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CBC
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Alberta-U.S. travel down but not as sharply as the rest of Canada. Is it politics? Pragmatism? Peer pressure?
Social Sharing It's been well documented by now that Canadians have been travelling to the United States less since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, but a further breakdown of the data reveals Alberta has seen smaller declines than the rest of the country. Air travel through Alberta's major airports, in particular, has been less affected than at airports in the rest of Canada. And while Alberta-U.S. travel by land is down quite a bit, the declines are still less pronounced than what's been seen at border crossings in other provinces. These trends come as no surprise to David Rast. He's a psychology professor at the University of Alberta who studies leadership, social influences and group behaviour. He's also an American who has been living outside of the United States for the past 13 years. "Every time I go back to the states, I feel less and less like I'm an American and less and less like I belong there," he said. Rast has a trip planned to the U.S. this month and understands the mixed feelings many Canadian residents now have about travelling to a country widely seen, until recently, as a friend and ally. "I am also apprehensive about going to the U.S. and have thought about cancelling my trip, but it's been planned for quite a while, so we're just kind of continuing with it," he said. "But we have had some people who were going with us who have backed out." 'A lot of interesting dynamics' at play That dichotomy has played out in millions of Canadians' travel decisions this year and, statistically speaking, those in Alberta appear to have leaned more toward going than not going when compared with the rest of the country. We don't know exactly why, but Rast believes political viewpoints likely play a big role — as they do in so many aspects of our beliefs and decision-making. Other Albertans who have made their own travel decisions this year figured other factors are at play, as well. Alberta's oilpatch does have close ties to Texas, for instance, and business trips might be less likely to be cancelled than personal vacations. The geography of Alberta also means spur-of-the-moment trips to the United States are harder than they are in other parts of the country, and those trips are easier to cancel than long-planned vacations. Safety concerns also play a role, and those worries can be especially pronounced for those who don't follow binary gender norms. Then there's also the influence of old-fashioned peer pressure. "A lot of interesting dynamics are at play here," Rast said. "And the answer is far from straightforward at all, once we start getting into all the different politics, groups and subgroups, and then the international relations going on, as well." Booked in advance, but not booking again Greg Rairdan was among the Albertans who decided to go. But, he said, it came with some hesitation. The 52-year-old Edmonton resident actually made two recent trips to the U.S. this calendar year, both booked in the fall of 2024. Or, as he puts it, "before the inauguration, before the 51st-state stuff." The first trip was to Las Vegas with a group of guy friends for "some golf and hanging out." The second was a family trip to watch the Canadian men's soccer team play in the CONCACAF Nations League Finals in Inglewood, Calif. He said it crossed his mind to cancel the trips when Trump's tariff talk and annexation rhetoric heated up, but after thinking it through and discussing it with his fellow travellers, they decided to continue on with their plans. "It just didn't make any sense for us to cancel a non-refundable trip, burn all that money," he said. That said, he will think twice about booking future trips. "I think with United States trying to punish us economically, I don't think it makes sense for us to spend our hard-earned tourism dollars in the United States at this moment," Rairdan said. "And it seems like there are a lot of like-minded Canadians." That sense of national solidarity, he said, is palpable. And there's a degree of social pressure that comes along with it. "I think especially when the news cycle hit its peak, not going to the United States was being seen as a proxy for the Canadian patriotism," he said. "But, you know, I haven't really heard of anyone actually being really judgmental, like, 'That person is a bad person because they're going to the United States.'" Personal boycott, professional consequences Jennifer Annesley is among the Albertans who decided not to go. And, as a professional visual artist, it was a difficult decision. One of her paintings was accepted into the 158th International Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society, an honour that comes complete with an invitation to the Salmagundi Club in New York City, where the event is held. It's not the first time she's had a painting accepted into the annual exhibition, but it's the first time she's turned down the invitation — and the professional opportunities that come with attendance. She thought long and hard about her decision and ultimately chose to make "a personal boycott" due to "the tensions between the U.S. and Canada." "I wanted to make my own statement by not going and not travelling and not spending my time there," Annesley said. As time went on, however, she started to see other reasons for not crossing the border, including warnings about U.S. Border Patrol's ability and willingness to search people's personal electronic devices, and stories about international travellers being aggressively detained. "It sort of started out as protest and then ended up with being a bit fearful to go," she said. 