“No more Trader Joe’s”: How Trump tariffs could affect BC residents
Some British Columbians are cancelling trips in response to President Donald Trump’s proposed tariff threats against Canada.
In a press conference on Tuesday, BC Premier David Eby also suggested that British Columbians consider other options before spending their money in the US.
“I really do think that for Canadians right now, when you’re planning your March break vacations, when you’re planning your summer vacations — if the tariff threat is realized — the deliberate economic attack on families in our province, in our country, by the president of the United States, that we really should think carefully about spending our money in that country,” he said.
Eby also urged BC residents to pay attention when shopping for groceries.
“I hope when you’re at the grocery store, and you have a chance to buy a product right now, you’re looking carefully at the label to support Canadian jobs and support Canada in this critical time,” added the premier.
His statements have garnered a lot of reaction online as some locals shared their thoughts about a US spending boycott on the Vancouver subreddit page.
Some noted that Canada’s weak dollar has made them hesitant to travel or spend money across the border.
“Our low dollar is already a deterrent to spending more in the USA,” said one person.
Another person who said they recently took a trip to Bellingham, felt that prices were very similar to BC, making it “hardly a stirring indictment to spend [their] hard-earned dollars [in the US].”
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Several folks said they were cancelling travel plans to the US altogether.
“My buddy is already changing his bachelor party destination from Vegas to Montreal for this summer,” wrote one individual.
“Was going to NYC, gonna head to the UK instead,” said another.
Others said they were going to keep their summer travel plans in BC.
“Camping this year and visiting the island instead of the US. No Great Wolf Lodge trip this summer. And Parksville for spring break instead of California,” shared a commenter.
Some locals also said they’d be putting an end to their trips to Trader Joe’s, which has long been a popular destination for many BC shoppers.
“No more Trader Joe’s for at least four years and zero tourism dollars from me,” said a Redditor.
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A few Washington residents also chimed in with one person saying the proposed Trump tariffs were making them feel “sad in many ways.”
“The corruption in our federal politics is driving a wedge between us and our neighbors in BC,” they wrote.
Last week, the provincial government projected that if Trump follows through with his 25% tariffs on Canadian goods coming into the US, British Columbia could see a cumulative loss of $69 billion in economic activity over the four years between 2025 and 2028.
The province added that its real gross domestic product (GDP) could drop by 0.6% year-over-year in both 2025 and 2026.
Furthermore, 124,000 jobs would be lost in BC over the coming years through 2028, with the largest declines experienced in the natural-resource sector export industries and associated manufacturing, as well as in the transportation and retail sectors. In contrast, the total number of COVID-19-related job losses by June 2020 — three months into the pandemic — was 235,000.
Are you planning to boycott trips to the US and try to support BC and Canadian products if Trump implements tariffs? Let us know in the comments.
With files from Amir Ali and Kenneth Chan