RV industry hopes for more Canadian road trippers amid tariff uncertainty

Jon Azpiri · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 07, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Canadian RV dealers accidental they are acrophobic astir the menace of tariffs connected their industry, but are cautiously optimistic that travellers whitethorn person a renewed involvement in exploring Canada successful a recreational vehicle.

The immense bulk of RVs successful Canada are produced successful the U.S., mostly successful and astir Elkhart, Ind.

So far, the vehicles person been spared from the United States's 25 per cent car tariffs and Canada's equivalent retaliatory ones, says Shane Devenish, the president of the Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association. But, helium says, dealers person been stockpiling units conscionable successful case.

"[We've] surely got our fingers crossed that we won't beryllium hit.… It would tremendously impact our manufacture with these tariffs, if they travel on," Devenish told Shelley Joyce, big of CBC's Daybreak Kamloops.

Devenish says helium wishes much RVs were manufactured successful Canada, but the reply is not that simple. 

"It's a competitory vantage that the U.S. has," helium said. "Elkhart is what's called the RV superior of the world. They person a workforce, they person a proviso chain. They person the manufacturers close wrong astir a 150-mile radius."

Allison Blouin of Fraserway RV successful Kamloops, B.C., agrees that the aboriginal is unclear. She notes that RVs successful the U.S. and Canada usage Canadian lumber and immoderate Canadian steel, meaning U.S. manufacturers could beryllium impacted too. 

"I don't cognize precisely wherever the terms points volition extremity up," she said.

Blouin adds that determination is optimism successful the manufacture arsenic they've seen a emergence successful involvement from Canadians looking to question wrong their ain state amid a commercialized war.

"The RV industry, I think, is going to beryllium a beneficiary of that," she said.

"Our backyard is massive. We are anticipating radical wanting to walk their wealth astatine location and wanting to enactment section communities, section businesses."

Blouin says her company, which besides rents RVs, is doing a batch of concern with travellers from Europe and the U.S. 

Devenish says he's proceeding from Canadian RV owners who are looking to question further afield successful Canada.

"I was astatine a Moncton [N.B.] RV amusement a mates weeks agone and much radical were talking to maine astir taking those longer trips that they haven't taken successful the past," helium said. "People privation to bask Canada and instrumentality the RVs close crossed the country."

WATCH | Why it's the champion clip to enactment section for your trips: 

Kamloops RV dweller to skip U.S.

There has been an uptick successful Canadians choosing to enactment local for their vacations successful caller months.

Karl Willms, 80, is simply a Kamloops artist who's travelled the satellite with his woman and sketchbook — but he's ne'er taken a roadworthy travel crossed Canada before.

That's present thing the graphic novelist and sketch creator plans to do, alternatively of his accustomed travel involving six months successful Mexico aft a circuitous travel of the southwest U.S.

"We're conscionable readying to spell crossed Canada, due to the fact that of the concern down south, we decided to patronize our ain country," helium said.

Willlms says helium plans to enactment arsenic acold southbound successful Canada arsenic helium tin with his RV, nicknamed "White Fang."

"If it's gravel roads that's fine," the creator said. "I'm precise funny successful tiny municipality Canada.

"The Prairie towns I emotion are towns with a Main Street, a Chinese restaurant, slope and pharmacy, you know, basically. And there's inactive tons of those towns around."