'I certainly felt anxious' Those worries crossed Gavin Needham's mind, as well. The 29-year-old Edmontonian recently travelled to New York City on his way to board a cruise ship that would take him across the Atlantic Ocean. "On a personal level, I certainly felt anxious about the process, [and] if there would be any extra scrutiny at the [U.S.] border," he said from the ship, via a direct-message conversation, as he continued his vacation in Europe. However, he said the experience flying to New York via Toronto, where he did pre-clearance via the NEXUS program, all went as smoothly as it had in the past. He's planning one more trip to New York in the summer and another trip to Florida in the late fall. "They were all booked ahead of time with non-refundable deposits so cancelling would mean losing out on some money," he said. Needham wondered if Alberta's air-travel numbers, in particular, are affected by people in similar situations, with non-refundable U.S. trips booked months ahead of time. That might explain why February and March saw such small declines in air travel, while April's decline was significantly larger. Alberta-U.S. travel by land, meanwhile, has seen larger declines than by air. (But still not as large as in the rest of the country.) Needham notes Alberta's geography makes travel options to the U.S. "a lot more limited" than for British Columbians who can make relatively easy trips down to Washington state, or Ontarians and Quebecers who are close to major destinations in the northeast U.S. "So I think it might be easier for people to cancel 'easier' trips, but there's a lot more involved in U.S. travel from Alberta," he said. "I have made the decision, however, to not book any new trips going forward for 2026 and later, considering the situation." Gender and safety Ellen Forget lives in Calgary and is working on a PhD at the University of Toronto that focuses on braille and accessible book production. In the past, Forget has presented research at conferences organized by the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing. But this year's conference is in Rochester, N.Y., and they decided not to go, in large part due to American laws and attitudes toward gender. "I can't justify spending money and supporting American tourism or just spending money in the U.S. in general, and I can't justify the risk," they said. For genderqueer people, Forget noted, concerns around safety extend beyond the border crossing. "I can appear femme to a lot of people, but I also have really short hair, and from behind could very easily be mistaken for male. And the American policies of who can use which bathroom and who can be in which space is very alarming to someone like me, who is non-binary and gender fluid, and doesn't really subscribe to gender norms," they said. "And the thought of possibly just needing to use the bathroom and being harassed for that or worse, being assaulted, because that has happened in many cases, means just the personal safety risk is not worth it for me." They said missing the conference will mean missing out on academic and professional opportunities, but it was the correct decision, for them. Forget has "no judgment" for people who make different decisions but isn't surprised Alberta-U.S. travel has seen smaller declines than the rest of Canada. "Alberta is largely conservative, which aligns with the current political state in the U.S.," they said. "So it is likely that fewer Albertans are concerned about the political state of the U.S. and still feel comfortable travelling there." How politics shape beliefs Rast, the American psychology professor now living in Canada, said politics and peer pressure play a big role when it comes to these kinds of decisions. "We're looking to other people around us to see how they're behaving, especially people that we might think of as being representative of our own group," he said. So when people with high levels of Canadian pride see other Canadians choosing not to travel to the U.S. based on that sense of pride, he said they're more likely to go along with the group and choose not to travel as well. Albertans, he noted, expressed some of the lowest levels of Canadian pride in recent polling, so it's not surprising Alberta-U.S. travel has seen smaller declines than in other parts of the country. Even concerns surrounding the safety of U.S. travel, he said, can be affected by political beliefs. "People view the world right away through their left and right partisan beliefs," he said. "And that's going to shape whether they view the U.S. as threatening at the moment." The same psychological effect might prompt Albertans who feel more provincial pride than national pride to actively travel to the U.S., due to the dynamics within their own social groups. "And so for them, instead of wanting to support Canada, they're possibly wanting to support the U.S., or show that they're actually different from the rest of Canada," Rast said. petition for the referendum for independence in Alberta."
