Keith Adams wears a custom shirt, which reads 'Elbows Up: We Are The Resistance', which was made locally at a store in Whiting, Ind., on March 15.Laura McDermott/The Globe and Mail
Sufi Yunus describes the current tensions between the U.S. and Canada as a rift between two lifelong friends: One suddenly decides they don’t like the other and starts throwing punches.
The 30-year-old New Jersey history teacher, frustrated with the new U.S. administration, identifies his own country as the aggressor in the escalating trade war with Canada. And to mark his protest, he has decided to boycott domestic travel this year and instead support tourism north of the border.
“I know a lot of Canadians are upset,” Mr. Yunus said. “We’re upset, too, so don’t think that we’re happy to see this.”
Some Americans are choosing to support Canada economically, whether by pouring travel dollars into the country, spending on Canadian groceries or rallying across social-media groups dedicated to supporting their northern neighbour’s businesses. They join Canadians who are already taking a stand against U.S. tariffs with their pocketbooks, dodging American products and tourism.
In Mr. Yunus’s case, rather than spending his US$1,000 travel budget on an American city, he aims to inject that money into the Canadian economy, eyeing destinations such as Montreal, Toronto or Nova Scotia.
While he knows that his solo effort won’t make a dent in the U.S. economy or significantly boost Canada’s, he believes collective action can send a message.
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It’s too soon to measure whether there’s been an uptick in American tourism in Canada, but many U.S. travellers these days are vocal about their discomfort with the trade war, said Marc Telio, president and founder of boutique travel company Entrée Canada and a member of the Leisure Advisory Committee for Destination Canada.
“A big percentage of people that are inquiring or booking trips literally start off by apologizing for what their country is doing,” he said. “Acknowledging the good relationship that they enjoy with Canada and their discomfort.”
Amra Durakovic, a spokesperson for Flight Centre Travel Group Canada, said many American and other tourists may now turn to Canada in growing numbers. And not just because of the weak loonie.
“They’ll feel comfortable visiting here because of the new U.S. administration,” she said, adding that members of the LGBTQ community both within and outside the U.S., in particular, may not feel safe travelling in that country.
On U.S. President Donald Trump’s first day in office, he signed an order instructing government employees to refer only to “sex” and not “gender,” followed by a series of other restrictive measures focused on transgender people.
American and other tourists “will come to Canada because now they’ll potentially view us as a safe country to visit,” Ms. Durakovic said.
That’s the case for 26-year-old Michael Linblade, who lives in Redford, Mich., just a 25-minute drive from the Canadian border. As a member of the LGBTQ community, he said he feels safer in Canada and wants to support the country in any way he can.
Though finding Canadian products in the U.S. has been challenging, Mr. Linblade plans to visit his aunt in Toronto this April and commit to buying only Canadian goods during his stay: “I’ll put as much as I possibly can into Canada’s economy,” he said.
American support is already making a difference for some Canadian businesses.
Peter Raju, president and owner of Peace Arch Duty Free Shop in Surrey, B.C., at the border crossing, said that his shop was on the brink of closure and bleeding 40 per cent or more of its revenue, as fewer Canadians made trips south of the border.
Adams is looking for a Canadian business to print his shirts as a form of supporting Canadian businesses and goods amid the tariffs imposed by President Trump. The shirt also references a Subreddit called 'CANUS Help' that is made up of both Canadians and Americans to bring people together.Laura McDermott/The Globe and Mail
But American shoppers quickly swept in and kept the business afloat, buying items such as maple syrup while travelling into Canada.
“They are buying, they are supporting us and hopefully things will be over pretty soon and we will be back to normal,” he said.
For Keith Adams in Chicago, travel to Canada is not currently in the cards financially. But he’s been trying to support the country in other ways: sporting T-shirts with Canadian signage, making efforts to buy Canadian-made grocery items and even ordering baked treats from British Columbia-based YVR Cookie.
“Just about anything I can source being this far from the border,” he said.
Mr. Adams added that he’s also trying to rally support in his own country, as many Americans are unaware of the economic impact of tariffs and retaliatory measures.
He’s been active on social-media groups geared toward Americans supporting Canada during the trade war, such as CANUSHelp on Reddit – sharing resources such as names of businesses to support and streaming services to subscribe to.
As he sees it, the current situation is “a stain” on his country’s democracy and history, Mr. Adams said.
Locke Seavello, an American veteran from Utah, said that, while he’s unable to travel for now, he’s buying Canadian food products at the grocery store: Member’s Mark maple syrup, cheese and dairy, as well as bacon balls.
“Me buying Canadian groceries is the least I can do to show my support for the side I believe in,” he said. “I am a drop in the bucket for change, but I’ll protest with my wallet the best I can.”
