Canadians Planning to Vacation Anywhere but the USA Amid Economic Tensions
Canadians are choosing Canadian First for holidays, and for groceries!
Thunder Bay – Shopping has changed. Plowing through the grocery store and in retail shops, is now a matter of reading the label to insure that the product is Canadian. For many of us, the sabre rattling by United States President Donald Trump has awoke a sleeping giant in Canadians.
Even late night U.S. comedians are commenting that Donald Trump has accomplished the impossible, he has Quebecers standing proudly as Canadians.
In a few flaps of his gums, Trump has awakened Canadians and has them taking personal measures to protect our economy.
Shopping now is a patriotic act, and Canadians, despite the last minute respite of a 30 day break from tariffs are looking at President Trump’s threat as real.
The early evidence is apparent in the stores. Canadians are forgoing products that were the common, to choose Canadian. Today in the local Freshco, California strawberries were sitting on sale, with few takers, blueberries from Peru were the choice.
Campbells Soup, long a Canadian favourite is sitting on the shelf, Canadians are choosing Alymers soup instead.
A Facebook page dedicated to Shopping Canadian has leapt to over 800,000 followers in mere days this week.
It is not just at the grocery store, Canadians seeking a winter break are looking past the United States as a travel destination as well.
Trump’s leap into a trade war has had a ripple effect on cross-border travel, potentially reducing the number of Canadian visitors to the United States and impacting local economies in key tourism states.
Canada: The Largest Source of U.S. Visitors
In 2024, Canadians made 20.4 million visits to the United States, spending $20.5 billion and supporting 140,000 American jobs. However, a 10% decline in Canadian travel could mean 2 million fewer visits, $2.1 billion in lost spending, and 14,000 job losses.
Retail and Hospitality Industries at Risk
The five most visited U.S. states by Canadians—Florida, California, Nevada, New York, and Texas—could see significant losses in retail and hospitality revenue. Shopping remains the top leisure activity for Canadian visitors, meaning businesses reliant on cross-border tourism may feel the impact of these economic changes.
In Northwestern Ontario it is hard to say what impact this will have on cross border trips. Thunder Bay residents making those quick trips to the border to Grande Marias or having packages shipped to Rydens, are as common as breathing for many people.
Trips on long weekends to Duluth are another likely target.
Another factor is the cost of those expensive U.S. dollars, with the Canadian dollar at $0.70 US, it is like there already is a tariff in place.
Trade wars always have an impact on countries. Donald Trump in attacking Canada might not think our relatively small country could impact his “mighty
