British Columbia Premier David Eby called on Canadians to boycott travel to the United States on Tuesday [1].
The appeal marks a significant escalation in the diplomatic tension between the two neighbors, as a provincial leader urges citizens to use their spending power as a tool in a trade dispute.
Speaking at a press briefing in Vancouver, Eby said, "Please don’t travel to the United States" [1]. He described the move as a necessary reaction to recent developments in the economic relationship between the two nations.
"This is another attack from the United States in the ongoing trade war," Eby said [1].
The call for a boycott comes amid fluctuating travel patterns between the two countries. Data indicates that the decline in Canadians traveling to the U.S. had lasted 15 months before a recent increase [2].
More recently, Canadian return trips from the U.S. in May 2026 totaled 1.9 million [2]. This figure represents a 9.5% increase from the same month the previous year [2].
While the Premier's rhetoric seeks to discourage cross-border movement, the statistics suggest that travel is already rebounding. The contrast between the political call for a boycott and the actual movement of people highlights the complexity of the current trade conflict.
Eby said he did not specify which particular trade action triggered the latest call for a boycott, though he framed it as part of a broader pattern of aggression from the U.S. government [1].
“"Please don’t travel to the United States."”
The call for a travel boycott by a high-ranking Canadian official reflects the deepening volatility of the Canada-U.S. trade relationship. By targeting the tourism sector, the British Columbia government is attempting to exert non-traditional economic pressure on the U.S. however, the recent uptick in travel suggests that consumer behavior may be decoupling from political tensions.
