As a global trade war rocks the stock markets and makes daily headlines, Americans just across the border have a message for their Canadian counterparts: We're here when you're ready.
When U.S. president Donald Trump first announced a tariff strategy targeting one of the United States' closest neighbours and longtime allies, and also started spouting rhetoric about Canada becoming America's 51st state, Canadians started showing how they felt about it by boycotting American products, goods and services.
They also stopped travelling to the States in the numbers they used to, a trend that is definitely being felt in northern Washington State. So far this year, Canadians' and British Columbians' feelings about Trump, his tariffs and his anti-Canadian sentiments against a long-standing friend have affected businesses in Whatcom County in a major way, including Blaine and Bellingham.
Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Whatcom Council of Governments shows a drop of nearly 43 per cent in vehicles with British Columbia licence plates travelling south using Metro Vancouver border crossings in March compared to March last year (crossings include Peace Arch/Douglas, Pacific Highway, Lynden/Aldergrove, and Sumas/Huntingdon).
That's also what people in communities south of the B.C. border are noticing.
"So what we're noticing, anecdotally, and what we can see is that Canadian cars coming and going in and out of Blaine are down 30 to 40 per cent," Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward told Peace Arch News. "That's what our businesses are reporting. Our stores are telling us, our businesses, our gas stations, are telling us they're down 30 to 40 per cent, and the border crossings are down as well."
Because Blaine doesn't have farm equipment manufacturing, like Lynden does, it makes the community "very reliant on cross-border business."
"We are as a border town — we are absolutely reliant," she said, noting that Blaine, Sumas and also Bellingham are other communities affected, as popular destinations for Canadian travellers. "Bellingham is another one, because a lot of Canadians go down to the big box stores like Costco and Trader Joe's and they are definitely down ... you can get a parking spot at the door at both stores," Steward shared, adding that before the tariffs, no one would be able to park "anywhere near" such businesses.
At Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, president and CEO Dylan Deane-Boyle said that while they're still waiting for some numbers from March, they've noticed is a decline in Canadian traveller numbers.
"So far this year we have seen a double-digit decline for two straight months for January and February for standard lodging in both Bellingham and Whatcom County," Deane-Boyle said. "That was in the low double digits in January and that ramped up in February ... collectively between Bellingham and Whatcom County, (in) lodging, we are down about 16 to 17 per cent compared to February of 2024."
He noted that the northwest corner of the state is where the decline has been seen the most.
As well as lodging, Whatcom County businesses are missing out on the secondary spending Canadians usually do when they travel, such as at local restaurants, pubs, shopping, and more.
"The retail spend is something that is very important to Whatcom County and for Bellingham," he said, adding that local businesses have been talking about the connection between the two communities.
"Historically, our two communities — Whatcom County and British Columbia — have been friends, and we've really relied on one another and have a symbiotic relationship," Deane-Boyle said. "Our businesses are talking about how we're truly linked, and we certainly empathize ... Canadians are always welcome, but at the same time we understand that currently, it's complicated, and we're always welcoming to our Canadian friends."
Their tourism website even has a We Love Canadians landing page, he shared.
"We're here when you're ready. That certainly hasn't changed."
He and Steward said it was nice to see Americans and Canadians gathering at the Peace Arch border to show neighbourly love March 22, an event that has continued each weekend since.
Steward, a Canadian herself, said she completely understands why Canadians might not want to venture south of the border right now.
"I understand why Canadians want to not shop here, to boycott shopping in the United States, and boycott travelling to the United States, but the people who are responsible for doing this are not hurting ... we are, together, hurting. This is not what we want in Washington State or in Whatcom County or in Blaine."
Even though Trump is the U.S. president, there were millions in the United States who did not vote for him, she noted.
"We're at a funny time in world history right now, and my aim is to say to Canadians, 'We welcome you. We are sorry — this isn't what we want, and it's hurting us very, very much.' I do empathize and I do feel the anger," Steward said.
"Hopefully we'll get over all of this at some point, and then we've got a lot of work to do — we being the American side — to restore the trust that has been broken."
