U.S. mayors ask Canadians to reconsider U.S. travel boycott
Some American mayors are trying to encourage Canadians to reconsider boycotting travel across the border.
Since the onset of the Canada-U.S. trade war early last year, cross-border travel has yet to recover to pre-war levels. In January 2025, a month before U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods, Statistics Canada reported that fewer than 2.3 million Canadians had returned from the United States, down from over 3 million in the previous January. The most recent April statistics have yet to reach pre-trade war numbers.
In light of the ongoing antagonism between the nations, some U.S. mayors are urging Canadians to reconsider their boycott of the United States. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, in an Instagram post, said, "Hey Canadians, we like you guys, we miss you, we don't think of you as the 51st state." Frey emphasized that the situation in Minnesota, like elsewhere, is desired for Canadians to return.
North Dakota has also been vocal in its desire for Canadians to return, with the U.S. Bureau of Transportation noting a 35 percent decrease in travel at the Pembina-Emerson border crossing in 2025 compared to the previous year. Fargo Mayor Josh Boschee echoed similar sentiments, stating, "We’ve always seen Canada as our cousins to us North Dakotans, and we’d love to see them back at the family reunion."
Tourism and travel organizations from North Dakota have been actively engaging with groups in Manitoba to encourage both parties to plan trips across the border. Mayor Boschee hopes this initiative can help restore the situation to its pre-trade war state. "There's a lot of great opportunities, so when we see folks from Canada or other parts of the country decide not to visit here it certainly makes an impact," he added.
Travel Manitoba, one of the key organizations involved, has been working to inform Canadians of the travel options available in Manitoba. Louise Waldman, Strategic Engagement Vice President at Travel Manitoba, emphasized the importance of this industry, stating, "Tourism is a $2 billion a year industry... it creates directly and indirectly 25,000 jobs in every corner of the province, including many small and medium-sized businesses."
Despite the current situation, many Manitoba school divisions have decided against organizing trips to the U.S. for the time being.
Written by urgent.news from Global News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
