The latest numbers are in, and it is clear the battle over the “snowbirds” is over.
There was widespread speculation that Canadian snowbirds (seniors who spend the winter months in the sunshine belt) would abandon the boycott to return to their favourite haunts in Texas, Florida, South Carolina and Nevada.
It didn’t happen.
The Canadian boycott of the United States is showing no signs of weakening.
In fact, it’s growing.
The numbers for March, a month that typically sees storm-tired Canadians heading off to sunny states, were dramatic. Road travel has dropped 35% compared to 2024. It reflected a pattern of double digit drops in travel for every single month since Trump began his threats against our nation.
At the start of the winter, many were speculating that Canadians would slink back to their favourite sunbelt destinations. Tourist destinations offered perks like Canadian money at par and free drinks at the bar. Heck, they even renamed streets after Canada.
But Canadians didn’t bend.
Forbes magazine says the determination of Canadians to stand up against the MAGA threat has created “a massive sustained economic blow to the American economy that shows no signs of reversing in 2026.”
We have come through the hardest winter in memory, and our refusal to break the boycott has resulted in economic impacts that are being counted in the billions. The blow is being felt not just at the national level but by small businesses, family economies and individual workers.
And yet every day I receive emails from Americans in affected states asking Canadians to continue to hold the line.
This past week I received a powerful message from a Florida business owner who rents vacation properties. He is dependent on the snowbirds:
“I am in pain from this boycott, but I want to tell you something: keep going!
Help us: an American family who wants to be freed of a pint-sized dictator, a pedo with a saviour complex.”
He then added:
“The decision of Canadians to stay home has affected my family directly, but it’s a small price to pay for our neighbours’ well-being. If Canada is safe, America is too.
We beg you to understand that we [American democracy] will be back soon. We hope that a century and a half of peace and amicability will not have been forfeited, in the end. We love you, Canada!”
This letter reminded me of the deep connections that exist at a personal level between our two nations. I was also struck by the notion that if Canada is able to stand up to the threat against our democracy, Americans might their way back as well.
Prior to Trump, Canadians were the single largest source of travel to the U.S., spending over $20 billion annually.
Canadians accounted for 44 percent of all air travellers into Las Vegas. They spent $3.6 billion every single year. Canadian tourist dollars supported 43,000 jobs in Nevada. That is more than the entire Nevada manufacturing sector.
That money is gone. Despite the Las Vegas mayor pleading with Canadians to come back, the boycott has remained firm.
Vegas has scrambled to fill the losses through promotion in the regional and national markets, but the loss of Canadian dollars has been devastating. Not only job losses and closures, but for a waitress or dealer, still working it has meant a 50% loss in tips.
In Florida, Ron DeSantis has tried to demonize Canadian snowbirds by raising taxes on them and on Airbnb. He brags that he will make snowbirds pay for Florida’s infrastructure.
Good luck with that, Ron.
People in Florida want to welcome back the tourist dollars. Meanwhile, DeSantis seems determined to make sure they never come back.
But here’s a detail about the battle of the snowbirds you may not know. Last month, the number of tourists visiting Canada from the United States was up by 4%.
Yes, in the longest and most miserable March in memory, we saw our American friends willing to cross the border to spend money in a democratic nation.
Maybe we can thank Trump for creating reverse snowbirds. The connections between our people are strong — we just might get through this.
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