American tourists weigh in on Trump tariffs
Vancouver's cruise ship season has begun, with the first ship docking Wednesday morning at Canada Place. CBC's Jessica Cheung headed down to speak with Americans about the ongoing trade war.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
9 hours ago
- Toronto Star
U.S. ambassador says Canadians facing device searches, detainment ‘not a pattern'
OTTAWA — The American ambassador to Canada is pushing back on Ottawa's travel advice, saying his country doesn't search phones at the border and arguing some Americans travelling here are having a tough time. 'We welcome Canadians to come in and invest, to spend their hard-earned Canadian dollars at U.S. businesses,' U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra told The Canadian Press in an interview Friday. 'If a Canadian has had a disappointing experience coming into the United States, I'm not denying that it happened, but I'm saying it's an isolated event and it is not a pattern.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW In April, Ottawa updated its advice to Canadians travelling to the United States to warn them about the possibility they might be detained if denied entry. 'Expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices,' reads the new guidance. There have been reports of Canadians facing intensified scrutiny at the border, having phones searched and, in some cases, being detained. Hoekstra insisted concerns about device searches are not grounded in reality. 'Coming to the U.S., that's a decision for the Canadians to make. Searching devices and all of that is not a well-founded fear. We don't do that. America is a welcoming place,' he said. He said some Americans have expressed similar concerns about Canada. 'I've heard that from Americans coming into Canada as well, OK? Saying, 'You know, we've not received a warm reception when we've gotten to Canadian customs,'' he said. When asked if these reports from American travellers involve arbitrary phone searches and lengthy detainment, Hoekstra said there are consular cases of Americans complaining to the embassy about the Canada Border Services Agency. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'We've said, 'OK this may have been an isolated event. There may have been a Canadian border person who was having a bad day, and thought they'd take it out on, you know, somebody across the border,'' he said. In a statement, the CBSA said its officers follow a code of conduct and the federal ethics code that both require them to treat everyone equally, and the agency investigates any complaints of mistreatment. 'Employees are expected to conduct themselves in a way that upholds the values of integrity, respect and professionalism at all times,' wrote spokeswoman Karine Martel. 'Treating people with respect, dignity and fairness is fundamental to our border services officers' relationship with the public and a key part of this is serving all travellers in a non-discriminatory way.' Hoekstra said travel to the U.S. is up to individuals. 'If you decide that you're not going to come down or whatever, that's your decision and you're missing an opportunity. There are great things to see in America,' Hoekstra said. He also noted the case of CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, who recently said she prepared to visit the U.S. last month as if she was 'going to North Korea' — with a 'burner phone' that didn't carry any personal information — only to experience a warm welcome. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'It's like, (let's) get past the rhetoric and let's look at the real experiences that people are having here,' Hoekstra said. Airlines have been cutting flights between Canada and the U.S. due to a slump in demand, and Flight Centre Travel Group Canada reported a nearly 40 per cent drop in flights between the two countries year-over-year in February. A survey in early May conducted by Leger Marketing for the Association for Canadian Studies found 52 per cent of respondents feel that 'it is no longer safe for all Canadians travelling to the United States,' with 29 per cent disagreeing and 19 per cent saying they were unsure. Roughly the same proportion said they personally feel unwelcome in the U.S. LGBTQ+ groups have opted against attending World Pride events in Washington and United Nations events in New York, citing scrutiny at the border as the Trump administration scales back protections for transgender and non-binary people. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
Calgary Herald
16 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Alberta gives U.S. liquor imports thumbs-up
Stores in Alberta can now sell newer American liquor products after a provincial agency ended a three-month pause ignited by a tariff dispute between Canada and the U.S. Article content The directive came from the province as Canada shifts its approach from retaliating to negotiating with its southern neighbour on economic policies. Article content Article content Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction Dale Nally, in a statement on Friday night, said the government's decision heralds a 'renewed commitment to open and fair trade with our largest partner.' Article content Article content 'The decision sets the stage for more constructive negotiations ahead of a Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement renewal, potentially leading to increased trade opportunities and economic growth for Alberta,' Nally added. Article content Article content The decision concerns liquor products registered with the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis agency (AGLC) and declared to the Canada Border Services Agency. A 25 per cent surtax will continue to be levied on those items shipped from the U.S. after March 4 and will be collected by the provincial agency. Article content Article content Ravinder Singh, a manager at ACE Liquor Discounters Edmonton Trail, said the decision likely won't affect the store's sales, as the shop's inventory still holds enough stock of older American products. Article content The move to ban the sale of American liquor was made in early March amid escalating trade tensions. Article content Article content 'If the Americans aren't going to buy products from our Canadian companies, we have to,' Premier Danielle Smith said at the time. Article content 'That means we should be buying more Canadian beer, more Canadian spirits and more Canadian wine. And so that's the reality of what we're facing.' Article content The ban was lifted March 18, but the sales were confined to AGLC's central locations. Article content Singh said the demand for American products dropped after March owing to a wave of patriotism across the country. Whereas the store sold them daily, the products are now being bought twice or thrice a week, even three months after the pause.
