Guard the Leaf

It is not an official kind of boycott, but Canadians are boycotting the United States. Most provinces have cleared US liquor from their outlets. Buy local Canadian products is huge.

The numbers of Canadians visiting the US has dropped dramatically. They are avoiding flights to anywhere that travels via a US airport.

So called Snowbirders, Canadians who travel to Florida and other warm locations during the Canadian winter for a month or three are not doing so this year. Some of those who own holiday property in Florida are selling for what they can get.

Instead the Canadian Snowbirders are travelling to warm countries where they feel welcome, such as Mexico, Spain, Portugal and Asian countries. They don't have to deal with the grumpy US border force, and from my experience they are very grumpy and unfriendly. They don't want to risk having their phones and social media examined by Border Force to see if they made negative comments about #47.

Why do Canadians have a hate on the US? It began with #47 saying Canada should become the 51st state of the US. Then there were increased tariffs on goods imported from Canada. Canada and the US were the closest of friends and allies but #47 has ruined the relationship. 

The Canadian dollars that normally bleed into the US just aren't happening, especially affecting the northern US states, and as I mentioned, Florida, along with Las Vegas too. 

While I don't intend visiting the US, I can confidently say, in the present climate, I would not. The very thought of someone going through my phone is horrendous. It can happen in Australia, but there would have to be very good suspicions for our Border Force to access our phones. The idea of being rounded up by ICE, Immigration and Custom Enforcement, as a visitor is remote, but it's happened. People who were born in the US and are US citizens have been rounded up. But I don't have black or brown skin, so maybe I would be safe from ICE. 

The loss of millions of Canadian dollars into the US is hard to conceive. It will be felt for a very long time. Meanwhile, Canadians are holidaying locally or in other countries. They are not crossing the border to the US for cheap shopping, quite the reverse now. 

But like my attitude, people in other countries are not visiting the US. Visitors to the US from Europe and Scandinavia have dropped too. 

At times I watch the YouTuber, Guard the Leaf, that is the maple leaf, a symbol of Canada. He documents statistics, interviews of people talking about the matter and is very pro Canada and anti US following the actions of #47. His trigger was #47 saying Canada should become the 51st state of the US. He seems to find enough to post daily about what is happening between the two countries, and it is certainly not good for the US. If you care to watch this clip, you can observe his passion and anger. 

In a country of 350 million, 154 million voted in the 2024 election, 77+ million for #47. He feels bad for those who did not vote for #47 but they are collateral damage. It is all about Canada, its sovereignty, the insults by #47 and his sycophants and the MAGA movement.