Winnipeg councillor cancels U.S. trip to 'send a message' about trade war

Cameron MacLean · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 7:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

A Winnipeg metropolis councillor is scrapping a planned travel to the U.S. for outpouring break, portion others accidental they program to spell done with antecedently scheduled trips.

Coun. Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) says she and her hubby were expected to sojourn Arizona, but she's present looking astatine Canadian destinations due to the ongoing commercialized war.

"We privation to nonstop a connection to the national authorities successful the U.S. and besides a connection to U.S. citizens to truly propulsion their governments that this is not however you dainty friends, this is not however you dainty allies, and this is not however you dainty radical that are your neighbours," Gilroy said.

The imposition of tariffs connected Canadian imports to the United States and repeated calls from President Donald Trump to marque Canada the 51st state have sparked a backlash among galore Canadian travellers. 

Data released by Statistics Canada connected Monday shows that the fig of instrumentality trips among Canadians travelling by car to the U.S. declined importantly successful February, down 23 per cent compared with a twelvemonth earlier.

Gilroy encouraged others to travel her illustration and debar travelling to the U.S.

"I cognize that tons of radical are trying to bargain Canadian and bargain local. I deliberation that if we nonstop this message, I'm large and clear, radical volition perceive it."

Other councillors told CBC News they volition spell done with antecedently scheduled trips during the upcoming outpouring break.

Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) has non-refundable tickets to Nashville to be a friend's wedding, but helium says helium won't beryllium making immoderate different trips southbound of the borderline for the foreseeable future.

Browaty says helium has been travelling to the U.S. since helium was a child, often going to Fargo, N.D. with his parents connected buying trips.

"But with the operation of both, the governmental hostilities and the mediocre Canadian dollar, that is surely not wherever we're looking astatine going these days," Browaty said. "If anything, you know, looking astatine Labour Day weekend, possibly it's clip to spell deed up Regina and deed the Labour Day classic."

Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) is going to a concern league successful Dallas, Texas the aforesaid week that Browaty is flying down to Nashville, but helium doesn't expect to marque immoderate idiosyncratic trips to U.S. anytime soon.

During Trump's archetypal word successful office, "I didn't spell to the states astatine all," Chambers said. "And I don't program connected immoderate vacations to the states wrong this adjacent 4 years."

Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) precocious returned from an arm-wrestling contention successful Columbus, Ohio. She was struck by the immense quality successful the currency speech rate. An Uber thrust that outgo $34.62 US came to $51.36 connected her Canadian recognition card.

Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) has relatives who unrecorded successful the U.S., and said her lad plans to be a enactment league successful New Jersey. She says contempt the existent tensions betwixt the 2 countries, she's assured the narration volition endure.

"You tin beryllium concerned, but the ties betwixt Canada and the United States tally truthful overmuch deeper than immoderate 1 commercialized agreement," she said.

"It's truly the partnerships, the centuries we person of the shared history, the household connections and the taste exchanges. Those are what transcend borders, and those are what strengthens the narration that we — that galore of us, truthful galore of america — have."

A spokesperson for Mayor Scott Gillingham said helium doesn't sermon question plans for information reasons, but helium has nary plans to sojourn the U.S.