Vehicle traffic to U.S. continues to plummet

New data shows Canadians took 35 per cent fewer trips to the United States in April. Jeff Keele explains.

Canadians are continuing to stay away from the United States.

Numbers from Statistics Canada showed there were 1.2 million return trips from the U.S. to Canada last month by vehicle, a 35.2 per cent drop from April 2024. It is the fourth consecutive month with a year-over-year decrease.

Many Canadians said they are upset over the tariffs and President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about the 51st state. The dollar may also be deterring people from shopping south of the border.

Down in North Dakota, Happy Harry’s Bottle Shop owner Dustin Mitzel said they are feeling the impact.

“We are still noticing the decline in Canadian traffic in our stores,” said Mitzel.

Visit Minot Executive Director Stephanie Schoenrock said businesses there are keeping an eye on the situation.

“So far we’ve seen a decline,” said Schoenrock. “It isn’t zero or something crazy but it’s a decline certainly.”

Schoenrock said they are still hearing from Canadians who want to come for a vacation. She said they’re seeing a lot of Canadians taking advantage of travel deals offered on their website.

“That’s how we’re trying to bridge the gap a little bit by offering some deals to help, just help incentivize, I would say.”

Statistics Canada said air travel by Canadians returning from the U.S. was down 19.9 per cent in April as well.

There was also a drop coming the other way. Auto travel by Americans to Canada was down 10.7 per cent in April, the third straight month with a decline.