Haskell Free Library denounces ‘unilateral’ US transfer amid tensions over Donald Trump’s continued threats in opposition to Canada.
Montreal, Canada – US President Donald Trump’s administration is chopping off Canada’s primary entry level to a historical library that straddles the border between the Canadian province of Quebec and the US state of Vermont.
In a joint assertion late on Thursday, the Quebec border city of Stanstead and the Haskell Free Library and Opera Home stated the USA had made the “unilateral choice to shut the primary Canadian entry” to the constructing.
“This closure not solely compromises Canadian guests’ entry to a historic image of cooperation and concord between the 2 international locations but additionally weakens the spirit of cross-border collaboration that defines this iconic location,” they stated.
“Moreover, it necessitates important infrastructure changes to adjust to new constraints.”
US Customs and Border Safety didn’t instantly reply to Al Jazeera’s request for touch upon the choice on Friday.
The transfer comes amid hovering tensions between the US and Canada over Trump’s repeated threats to annex his nation’s northern neighbour, in addition to the imposition of steep tariffs on Canadian items.
Reviews of Trump closing off Canadians’ entry to the Haskell Free Library & Opera Home are troubling, and if true an escalation in his rhetoric in opposition to our neighbor & ally.
Vermont loves Canada. This shared cultural establishment celebrates a partnership between our two nations.…
— Senator Peter Welch (@SenPeterWelch) March 21, 2025
“Reviews of Trump closing off Canadians’ entry to the Haskell Free Library & Opera Home are troubling, and if true an escalation in his rhetoric in opposition to our neighbor & ally,” US Senator Peter Welch of Vermont stated in a put up on X.
“Vermont loves Canada. This shared cultural establishment celebrates a partnership between our two nations.”
First opened in 1905, a 12 months after the Opera Home, the Haskell Free Library was purposely constructed in each the US and Canada in a present of solidarity between residents of the then-porous border space.
The border bisects the constructing, and a line of black tape runs throughout the library’s primary entrance corridor and kids’s studying room, delineating the dividing line.
The principle entrance is on the US aspect of the frontier, and to get into the constructing, Canadians have been capable of stroll throughout the border and head for the entrance door.
Passports should not required however the library tells guests to count on their actions to be monitored and to hold identification.
Amid Trump’s threats in opposition to Canada, in late January, US Secretary of Homeland Safety Kristi Noem made an unannounced go to to the library.
Deborah Bishop, Haskell’s govt director, advised Canadian outlet CTV Information that Noem stood on the US aspect and stated “USA no 1” throughout a tour of the constructing.
“After which [she] crossed the road and stated, ‘The 51st state’,” Bishop stated, in reference to Trump’s continued push to make Canada right into a US state.
“She did this on three events. There was no point out of Canada, simply ‘the 51st state’,” Bishop advised CTV, including that the feedback had been poorly acquired by folks on the library.
“We welcomed her courteously and respect, and I believe she ought to have reacted in the identical means. She was in Canada. I imply, while you step over that line, you might be technically in Canada. So possibly be respectful in the direction of the folks within the room who’re Canadian.”
Canadian leaders have rejected Trump’s push to annex the nation, with Prime Minister Mark Carney final week calling the thought “loopy”.
Carney has stated he’s keen to satisfy with the Trump administration to debate tariffs and different insurance policies however provided that Canada’s sovereignty is revered.
