Snowbirds, for the love of country, resist the siren call of U.S. travel

The American travel industry is working extra hard to win back Canadian visitors.

U.S. tourism operators appear to be atoning for their country’s poor political choices against the backdrop of a worsening United States-Canada trade war.

As Canadians brace for President Donald Trump to inflict more economic damage north of the border, states such as New York, California and Florida are trying to lure us south again.

“New York State is always ready to say ‘Welcome’ or ‘Bienvenue’ to our Canadian friends, whether you’re coming to see family, friends, or relax in your favourite part of the state,” reads its tourism website, which also professes love for Canada.

“Here’s to New York and Canada’s forever friendship!”

California is pitching sunshine and “strong cultural ties” to court Canadian tourists. Disney World in Florida, meanwhile, is promoting discounts for Canadian residents. It’s a small world after all.

Although some Canadians eased up on their boycott of U.S. travel this past spring, the real test of the “Elbows up” movement is whether snowbirds can resist the siren song of the south this fall and winter.

Snowbirds, Mr. Trump is counting on you to crack.

By all means, venture abroad once the weather gets cold. But for the love of country, stand in solidarity with your Canadian kin and skip the States for your leisure travel until Mr. Trump ceases his capricious trade war.

Expressions of affection by tourism operators are not enough to soothe Washington’s latest betrayals of our country, including blatant attacks on our sovereignty and culture.

Editorial: In a trade war, it must be clear why we fight

Americans are proving to be fair-weather friends.

Let’s not forget that U.S. voters gave Mr. Trump a second mandate, despite the chaos of his first presidency and his repeated warnings that he would impose new tariffs on Canada if he returned to the White House.

Mr. Trump has since said that Canadians are “nasty,” but he seems to have a soft spot for snowbirds. It’s no wonder. More than a million of them travel south for the winter each year, according to the Canadian Snowbird Association.

Perhaps that’s why the Trump administration recently eased registration rules for some Canadian travellers who spend more than 30 days in the U.S.

Mr. Trump sees an opportunity to divide and conquer us. Don’t fall for it.

He, along with members of his administration, cannot be trusted to negotiate a trade deal in good faith. So, spend your hard-earned loonies elsewhere.

Could U.S. travel rules for Canadians change again on a whim? Who knows.

At about this time last year, U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, was musing about potentially re-examining U.S. customs preclearance at Canadian airports.

“We’re not sure we can make the numbers work any more … preclearance is something that is done at the expense of the U.S. government. We paid for it,” Mr. Hoekstra said at an Alberta business conference in September of 2025, according to a story published by the CBC.

“You know, [if] you can’t make the numbers work any more – you’re all business people. You know what that means. You’ve got to take a look at some of these things.”

That’s about as clear as Mississippi mud.

Mark Winfield: Energy and natural resources are in fact a great weapon against the U.S.

It didn’t need to be this way. Travelling to the U.S. used to be such a pleasure for Canadians.

Some of us are understandably nostalgic for the before times.

Perhaps that is why more Canadian residents made U.S. trips in June, according to Statistics Canada.

Canadians took 2.3 million journeys to the U.S. that month, marking a 5-per-cent year-over-year increase and the third straight month of gains.

“Nonetheless, despite this shift in travel trends, Canadian-resident return trips from the United States were 24.6% below their June 2024 level,” the federal agency said in its release.

That is precisely why Canadian tourists must keep up the pressure to end Mr. Trump’s economic coercion.

A Sept. 6 story by the Associated Press stresses that “snowbirds may provide a barometer of Canadian sentiment” as the U.S. travel industry tries to persuade them to return south.

I’m not a snowbird, to be sure. But after the trade talks collapsed last month and Mr. Trump imposed new tariffs on Canada, I cancelled plans to visit the Finger Lakes in New York State this fall.

Sorry, not sorry.

I love New York. But sometimes love isn’t enough.