Canada bagel in Montreal: symbol of solidarity against tariffs

Fairmont Bagel in Montreal is showing solidarity through their Canadian bagel amid looming U.S. tariffs. Many Montreal businesses have been united in sending a message to U.S. President Donald Trump, that they don’t want tariffs on Canadian products. The ‘Canada bagel’ is braided red and white, sprinkled with sesame seeds. 

“I was looking at people driving their cars and in the streets and everybody looked kind of nervous and sad and angry and anxious and I said why not make a Canada bagel? Something that would represent Canada,” explained Rhonda Shlafman, a co-owner of Fairmount Bagel.

Shlafman says that she hopes the new bagel will help cheer people up amidst the possible consequences of tariffs from the U.S. 

“We take the red dough and the white dough and we braid them and intertwine them,” said Shlafman, adding, “we’re putting a little bit of sesame seeds on them.”

“Really a lot of fun.”

Eddie Beaucage was one of a few Montrealers who were able to get their hands on the Canada bagel.

“The thing of beauty,” he told CityNews after biting into it. “The patriot in me was interested in seeing that they made a Canadian version bagel. So I’m here to support that.” 

Gary Stronach, from La Prairie, also tried the Canada bagel and says, “It’s Fairmont. It’s great. It’s a Canada bagel. It’s even better.”

“I think it’s a great idea. I think that anything we can do to promote buying Canada, especially eat Canada is great.”

Another business, the Dieu du Ciel brewpub, has decided not to show the Super Bowl at both their Montreal and Saint-Jérome locations because of the tariff tensions.

“We actually didn’t feel it to party and celebrate the United States culture like this. Nothing against them. It’s just, we don’t feel to do a party about it,” said Jean-François Gravel, the co-founder and master brewer for Brasserie Dieu du Ciel.

“If it’s hurting the Canadian economy globally as we’re basically a restaurant and we’re selling beer, if there’s less money in the pocket of people, that’s going to hurt my business too.”

A recent Léger survey for the Journal de Montréal showed that 76 per cent of Quebec respondents say that with the arrival of Donald Trump as U.S. president, they will purchase fewer American products.

“What I’m hearing and what I’m feeling is that everyone wants to really make their best effort to buy Canadian products, to buy Canadian ingredients, to make everything here,” said Shlafman. “And a lot of customers are coming in and asking us, when they’re buying products from our fridge, ‘is this from Canada, is this from the United States?’ So this is what I’m noticing, that people really want to make the effort to buy Canadian products.”