Canadians and Americans came together on Saturday to shake hands, share perspectives and attempt to show that the two nations remain good neighbours and friends despite political tensions.
“What we see in the news doesn’t reflect what we see on the ground,” Jeoffrey Smith of Santa Rosa, California said on Saturday.
“We really are peace-loving people, and we love our neighbours, we love Canadians.”
Smith was one of the more than 100 Canadians and Americans who showed up on both sides of the border at the International Peace Garden on Saturday, for what was dubbed ‘Handshake Across the Border.’
The event gave Canadians and Americans the chance to shake hands directly across the border at the Peace Garden, located adjacent to the International Peace Garden Border Crossing between Manitoba and North Dakota, south of Boissevain.
Hundreds gathered at the International Peace Garden, which sits on the border between Manitoba and North Dakota, for a Handshake Across the Border, to celebrate the peace and collaboration of between Canada and the United States of America. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)
According to their website, the garden, which was established in 1932 is a celebration of peace, and a “living monument to the ideals of friendship and cooperation among nations.”
Smith, who was crossing the border this week back to the U.S. after spending time with family in Winnipeg, said for him the handshake symbolized the love that he said many Americans have for Canadians, even as U.S. president Donald Trump continues to impose tariffs on Canadian goods and make comments about Canada becoming a 51st state.
“There’s so much animosity going on between our two countries, we want to demonstrate we love our neighbours, and we’re all together on this planet,” Smith said.
Tim Chapman, CEO of the International Peace Garden, said the handshake was organized as part of the garden’s annual Summer Floral Celebration on Saturday, because they wanted to find a way to show Canadians and Americans meeting and embracing.
“We’re just trying to get as many Americans and Canadians here today as possible, get some awesome drone shots and photography of Americans and Canadians doing what the garden stands for,” Chapman said.
“Coming together and appreciating each other, and really showing that this cross border friendship is as important as ever.”
He added he hopes the event can show the importance of people meeting face-to-face, rather than simply debating or arguing online.
“It’s one thing to see what we do on TV and in social media, it’s another thing to get in front of people and remember how valuable interpersonal, in-person relationships are.”
Alison Bjornseth, who lives on a farm in Bottineau County in North Dakota, not far from the border, said she came to Wednesday’s handshake because she values the friendships she has made with Canadians over the years.
“We have a lot of friends in Canada, and they’ve been very discouraged lately, and so we’re trying to do what we can to support, and to show that we are friends,” she said. “We’re going to continue to be friends with our Canadian buddies.
“These are our friends.”
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