Quebecers have used, for decades for some, to go to summer to the United States. However, this year, many of them have changed their holiday plans, the trade war waged by President Donald Trump having cut their appetite for the landscapes in the south of the border. A decision which was essential, according to them, but which still leads to its share of disappointments and nostalgia. Third text in the series: Quebecers who will travel elsewhere in Canada.
It loves American national parks, these large spaces with breathtaking landscapes. Nevertheless, this year, there is no question of setting foot there. Sophie Jacob is part of a boycott movement from the United States adopted by several Quebecers. A whole change of course for the one who walked the American roads no later than last summer in a road trip of five weeks.
“There are things that we could not see [l’an dernier] And that we wanted to add to our route, starting with Canada, then returning with the United States, but we changed our plans for this year. »Instead of a loop, she will therefore go back and forth between Gatineau and the island of Vancouver on the north side of the border, despite segments of the journey which promises to be” a little more monotonous “.
It is not that the tariff war waged by Donald Trump that has cooled his ardor this year. There is also the question of security, in the wake of demonstrations against the migration policy of the president who recently took place in Los Angeles and who mobilized the National Guard. Added to this is the disadvantageous exchange rate of the Canadian dollar. In the context, “going to give our money to a country whose president speaks of annexation every two minutes, that did not tempt us at all”.
“We have always been well received everywhere” in the United States, notes Mme Jacob, but “there is one in two Americans who voted for him the same”. An observation that it deplores, since the country has “so many beautiful national parks”. “It tears our hearts a little. »»
Despite everything, there is good in this change of plan. Spending more time than planned in Canada, “there are things that we would not have gone to see because we would have passed faster,” she said. Among other things, she cites Curiosities the tunnels of Moose Jaw, in Saskatchewan, whose legend has it been used by Al Capone at the time of prohibition. “We make great discoveries anyway, it allows us to learn more about Canada. »»
But as long as President Trump is in office, there is no question of returning to the United States. Especially since it fears that the situation will be turned to our southern neighbors. Hence the project of Mme Jacob for next year: going to Newfoundland, a question of completing the crossing from one ocean to another.
Read the rest of our series no vacation in the United States
Sulk the United States, a stone’s throw from the border
Newfoundland, it was precisely from that Martine Comeau returned when talking to Dutyin mid-June. His two -week stay led him in the Avalon Peninsula – where the capital of the province is located, St. John’s – and in the Twillingate region, to see icebergs.
“It was certain that I did not want to go to the United States,” explains the one who lives in the village of Saint-Armand, 2 km from the border with Vermont. “It is certain that it is easy for me to go to the United States,” she admits, but this year, because of the American political context, no question of crossing the border.
Obviously, proximity forces, it has visited several American cities over the years and has taken advantage of the many green spaces found in the United States. But this year, “I didn’t want my money to go there,” she said. “I tell myself that [c’est] The only power we have in relation to Trump and all of his policies. »»
By choosing the boycott, Mme Comeau repeats the recipe that she has already set up for her everyday purchases. “I try to prevent it from coming from the United States, but it’s not always easy,” she admits. Despite everything, “it helps me to live better to think like that”.
She had already refrained from going to the United States during Mr. Trump’s first presidential term. What she would have liked to visit, if she had not made a cross on the country? The beaches, the national parks, the Louisiana … beautiful projects that will be later. In the meantime, she rather plans to cross the Atlantic and to visit Portugal or Spain during a next trip.
“Our thin contribution to make things happen”
Politics also upsets the plans of Doris Marchant and her husband, retired since the fall of 2021, who bought a recreational vehicle with the intention of traveling the American West. Their plans to go there, however, will have to wait: this is a question of principle.
“I find it a shame for the Americans to boycott their territory (and their products), but it will be our thin contribution to make things happen,” explains Mme Walking in a written exchange. “At least we hope, even if several doubts it. »»
The vast media coverage of the American’s escapades has shaped his opinion from today’s United States. Like mmes Jacob and Comeau, Doris Marchant will stay in Canada to make her wallet speak. His next trip will therefore be from Ontario to New Brunswick. And it should not be alone: the Atlantic provinces and the East Ontario seem to be popular with readers who answered the call to all of the Duty.
“On the other hand, from a more intimate point of view, I must admit that the principles of justice and righteousness, as well as the feelings of empathy which are dear to me, I do not find them in the Trump government. And that seems worrying for the future. »»