National Post
12-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Here's how many Americans came to Canada this April compared to last year
Most Americans who drove to Canada in April came for Good Friday on Easter weekend, according to preliminary data from Statistics Canada released on Monday. But overall, fewer Americans travelled to Canada by air and by automobile this April compared to last year. Article content Article content Traffic data indicated that there was a daily average of 13,300 U.S.-resident arrivals by air on April 17 to April 18, which was Good Friday, this year. That was 27.6 per cent higher than the average for other Thursday-Friday periods of the month, according to Statistics Canada. Article content By vehicle, the highest number of American travellers coming to Canada was on April 18 — at 51,400 U.S. residents. That was an increase of 23.4 per cent compared to other Fridays in April. Article content Article content Overall, the number of non-resident arrivals to Canada by air was in decline, at 632,600 travellers, down from 1.2 per cent year over year since 2019. Of those, U.S. residents made up 289,300 travellers — down by 5.5 per cent since last April. Article content By vehicle, there were 820,700 American travellers who came to Canada this April, a decline by 10.7 per cent from the same month last year. This was the third consecutive month of year-over-year declines for such travellers since 2019. Article content In total, there were 4.5 million travellers (Canadian residents and non-residents combined) who returned to Canada last month, down by 15.2 per cent compared to last April. It was the third consecutive month of such year-over-year declines. Article content There were also fewer Canadians returning home from the U.S. last month compared to April 2024 — likely due to fewer Canadians being in the U.S. in the first place. The decline is in line with the rising tension between the two countries. Canadians have been avoiding travel to its northern neighbour amid an ongoing trade war and heated rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump. Article content This trend has been supported by other data showing the decrease in Canadian border crossings to the U.S. in February, and data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection released in April indicating that Canadians travelling to the U.S. hit its lowest rate since COVID. Article content Article content There were 582,700 Canadian residents who returned from the U.S. on a plane this April, down by 19.9 per cent from the same month last year. There was also a decrease in Canadian residents returning home from the U.S. by vehicle. In April 2025, there were 1.2 million such Canadians, a 'steep decline' by 35.2 per cent from last year. Article content Last month, most Canadians travelling by vehicle returned on Easter Monday, which was April 21. There were 72,900 Canadian residents who made the trip — 90.2 per cent higher than the average for other Mondays that month. Article content
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
The true feelings of Canadians towards America and Trump
More than 50 percent of Canadians no longer feel safe or welcome traveling to the United States amid heightened tensions between the two nations. The shocking revelation comes on the back of President Donald Trump's repeated attempts to pressure Canada and the nation's leaders into becoming the 51st state of America. He has also imposed significant tariffs on America's northern neighbors, arguing that the United States needs 'nothing' from Canada to justify his trade war. The survey of 1,626 people conducted for the Association for Canadian Studies found 52 percent of participants agreed with the statement: 'It is no longer safe for all Canadians travelling to the United States.' Broken down into age brackets, 59 percent of respondents aged above 55 agreed, and 47 percent aged between 18 and 54. Additionally, 54 percent of total participants agreed with a statement that they don't feel welcome in the United States anymore. A whopping 60 percent in the above 55 age bracket agreed with that sentiment. Meanwhile, just 27 percent said they disagreed with the statement, with 19 percent unsure. CEO and President of the Association for Canadian Studies Jack Jedwab warned the National Post this could have serious ramifications on the US tourism sector and relations between the neighboring nations. 'If Canadians have serious concerns about this, it has ramifications for our ongoing travel and interaction with Americans and with the United States,' he said. 'It's something that needs to be addressed and it's something that Mr. Carney needs to help Mr. Trump understand. 'There are economic ramifications arising from Canadians not feeling secure when travelling to the United States and not feeling welcome in the country that we generally see as the home of our main allies.' But the biggest shock of the poll found that significantly more participants did not know how to respond to a question about Trump's recent comments that the border between Canada and America is no more than an 'artificially drawn line.' Some 53 per cent of respondents voted they either agreed with the statement (23 percent) or were unsure how they felt (30 percent). For respondents between 18 and 24, 39 per cent said 'I don't know.' Jedwarb warned the results indicated young Canadians in particular might be 'more vulnerable' to that messaging from Trump. 'The most surprising part was that younger people were less sure about (the line/boundary being artificial), so they may be sort of more vulnerable to that type of rhetoric,' he said. During the recent election, Canadians came out strongly to vote for Liberal candidate Mark Carney (pictured), banishing 'Canada's Trump' Pierre Poilievre in what was largely seen as a referendum on Trump north of the border. A poll conducted by determined the majority of Canadian voters were going to the ballot boxes with the consideration of who would be best suited to stand up to Trump. Carney assured Canadians he would 'win this trade war with America' and continue to build a relationship with Trump despite 'a crisis that we did not create.' 'As I've been warning for months, America wants our land, our water, our resources, our country... never,' he said. Carney said these were not 'idle threats,' adding: 'President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us.' 'That will never, ever happen. But we also must recognize the reality that our world has fundamentally changed,' he said to applause. He met with Trump in the Oval Office earlier this week, where the President doubled down on his '51st state' plans. The explosive meeting was intended to foster better relations between the two nations as they seek to come to an agreement over the imposition of massive tariffs. Trump said if the two nations joined together it would be a 'wonderful marriage.' He added: 'But it takes two to tango, right?' Carney told the former real estate developer flatly: 'There are some places that are never for sale,' mentioning the White House and Buckingham Palace. Trump refused to give up hope, jovially adding: 'I say ''never say never''.' He went on to hail the meeting a success, later telling reporters: 'We had a very great meeting. No tension, we want to do what's right for our respective peoples.'
