Donald Trump's continued trade war is fueling a prolonged boycott of American goods and a movement to refuse travel to the United States. As reported by CBC News on July 10, 2025, Canadians' resolve to boycott the U.S. remains strong, appearing to be more than a temporary phenomenon and instead becoming a new consumer habit.
The Spread of the 'Buy Canadian' Movement
Maker House, an Ottawa gift shop, is filled almost exclusively with products made in Canada, ranging from furniture to food and greeting cards. The shop expects to achieve record sales this year. In particular, T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan 'elbows up' and chocolate bars featuring typical Canadian expressions like 'eh' are selling like hotcakes.
Gareth Davies, founder of Maker House, stated that in February when President Donald Trump first announced plans to impose tariffs on Canadian products and threatened to make Canada the 51st state of the U.S., sales surged by 150% compared to the previous year. At that time, many Canadians expressed their anger by boycotting U.S. travel and product purchases and supporting the 'Buy Canadian' movement. Davies added that sales have continued to be strong since then, currently up by 80%, and nearly doubled in the week leading up to Canada Day.
Davies described this phenomenon as "like a big hug from neighbours across the country saying, 'We're together, and we're going to protect our country and our economy.'" He added, "I think this will continue as long as the accusations from the South [U.S.] persist."
The Driving Force Behind the Sustained Boycott
Generally, boycotts tend to weaken over time as people's interest wanes and they revert to old habits. However, Canadians' resolve to boycott the U.S. and focus on Canadian products remains strong and shows no signs of weakening.
A recent survey revealed that the majority of Canadians actively support the 'Buy Canadian' movement and advocate for removing American products from stores. Furthermore, Canadian travel to the U.S. has consistently declined since January 2017, when President Donald Trump took office.
June Cotte, a marketing professor at Western University's Ivey Business School, pointed out that President Donald Trump plays a significant role in keeping this movement a 'top priority' by continuously mentioning making Canada the 51st state or imposing new tariffs. She added, "There's so much media coverage of Donald Trump and how he's treating Canada, that it just keeps reminding people so that it's easy for them to stick with this boycott."
The Persistence of the U.S. Travel Boycott
Canadians' boycott of travel to the U.S. is not weakening; on the contrary, it is persisting. In June, round-trip air travel by Canadians to the U.S. decreased by 22.1%, and land travel by 33.1%, marking the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year declines. Although the decrease was less severe than in May, it remains remarkably low.
Professor Cotte cited another reason for the sustained boycott: the lack of significant difficulty for Canadians. They can easily find domestic alternatives for American products like food, and they can travel to other countries or explore their own.
However, for individuals like Ottawa resident Emily Olmstead, who has family in the U.S., the U.S. travel boycott can be an issue. Fortunately, her parents, Diane and Don, are willing to visit Canada despite living in Ohio. Olmstead said, "My parents are coming here to see me, I'm not going down there."
Like many Canadians, Olmstead also shops at local stores whenever possible and explains that she avoids U.S. travel for political reasons. She stated, "I'm pretty dissatisfied with the turning point in American politics and the current state of Canadian-American relations," adding, "I just feel like right now I need to do my best to support Canada." WestJet is also reallocating its network to new destinations due to decreased demand for flights to the U.S.
The Potential Success of the 'Buy Canadian' Movement
There is no definitive data yet to accurately gauge the success of the 'Buy Canadian' movement. However, an online survey conducted last month by Lightspeed, an e-commerce software provider, is encouraging. More than three-quarters of the 1,000 Canadians surveyed between June 5 and 10 stated they supported Canadian retailers removing American products from their stores. The survey also indicated that two-thirds of respondents are currently purchasing or focusing on purchasing Canadian products.
Aaron Clarke of Ottawa, who visited Maker House to buy a birthday present, said it's "a very high priority," adding, "I'm very much in support of keeping Canada and supporting our economy." Clarke plans to intensify these efforts in the coming years rather than lose interest.
A survey by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) also suggests a bright future for the Canadian-made product industry. Among the 2,190 businesses surveyed by the CFIB last May, 40% reported an increase in sales of Canadian-made products since the trade war began. Ryan Mallough, CFIB's vice-president of legislative and communications, said, "It's a very pleasant surprise to see it keep going." He added, "At least so far, the desire to go back to U.S. products doesn't seem to be that high." The survey also indicated that many businesses reported decreased sales of U.S. products.
Will the Boycott Continue?
Even if President Donald Trump continues to treat Canada as an adversary rather than an ally, the logical basis for the boycott would expire with the end of his four-year term. Professor Cotte said, "Most boycotts do eventually fizzle, so it will." However, Mallough suggested that for some Canadians, the U.S. boycott could become a habit.
He referred to the recent postal strike, during which many small businesses were forced to switch to private courier companies and chose not to return to Canada Post even after the strike ended. Mallough stated, "One of the things the trade war has done is it's given us, as consumers, an opportunity to look at Canadian products with fresh eyes." Ultimately, buying Canadian products is a matter of pride for shoppers, and an opportunity for major grocery chains.
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