Protesters decry 'assault on democracy' at anti-Tesla rally in Ottawa
The snow and freezing rain hitting Ottawa on Saturday couldn't stop Nancy Wasserman and others from protesting against Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The rally, one of many held on what's been dubbed "Tesla Takedown's Global Day of Action," drew dozens of people to the sidewalk outside the Tesla showroom on Carling Avenue, where they carried signs and attracted honks of support from passing drivers.
"I think it speaks to the way that Canadians are really appalled by what's going on with our neighbours to the south," said Wasserman, who helped organize the Ottawa event.
It's the latest in a string of protests against the rhetoric from the U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which Musk is closely tied to.
"Not pushing back against this would be amoral. It's just that serious. [It's an] assault on democracy that's happening right now," said Wasserman.
Protesters at the rally said their concerns lie with Musk supporting Trump's statements about making Canada the 51st U.S. state, something Trump has been teasing since before his inauguration on Jan. 20.
Under Trump's administration, Musk also now heads the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, which has cut thousands of federal positions in recent weeks.
"Musk is helping to overthrow democracy in the U.S. [and he] also has fascist leanings and he's interfering in elections all over the place. So I feel strongly that we should come out and help take down Tesla," said Ella Heyder, an American expat who attended the protest.
With similar gatherings taking place around the world on Saturday, protester Jay Baltz said he hoped it would increase the backlash against Musk — perhaps resulting in the price of Tesla stock dropping even further or sales of Tesla vehicles continuing to plunge.
"There aren't a lot of things that get Alberta and Quebec on the same side," Baltz said. "And so this has united Canada like nothing I've seen before for quite a while."
Another rally to push back against Trump and Musk is set to be held next Saturday at the U.S. Embassy.
"Certainly my hope is that the U.S. will return to its democratic roots and that the friendship that existed for decades between the U.S. and Canada will come back," Wasserman said.
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Toronto Sun
34 minutes ago
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SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Canada is no longer run by a cockwomble. What a difference a mature prime minister makes! A prime minister who does not pick the weakest for cabinet so that his PMO will be totally in charge. A prime minister who can obviously change his mind, all the way from 'net-zero' to thinking of utilizing resources. A prime minister who will not impoverish Canadians and embarrass Canada by telling other heads of state that there is 'no business case' for exporting LNG to needy nations with lots of cash to pay us. Refreshingly, we now have a natural resources minister – Tim Hodgson – who has travelled to the once-separating Alberta to support new oil and gas infrastructure to trade in overseas markets and supply energy to Eastern Canada! Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. How novel – jobs and riches for Canadians. Read More Under the regime of the last ten years, ideas that may be contrary to the dogma of the PMO could not even be broached. The late Bill Graham, an experienced and tested and worldly intellect, and former Liberal leader, was once told in no uncertain terms by some kid in the PMO that his advice on a complex issue was not necessary because 'we have this, thank you very much.' This closure of the mind was aided and abetted by appointees in the PMO who did not have the wherewithal to think through even the simplest situations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Remember the SNC-Lavalin scandal? 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Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
Kilmar Abrego Garcia returned to the US, charged with transporting people in the country illegally
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Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Vance says Musk making ‘huge mistake' going after Trump but downplays 'emotional' attacks
U.S. Vice-President JD Vance said Elon Musk was making a 'huge mistake' going after President Donald Trump in a storm of bitter and inflammatory social media posts after a falling out between the two men. But the vice-president, in an interview released Friday after the very public blow up between the world's richest man and arguably the world's most powerful, also tried to downplay Musk's blistering attacks as an 'emotional guy' who got frustrated. 'I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that's not possible now because he's gone so nuclear,' Vance said. Vance's comments come as other Republicans in recent days have urged the two men, who months ago were close allies spending significant time together, to mend fences. Musk's torrent of social media posts attacking Trump came as the president portrayed him as disgruntled and 'CRAZY' and threatened to cut the government contracts held by his businesses. Story continues below advertisement 2:13 Business Matters: Trump vs. Musk feud sends Tesla stock tumbling Musk, who runs electric vehicle maker Tesla, internet company Starlink and rocket company SpaceX, lambasted Trump's centerpiece tax cuts and spending bill but also suggested Trump should be impeached and claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president's association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 'Look, it happens to everybody,' Vance said in the interview. 'I've flown off the handle way worse than Elon Musk did in the last 24 hours.' Vance made the comments in an interview with ' manosphere' comedian Theo Von, who last month joked about snorting drugs off a mixed-race baby and the sexuality of men in the U.S. Navy when he opened for Trump at a military base in Qatar. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The vice-president told Von that as Musk for days was calling on social media for Congress to kill Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' the president was 'getting a little frustrated, feeling like some of the criticisms were unfair coming from Elon, but I think has been very restrained because the president doesn't think that he needs to be in a blood feud with Elon Musk.' Story continues below advertisement 'I actually think if Elon chilled out a little bit, everything would be fine,' he added. Musk appeared by Saturday morning to have deleted his posts about Epstein. 2:52 Musk says Trump 'is in the Epstein files' amid escalating feud The interview was taped Thursday as Musk's posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. During the interview, Von showed the vice-president Musk's claim that Trump's administration hasn't released all the records related to sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein because Trump is mentioned in them. Vance responded to that, saying, 'Absolutely not. Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong with Jeffrey Epstein.' 'This stuff is just not helpful,' Vance said in response to another post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. Story continues below advertisement 'It's totally insane. The president is doing a good job.' Vance called Musk an 'incredible entrepreneur,' and said that Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was 'really good.' 3:07 Trump-Musk feud doesn't surprise Americans: '2 rich men with 2 big egos' The vice-president also defended the bill that has drawn Musk's ire, and said its central goal was not to cut spending but to extend the 2017 tax cuts approved in Trump's first term. The bill would slash spending but also leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance and spike deficits by $2.4 trillion over the decade, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a 'disgusting abomination.' Story continues below advertisement 'It's a good bill,' Vance said. 'It's not a perfect bill.' He also said it was ridiculous for some House Republicans who voted for the bill but later found parts objectional to claim they hadn't had time to read it. Vance said the text had been available for weeks and said, 'the idea that people haven't had an opportunity to actually read it is ridiculous.' Elsewhere in the interview, Vance laughed as Von cracked jokes about famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass' sexuality. 'We're gonna talk to the Smithsonian about putting up an exhibit on that,' Vance joked. 'And Theo Von, you can be the narrator for this new understanding of the history of Frederick Douglass.' The podcaster also asked the vice president if he 'got high' on election night to celebrate Trump's victory. Story continues below advertisement Vance laughed and joked that he wouldn't admit it if he did. 'I did not get high,' he then said. 'I did have a fair amount to drink that night.' The interview was taped in Nashville at a restaurant owned by musician Kid Rock, a Trump ally.
