In March 2025, Rachael Coe introduced an "elbows up" merchandise line at her store, Timeless Memories, located in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, which quickly became a bestseller. Within a week, Coe reported 400 sales, and by the end of the first month, she had sold 2,500 items, including T-shirts, hoodies, and car decals. The merchandise, which bore a rallying cry against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and annexation threats, saw such high demand that Coe had to establish a website to accommodate the influx of orders. “It was a response from all over Canada,” she remarked. “We reached every single province, then we started covering worldwide. Our ‘elbows up’ merch went everywhere.”
However, by May, Coe noticed a decline in sales. Despite a modest uptick ahead of Canada Day, the "elbows up" line's sales had leveled out to match the traditional red-and-white merchandise that she usually offers at this time of year. While many Canadian businesses reported a rise in sales of Canada-themed products leading up to July 1, they also observed a downturn in "elbows up" merchandise. This rallying cry, initially embraced as a grassroots movement amid rising cross-border trade tensions and discussions about making Canada the 51st state, has now transformed into a more generic symbol of Canadian pride, according to retailers and experts.
Stephanie Tomlin, the owner of Shop Love Collective, an online business based in Toronto, also experienced a surge in "elbows up" merchandise sales in March, selling about 10 to 15 items daily, but her sales too began to stagnate by May. While she noted an increase in overall sales for Canada-themed products leading up to Canada Day, she attributed this rise to a general interest rather than the "elbows up" specific line. "The climate in Canada is a little bit more settled after the election," Tomlin stated, suggesting that the sentiment of Canadian patriotism is evolving to be less confrontational as discussions regarding annexation have faded.
Howard Ramos, a sociology professor at Western University, explained that the "elbows up" phrase became increasingly partisan after Prime Minister Mark Carney used it in his election campaign ads. This shift has contributed to a decline in the expression's appeal as a unifying Canadian sentiment. “Now you see on social media, particularly from Conservative handles, the use of ‘elbows up’ in a sarcastic way to criticize Mark Carney or Liberal policies,” he commented.
Coe reported that negative comments about the "elbows up" merchandise on social media dissuaded her from promoting it on Facebook. However, in-store interactions with customers revealed that the term was still seen as a non-divisive symbol of defending the country. “It’s not a political term; it simply means that you’re defending your country, just like you would defend (against) a goal in hockey,” she said.
Danielle McDonagh, who owns Rowantree Clothing in Vernon, British Columbia, ceased extensive promotion of her "elbows up" merchandise after noticing it being viewed as an "anti-Conservative" and "boomer" movement. She observed that concerns over the political landscape in the United States have impacted the lighter tone of the "elbows up" movement. “I think some of the levity is gone for me,” she shared. Sales of her “elbows up” products have plummeted by about 90 percent since reaching 1,000 in the first month, although she continues to promote them in smaller quantities at local markets in Vernon.
Despite the downturn in sales for the "elbows up" line, business owners highlighted that their customers remain committed to supporting the Canadian economy and often inquire about the origins of their products. Interestingly, the push to buy Canadian is not solely coming from within Canada; many American tourists arriving from Maine have visited Coe's shop in search of Canadian merchandise. “They want to support us just as much as Canadians want to support us,” Coe mentioned. McDonagh also noted a similar interest in Canada-centric products from American customers, expressing her enjoyment in shipping such merchandise to the States.
