For decades, Canada and the United States shared one of the closest relationships in the modern world. The US shaped Canadian travel, business, and consumer life so deeply that the border often felt almost invisible. But Donald Trump’s second presidency is changing that equation. Canadians are increasingly imagining a future less dependent on America. Are Canadians merely reacting to Trump—or could this be the beginning of a new order in North America?
In March, when the Canadian winter is making its furious last stand, my wife and I have traditionally escaped to the south. Not for long—just four or five nights. Enough to remember what warm sunlight feels like on the skin and to experience the thrill of going outside without having to put on layers of clothes. This short sojourn is enough to sustain us until May, when we can, once again, feel the pleasures of these things at home.
Over the years, we have, almost invariably, gone to Florida. It’s just so easy to do. Lots of cheap flights; lots of good hotel packages; all-in-all, a pretty seamless travel experience. And we have not limited our travel to the US to the winter. Each summer, we have traditionally gone across the border to Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine for a long weekend or two. It’s only a couple of hours’ drive, and we enjoy poking around the small roads, taking in the beautiful scenery, attending a small-town baseball game here and there, and, yes, buying stuff we don’t really need in the ubiquitous factory outlet malls.
