David Eby has urged Canadians to think twice about vacationing in the United States if Donald Trump follows through on his threat to enact 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.
The premier admitted it would be a "difficult discussion and decision for many people," and that "many families are having those conversations."
"It's a strange time because we've got friends and family and loved ones over the border," Eby said during a press conference in Vancouver on Tuesday. "The border for so many Canadians has been a marker of a different country, but not in a way that borders typically separate countries."
He noted that given the fact that Canadians have "so many relationships" with their American counterparts, "it feels strange to say" stay away.
"I really do think for Canadians right now," Eby continued, "when you're planning your March break vacations, when you're planning your summer vacations, if the tariff threat is realized — the deliberate economic attack on families in our province, in our country by the president of the United States — then we should really be thinking carefully about spending our money in that country."
He said it was "heartbreaking" to have to say such a thing, adding, "I don't understand why the president is doing this."
"I think it's bizarre," Eby concluded. "It's not a fight we wanted, it's not a fight we signed up for, but I assure every American and especially the president that Canadians will fight; we will stand up and fight. That includes making decisions about how we spend our money, and we will not spend money in a country that wants to do economic harm to Canadians."
According to Statistics Canada, between April and June of 2024 alone, Canadians took 6.5 million trips to the United States, spending $6.5 billion. A recent survey by Narrative Research found that with Trump in office, 29% of Canadians will travel south of the border less than before. That sentiment was strongest in Atlantic Canada, where 37% said they'd look elsewhere for a holiday destination.