Mooney said.
Mooney said they quickly came up with a “deceptive” slogan, which he confirmed was a deliberate ripoff of the MAGA brand, and soon built a website with the help of online merchandising giant Shopify.
Mooney said a member of the Ford staff saw the hats and called to ask if anyone was ready to run for premier in time for Wednesday's meeting.
“We went from an idea to the prime minister's head in about a week,” Mooney said, describing the response as “frustrating.”
Liam Mooney of Ottawa-based Jackpine Dynamic Branding said the idea for the hats came after he heard a Fox News host say it would be a 'privilege' for Canada to join the US.
Liam Mooney of Jackpine Dynamic Branding in Ottawa says the idea for the hats came after hearing a Fox News host say it would be a 'privilege' for Canada to join the US (Olivier Plante/CBC)
On Wednesday afternoon, Mooney said Jackpine has made tens of thousands of dollars in sales, thanks in large part to Ford's plug. But Mooney described the venture as “a small act of patriotism” rather than a money-making scheme.
“It doesn't matter what political party you belong to, what party you belong to or what your worldview may be. I think we can all agree that Canada is an amazing region, and in the world of nations Canada stands alone as a very different and amazing country,” she said.
“We want people to be proud of it [their] in the country, and we want people to feel like there's a way to say it.”
Hats are currently made in Vietnam and Bangladesh, but Mooney said Jackpine is working hard to establish a Canadian supply chain that will include unionized workers.
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