Canada Standard
17 hours ago
- Canada Standard
Cautious Americans delay summer travel, await better deals
WASHINGTON, D.C. Forget bucket lists; this summer, it's all about budget lists. Amid economic uncertainty and a weaker dollar, Americans are growing cautious about travel. From flights and hotels to rental cars, many are delaying bookings or scaling back plans entirely, hoping to snag better deals closer to the date. It's a trend that's starting to worry the travel industry. Hotel bookings are flat or declining, and airline reservations are down—even though airfare has become cheaper. Big travel players like Delta, Marriott, and Booking Holdings have lowered or withdrawn their 2025 forecasts as U.S. demand softens. Airbnb also flagged that more users are waiting until the last minute to confirm trips. That hesitation has left companies with less visibility on what the second half of the year will look like. Delta said in April it was too early to predict the full-year outlook given current economic uncertainty. United Airlines echoed that, warning that bookings could slow further. "It's very clear that consumers are waiting to make decisions, including for the summer," said Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan at a recent industry conference. He added that while demand is stable, it's lower than expected earlier this year. According to Flighthub, summer flight bookings in the U.S. are down 10 percent compared to last year despite a 7 percent drop in average prices. Long-haul flights are seeing even steeper discounts — with tickets to destinations like Sydney, Australia down 23 percent. "You can't keep an airline seat on the shelf in a warehouse," said Steve Hafner, CEO of Kayak. "If you don't fill that seat tomorrow and the airplane flies, it's gone." Hotel bookings are showing the same pattern. "They've actually fallen off, and it gets weaker like a month out," said Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian. "By the time you get to that month, it recovers." CoStar data shows bookings in major U.S. cities are flat-to-down. Room rates are only expected to rise by 1.3 percent in 2025 — down from a 1.8 percent increase in 2024. "We're not getting that crazy pricing power we got in the early days of the recovery," said Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano. Some hotels are already sweetening deals, offering free nights or special packages to drive bookings. "That's what Jackie Lafferty is hoping for," the story notes. The Los Angeles PR director has shifted her plans from Hawaii or Florida to a California-based vacation. "By the time we broke down the cost of the flights, the hotel and the rental car, it looked expensive, it felt unreasonable," she said. Meanwhile, the weakening dollar is nudging travelers to stay closer to home. In March, a Deloitte survey showed Americans planned to increase summer travel budgets by 13 percent. But by April, they were budgeting roughly the same as last year. "The dollar is just not going as far, and I think people are starting to realize that," said Chirag Panchal, CEO of luxury travel firm Ensuite Collection. His U.S.-based clients are now favoring Canada or the Caribbean over Europe. Rachel Cabeza, a New Jersey-based actor and fitness instructor, sums it up: "We might go international at the end of the summer. If we do, it will be last-minute and spur of the moment based on cheaper flights." For now, her only confirmed trip is a local getaway to Martha's Vineyard.
