Featured Image Credit: CBC News
Topics: Canada, Donald Trump, Food and Drink, Money, Politics, US News, World News
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: Canada, Donald Trump, Food and Drink, Money, Politics, US News, World News
Customers of a restaurant in Canada have spoken out in 'shocked' delight after an American couple paid for everyone's meals.
Earlier this month, Donald Trump signed off on an order imposing 'catastrophic' tariffs to 'hold China, Mexico and Canada accountable for their promises to halt the flood of poisonous drugs into the US' by placing 25 percent tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, and 10 percent on China.
And it would appear an American couple decided to offer to pay for all customers' meals at a Canadian restaurant as a bit of a consolation.
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The White House stated in a release the tariffs are part of Trump 'taking bold action to hold Mexico, Canada, and China accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into [the] country'.
"There is growing production of fentanyl in Canada, and enough fentanyl was seized at the northern border last fiscal year to kill 9.8 million Americans," the order claimed. "Additionally, illegal border crossings from Canada reached historic new highs every year for the last four fiscal years."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned the tariffs would 'have real consequences' for 'the American people' and the White House's actions would ultimately cause a 'split' rather than 'bringing us together'.
However, proving the rift may not cause a divide among citizens of both countries were an American couple and customers at Toast restaurant on Erie street in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
A couple named Sarah and Bill from Ann Arbor visited the restaurant and customers have since spoken out about them paying for everyone's meals.
Aileen Ganley-Mutter was at the restaurant with her godchildren when the couple paid for everyone's meals.
"We were all kind of shocked because that doesn't happen, because there's about 50 to 60 people in there," she told CBC.
Despite customers trying to persuade the pair to allow them to chip in for the tip, they reportedly declined the offer saying it was 'the least' they 'could do'.
"They said [...] they weren't going to stop supporting Canada and loving Canada, and they felt bad for the rift that it was causing, so it was just very generous," Ganley-Mutter added.
Another customer at the restaurant, Irene Chyz, added how 'taken aback' everyone was and 'just wonderful to experience it'.
And co-owner of the restaurant, May Hermiz, reflected she was 'stunned' because 'nobody has ever paid for the whole restaurant' in the nine years of it being a business.
She recalled: "Everyone was cheering. They were cheering them on and they were applauding."
Hermiz added that the woman told patrons "she hates what the United States is doing to us and she doesn't support it. And she's so happy we won the hockey game and it's a little token of appreciation for Canadians and how much she loves us and how much she loves supporting local."
The kind gesture follows President Trump doubling down on his plan to instate a 25 percent tariff against Canada, with the president saying on Monday (February 24): "This is an abuse that took place for many, many years. The tariffs will go forward, yes, and we're going to make up a lot of territory."
"The only way for Canada to avoid such a tariff according to Trump is for the country to 'become [the US'] Cherished 51st State'.