BY CHERYL SHUMWAYNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — Celebrating international friendship with Canada, hundreds of people held elbows up, as well as flags and signs, in support of Canada during the rally at Ogdensburg City Hall and Morrisette Park July 5.

The ‘Elbows up for Canada” rally was among hundreds of similar events held along the U.S.-Canada border to support economic and social ties between the United States and Canada, organizers said.

Elbows up, a defensive hockey move and popular Canadian expression, is the name of the series of rallies.

A Canadian journalist, Congressional candidate Blake Gendebien, representative from Senator Charles Schumer's office, and Rev. Lauren Will, of Ogdensburg, were among those who spoke on the steps of the City Hall.

“As a Canadian, it really means a lot to see everybody come out. Just with this rhetoric the past few months, it really means a lot to see people support Canada, since we are so close to each other,” said John Lawless, a Canadian journalist from the Brockville Recorder and Times.

Blake Gendebien, a Lisbon farmer running for Congress, spoke of the friendly relationship between the U.S. and Canada for the past 200 years.

“Let’s push back on these trade policies that only hurt all of us. Let’s show Canada we are still their best neighbor and international friend,” he said.

“Let’s continue doing business in Ontario and Quebec and show them that we care about them and that a good relationship is for our mutual benefit,” said Gendebien.

Joshua Pearlman, a representative of Sen. Charles E. Schumer, read a letter from Schumer, telling how the recent decline of trade with Canada is affecting the North Country with 66% of local businesses seeing a dip on Canadian bookings.

“Crossings at the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge have been down about 28 % the past few months compared to 2024,” he said.

Rev. Lauren Will, of the First Presbyterian Church of Ogdensburg, ended the speeches with a prayer of embracing one another, saying, “Our spirits are one, united by the river.”

The event then moved to the shore at Morrisette Park to wave Canadian and American flags and sing to Canadians across the border.
Several boats joined near the shore, holding ‘Elbow Up” signs and Canadian flags.

“When we were singing "Oh, Canada" I had my phone up close to Darcy Debuque, who was leading the singing for us, and the Canadians on the other side were singing with us in sync on a friend's phone on the opposite side of the river,” said organizer Ginger Storey-Welch.

“It was the moment I felt we were truly making a meaningful connection across the river,” she said.

The event was sponsored by North Country Neighbors for Civic Engagement .