Canadian entries into US sharply fall in 2025 amid Trump tariffs and 51st state threats

Ottawa, Canada - Approximately 28% fewer Canadians entered the US over the course of 2025 amid President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policy and his repeated 51st state threats.

A whopping 28% fewer Canadians have entered the US over the course of 2025 compared to the previous year.
A whopping 28% fewer Canadians have entered the US over the course of 2025 compared to the previous year.  © AFP/Geoff Robins

Preliminary data released by Statistics Canada on Monday revealed that the steepest decline was among Canadian residents taking return trips into and out of the US by automobile. In December 2025, only 1,281,031 Canadians made the trip – 30.7% fewer than the year before.

Canadians made 22.9 million visits to the US by car and plane over the course of 2025, a steep drop from the 31.9 million visits recorded in 2024. This equates to a decline of 28.2% year-on-year.

Travel to the US from Canada has taken a particular nosedive since Trump re-entered the White House. Last January marked the first of now 12 consecutive months of declining visitors when compared to the year before.

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This drop is due in part to anger over Trump's damaging impact on the Canadian economy, which has struggled under the weight of unpredictable tariff hikes. Canadians are also unhappy about Trump's repeated threats to turn their country into the US' 51st state.

Additionally, Canadians feel increasingly fearful about entering the US amid the Trump administration's brutal and violent crackdowns on immigrants.

An Angus Reid poll in November found that about 69% of Canadians surveyed felt deeply uncomfortable about traveling to the US.

The poll showed that Canadians were mostly concerned about their own personal safety and the treatment they would receive at the border.

Many also said they wouldn't travel to the US out of solidarity for their country and a desire to "stand up for Canada."

Cover photo: AFP/Geoff Robins

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