President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to make Canada the fifty-first state have deterred many Canadians from traveling to the U.S. However, Canadians shouldn’t boycott Vermont.
In 2025, border crossings from Canada to Vermont declined 30%, according to a Jan. 19 New York Times article.
President Trump’s tariffs and remarks about Canada are reprehensible and do not represent the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of Vermonters.
In the 2024 presidential election, Trump received only 32% of the vote in Vermont, less than any other state, according to a March 2 Associated Press article.
Both Canada and Vermont are negatively impacted by Trump’s tariffs. Canada could experience a 2.6% decrease in GDP, and Vermont is expected to lose $1 billion annually, according to a March 2025 Vermont Treasurer’s Office Report.
However, for the past year, Vermont has been at the forefront of resisting the Trump administration.
In Feb. 2025, over 1,000 people protested Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Vermont. The following June, approximately 42,000 people across the state protested the Trump administration as part of the nationwide No Kings protests, according to an Oct. 2025 VTDigger article.
Vermont’s congressional delegation has strongly opposed President Trump’s tariffs. Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark has filed 43 legal challenges against the Trump administration, according to a March 6 VTDigger article.
Like Vermonters, Canadians are justified in opposing the harmful policies of the Trump administration. However, the decline of Canadian tourism in Vermont hasn’t negatively impacted President Trump. Instead, it has negatively impacted Vermonters.
As a result of Canadian boycotts, Vermont businesses have been struggling. Canadian reservations at Vermont hotels and inns have decreased 45%, according to a June 2025 VTDigger article.
In addition to a decline in U.S. tourism, the trade war between the U.S. and Canada has resulted in a Canadian movement to purchase more homegrown products, according to a Jan. 18 CTV News article.
Canadians have every right to increase support for Canadian businesses. However, this doesn’t mean that the people of Canada cannot support Vermont businesses as well.
Despite the increased tensions between the U.S. federal government and Canada, Vermonters have continued to support Canadian residents and businesses.
In May 2025, a group of 50 Vermonters traveled to Montreal to support Canadian vendors, according to a May 2025 WCAX article.
In August, the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing introduced a program to offer discounts to Canadians who visit certain Vermont businesses, according to an Aug. 2025 Vermont Public radio segment.
The following month, mayors from municipalities in Vermont and Quebec met in a show of unity, according to a Sept. 2025 WCAX article.
As tensions between the U.S. and Canada rise, Vermonters and Canadians need to continue to support one another and combat the harmful policies of President Trump.
Boycotting Vermont will not do either. It will only further increase tensions and harm Vermonters.
