British Columbia is telling its own people to think twice before crossing the border. Premier David Eby said it plainly at a late August press conference. If you have a choice, please do not travel to the United States.
That is not a federal order. It is a provincial leader speaking to his own residents. And it lands hard because it comes from a place that has sent millions of visitors south for decades.
The message arrived after trade talks between Ottawa and Washington fell apart on August 21. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the U.S. side asked too much and offered too little. He sent his team home without a deal. The Trump administration answered with 50 percent tariffs on about 20 billion dollars of Canadian goods, set to begin by January 2027. Canada said it would hit back with its own tariffs starting September 8.
Then, on August 27, President Donald Trump signed an order to rename the shared Lake Ontario as Lake America. He also called Canadian officials nasty people. The tone shifted from tense to raw.
Eby spoke the next day. He stood in front of a local liquor store that had stopped selling American products. He asked British Columbians to pick another place for tourism. He asked them to choose Canadian goods over American ones when they can. He said the best response to the tariffs is to build up workers, build trade infrastructure, and rely less on the United States.
It is a striking moment. A subnational government telling its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the world’s largest economy. Not because of a virus. Not because of war. Because of a trade fight that has turned personal.
I keep thinking about the families who planned a weekend in Seattle or a shopping trip to Buffalo. The small business owner who counts on cross-border customers. The college student who booked a concert in Spokane. Now they are being asked to pause, to redirect, to stay home or go somewhere else.
Federal guidance from Ottawa has not changed. The official Canadian travel advisory still lists the United States at the lowest risk level, exercise normal precautions. But since March 2025, it has carried a new note. U.S. authorities strictly enforce entry requirements. Travelers should expect scrutiny at ports of entry, including of electronic devices.
That warning has been there for more than a year. It did not stop people from going. The trade fight did.
Canadian travel to the U.S. dipped after the second Trump term began in January 2025. It picked up a bit in June. Then it fell again as the tariff battle escalated. Border states like Washington, California, and Vermont have felt the drop. So have cities like Las Vegas, which lean heavily on visitors from Canada and Mexico.
Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley pleaded with Canadians last September. She said the city saw 400 million fewer monthly visitors that year. We love you, we need you, and we miss you, she told them.
That was before the tariffs. Before the lake renaming. Before a premier stood up and said, if you have a choice, please do not go.
There is a quiet part to this that sits under the noise. Travel advisories usually point to danger. They warn of crime, unrest, disease, or detention. This one points to politics. It says the risk is not your safety on the street. It is the mood at the border. The chance of being turned away. The feeling of being unwelcome.
Eby’s statement is not a ban. It is a request. A nudge. A signal that the relationship has shifted enough to change behavior. It is also a way to protect local businesses that will feel the pinch of retaliatory tariffs. If Canadians spend at home, the blow lands softer.
I do not know how long this will last. Trade fights can burn hot and fade. They can also dig in and reshape habits for years. What I do know is that a travel warning aimed at the United States from one of its closest neighbors is rare. It tells you something about the temperature of the moment.
For now, the advice stands. If you are in British Columbia and you were thinking about a U.S. trip, the premier is asking you to pick another place. Choose a Canadian product instead of an American one. Build up your own side.
The border is still open. Flights still run. But the message is clear. Something has changed. And for the first time in a long while, a Canadian leader is telling his people to stay away, not because they cannot go, but because they should not.