More than 20 million visitors from Canada come to the U.S. every year — more than any other nation. But after President Donald Trump’s widespread tariffs went into effect Thursday morning, Canadians who traveled to Dulles Airport in Virginia say they’re hearing more calls to boycott all things American, especially tourism.
“They feel that there has been treason from their partner,” said Lina Despeghel, who traveled from Ontario. “And I think it’s going pretty bad.”
Despeghel is a foreign exchange student from Belgium, studying business management at the University of Ottawa. She booked a visit to D.C. on Thursday before the White House’s tariffs took effect.
“I booked the ticket before, and I don’t know if I would have booked it with the current situation,” she told WTOP.
That sentiment is shared in her home country, Despeghel said. Trump levied a 10% minimum baseline tariff on most goods coming into the United States. The rate for European Union countries is higher, at 20%.
“It impacts our economy,” she said. “We don’t understand. We feel like we’re not being treated as equal.”
Canadian Sen. Peter Harder traveled to the District from Ottawa, too. He said many of his constituents are autoworkers in Ontario and are upset about the disruption in trade and the impact to their jobs.
As they boycott U.S. products, many Canadians aren’t buying the administration’s rationale. President Donald Trump previously levied 25% tariffs on goods like steel and aluminum from Canada, and auto parts from Mexico, claiming they were not doing enough to quell illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking.
But this week, the White House slapped the two countries with additional tariffs.
Harder pointed out that less than 1% of fentanyl comes into the U.S. from Canada.
“It’s completely unjustified and will hurt both of our economies,” Harder told WTOP. “I think Canadians feel very hurt by the accusations that we are a security risk or that fentanyl is a major problem.”
Canada has promised retaliatory tariffs, and Harder said the move has caused longtime Canadian tourists to cut close ties with the U.S. and cancel upcoming summer vacations.
“I am hearing from all kinds of Canadians saying they have either sold their places in Florida, or they are not going to go to a summer vacation in the Midwest, or they’re never going back,” he said. “They are very upset.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
