Canadian campers are going 'elbows up' and staying north of the border amid U.S. trade war

Fakiha Baig · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 16, 2025 1:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 18 minutes ago

Some outdoorsy Canadians are readying to physique their tents with elbows up this summertime arsenic the play unofficially kicks disconnected this agelong weekend.

Sally Turner says she and her hubby program to bash their camping, canoeing and biking this twelvemonth successful Canadian nationalist parks, including astatine Jasper National Park this weekend, due to the fact that of the U.S. commercialized warfare and U.S. President Donald Trump's calls to marque Canada a 51st state.

"I have, successful the past, camped successful the United States, but that's not going to hap successful the adjacent future," Turner said portion buying for camping cogwheel successful Edmonton.

"Most of the radical I cognize are precise overmuch choosing to campy successful Canada. Elbows up."

Albertan Travis Pegg, however, said he's indifferent to the commercialized war.

"The terms of substance and the outgo of getting to the States would person much power connected whether I campy determination oregon not, not the tariff war," said Pegg, a nonmigratory of Wainwright, a municipality astir 220 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.

"I don't interest astir thing I can't bash thing about. It conscionable causes stress. I conscionable effort to survive."

WATCH | Alberta's caller camping booking system: 

Summer plans for immoderate children person besides been affected by the tariff war, says the caput of the Canadian Camping Association, which accredits and oversees younker summertime camps crossed the country.

Executive manager Matt Wilfrid says less children are being enrolled successful summertime camps this twelvemonth owed to the economical uncertainty Trump's tariffs person created.

Wilfrid said much parents person been asking astir refund policies and outgo plans astatine their camps.

He said an expanding fig of camps are struggling with budgets for the summertime arsenic the outgo of food, activities and staffing has go unpredictable.

"Running a summertime campy is akin to readying a wedding for thousands of radical who don't cognize each other," Wilfrid said.

During his predetermination campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney was among the Canadians calling for radical to observe the state aft Trump's threats by going to its nationalist parks.

He pledged to make a "Canada Strong Pass" that would marque entree to nationalist parks escaped for the summer.

"Whether it's trips to nationalist parks and historical sites, spending the time astatine a nationalist creation assemblage oregon museum, oregon hiking Canadian trails, my caller authorities volition assistance the adjacent procreation observe each Canada has to connection this summer," helium said.

"We are a arrogant state — and united, we volition fortify our Canadian individuality successful the look of this crisis."

Carney's bureau did not respond to questions astir the presumption of that pledge.

Back connected the Prairies, Alberta Parks says it has seen astir a 25 per cent summation successful bookings done its camping preservation strategy for some March and April compared to the erstwhile year.

But Alexandru Cioban, property caput for Forestry Minister Todd Loewen, has said it's hard to accidental whether the summation is owed to the tariff war.

Ontario Parks says it's connected way to person precise akin booking numbers arsenic caller years — astir 12 million.

"I bash not person immoderate unrecorded stats readily disposable successful presumption of U.S. visitors, but [I] can accidental that good implicit 90 per cent of our visitors travel from wrong Ontario," spokesperson Dave Hunt said successful an email.

Parks Canada said request for camping reservations continues to beryllium beardown this summer.

It says 17 per cent of parks visitors came from the United States successful 2023-24, and 16 per cent came from overseas.

"The dependable involvement highlights the enduring entreaty of the earthy practice successful Canada and the value of protecting these sites for aboriginal generations," it said successful an email.