Near the Border, Americans Fear Losing Ties With Canadians
New York Times · LC · trust 28/100
Americans in border regions have had symbiotic relationships with Canadians, but the trade war is testing their bonds.
Listen · 5:17 min Share full article Blaine, Wash., a border town, has had a close relationship with Canadians in the past. But tensions have risen since President Trump imposed tariffs last year. Credit... Jason Redmond/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images By Lauren McGaughy
Costs for American businesses are up. Border crossings are down as Canadians choose to spend their money at home. And many Canadians are downright outraged over the actions of President Trump.
The trade war has threatened not only business but, sometimes, the very personal bonds that define America’s northern border.
“It’s affected relationships. I can definitely tell you that,” said Gurdeep Bains, who has a flower and gift shop as well as rental properties with his wife, Sarbie, a city councilwoman in Blaine, Wash., which sits on the border. “People got their tires slashed.”
The city has accepted that it cannot rely on Canadians, and has focused on finding ways to attract more domestic tourists from places like Seattle. Emotions calmed a bit over the past year, Mr. Bains said, only to be replaced by a sense that the relationship between the neighboring countries might not ever fully rebound. Even his own relatives, who live in Canada, have chosen to visit less frequently.
“They’re upset,” he said. “It’ll never go back.”
The retaliatory tariffs went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, increasing the rate that Canadian businesses pay on about 650 imported products , from sunscreen to steel to stoves, by between 15 percent and 50 percent. Canada announced the move after trade talks imploded and the United States imposed another 50 percent in tariffs.
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