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
How Canadians really feel about America - and Trump - revealed in new poll
More than 50 percent of Canadians no longer feel safe or welcome traveling to the United States amid heightened tensions between the two nations. The shocking revelation comes on the back of President Donald Trump 's repeated attempts to pressure Canada and the nation's leaders into becoming the 51st state of America. He has also imposed significant tariffs on America's northern neighbors, arguing that the United States needs 'nothing' from Canada to justify his trade war. The survey of 1,626 people conducted for the Association for Canadian Studies found 52 percent of participants agreed with the statement: 'It is no longer safe for all Canadians travelling to the United States.' Broken down into age brackets, 59 percent of respondents aged above 55 agreed, and 47 percent aged between 18 and 54. Additionally, 54 percent of total participants agreed with a statement that they don't feel welcome in the United States anymore. A whopping 60 percent in the above 55 age bracket agreed with that sentiment. Meanwhile, just 27 percent said they disagreed with the statement, with 19 percent unsure. CEO and President of the Association for Canadian Studies Jack Jedwab warned the National Post this could have serious ramifications on the US tourism sector and relations between the neighboring nations. 'If Canadians have serious concerns about this, it has ramifications for our ongoing travel and interaction with Americans and with the United States,' he said. 'It's something that needs to be addressed and it's something that Mr. Carney needs to help Mr. Trump understand. 'There are economic ramifications arising from Canadians not feeling secure when travelling to the United States and not feeling welcome in the country that we generally see as the home of our main allies.' But the biggest shock of the poll found that significantly more participants did not know how to respond to a question about Trump's recent comments that the border between Canada and America is no more than an 'artificially drawn line.' Some 53 per cent of respondents voted they either agreed with the statement (23 percent) or were unsure how they felt (30 percent). For respondents between 18 and 24, 39 per cent said 'I don't know.' Jedwarb warned the results indicated young Canadians in particular might be 'more vulnerable' to that messaging from Trump. 'The most surprising part was that younger people were less sure about (the line/boundary being artificial), so they may be sort of more vulnerable to that type of rhetoric,' he said. During the recent election, Canadians came out strongly to vote for Liberal candidate Mark Carney, banishing 'Canada's Trump' Pierre Poilievre in what was largely seen as a referendum on Trump north of the border. A poll conducted by determined the majority of Canadian voters were going to the ballot boxes with the consideration of who would be best suited to stand up to Trump. Carney assured Canadians he would 'win this trade war with America' and continue to build a relationship with Trump despite 'a crisis that we did not create. 'As I've been warning for months, America wants our land, our water, our resources, our country... never,' he said. Carney said these were not 'idle threats,' adding: 'President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us.' 'That will never, ever happen. But we also must recognize the reality that our world has fundamentally changed,' he said to applause. He met with Trump in the Oval Office earlier this week, where the President doubled down on his '51st state' plans. The explosive meeting was intended to foster better relations between the two nations as they seek to come to an agreement over the imposition of massive tariffs. Trump said if the two nations joined together it would be a 'wonderful marriage.' He added: 'But it takes two to tango, right?' Carney told the former real estate developer flatly: 'There are some places that are never for sale,' mentioning the White House and Buckingham Palace. Trump refused to give up hope, jovially adding: 'I say ''never say never''.' He went on to hail the meeting a success, later telling reporters: 'We had a very great meeting. No tension, we want to do what's right for our respective peoples.'
