A big show of affection from a small American border town left Canadians near tears during tense times over tariffs and calls to boycott U.S. travel.
A crowd of close to 200 Americans, dressed in red and white, lined the ferry terminal in Port Angeles, Washington on Thursday, welcoming Canadian travellers from Victoria, B.C. They carried signs saying, “We Love Poutine” and “Adopt us as the 11th province” among them, waved Canadian flags, and cheered vehicles and passengers walking off the 90-minute sailing.
“We really respect you. We love you. Our president does not represent us,” Port Angeles resident Tom Peet told CTV News, referring to Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariff threat. “Real Americans love you guys,” he added.
For travellers getting off the first Coho ferry sailing of 2025 connecting Port Angeles with British Columbia’s capital, the outpouring of affection was unexpected and moving, including Victoria’s Sheila Taylor.
Taylor’s husband lives on the U.S. side of the border. “It’s so heartwarming and I just appreciate all of these people taking the time,” she said. “It’s very emotional, I come all the time, and this is scary, you know?”
Trump’s tariff plan and the ensuing threats from Canadians to boycott U.S. travel are putting an economic scare into many border towns, and new data from Washington State indicates many Canadians may be making good on their promise.
Border traffic numbers released by Whatcom Council of Governments show February 2025 traffic at border crossings between B.C. and Washington is down between 20 and 40 per cent, including a big dip over the recent long weekend.
In Port Angeles, if those numbers continue to drop, town officials fear disastrous consequences.
“It’s a very unsettling time,” said Sam Grello, the executive director of the town’s waterfront district. Grello says an extended drop in Canadian visits would lead to business closures and affect hundreds of jobs.
“It’s surreal. It doesn’t feel normal. It’s not normal,” Grello said, adding he hopes this is a chaotic but brief blip in Canadian-American relations.
“We hope it goes away. We want to return to a time we’re fighting about stupid stuff like Ryan Reynolds. Take him back. We’re sick of him. We’ve had enough of him. He’s overexposed in our country,” Grello laughed.
