Are Quebecers reconsidering travelling to the United States due to tariff tensions?

Quebecer Jo-Ann Longworth is used to going back and forth between Canada and the United States.

But those frequent trips down south may soon be coming to an end – or at the very least slowing down.

The Bromont resident, who has a condo in the U.S. and crosses the border to take care of it, is reconsidering her ties with the U.S. as tariff tensions remain high between the once friendly nations.

“When people ask me how long I’m staying this time, normally till April, but if I sense any more tension like I’ve seen in the past few days, then I may come back early,” Longworth told CityNews from Montreal’s Trudeau airport on Wednesday.

“Certainly my goal is to sell my condo in the U.S. I’m not sure I want to deal with this type of, I’ll use the word, crap, anymore.”

It seems Longworth is not alone. A recent Léger survey for the Journal de Montréal revealed that 74 per cent of Quebecers are less inclined to travel to the United States since Donald Trump was re-elected president.

CityNews spoke to other travellers at the airport Wednesday who were less adamant about boycotting the U.S.

“I will probably continue to go, but I will consider other countries since, I mean, where there is no economic war and things like that,” said Baie-Comeau’s Jérémie Racine.

“I was obviously concerned initially, but I think that both countries are really reliant on each other’s economy,” added dual citizen Stephane Abitbol, who works in the fashion industry and has businesses in both countries. “So I was pretty confident that they would find a way to stop the bleeding and figure out something that could work for both countries. So for me, it wasn’t really a consideration. I have to go to New York today for work. I’ll be back in Montreal tomorrow night. So it’s not something that I was really considering to go worry about.”

Leo Chu, a Montreal travel agent, says his company Concord Tours, which offers bus tours to major American cities such as New York, Boston and Chicago, has yet to see a decline in business due to tariff tensions.

“In reality, not really yet because now it’s kind of like a low system for the travel, for tourism,” Chu said. “We don’t see anything yet, but for sure, like maybe after March, we can tell.”

But Chu says a few factors on the horizon are concerning, including a weak Canadian dollar – which could lead to him having to raise his price – as well as Canadians’ possible frustration with the States.

“Canadians (are) not happy,” Chu said. “For sure, we’re going to (see) some resistance. Of course, they’re less interested to go there again. You know, that’s all our concerns.”

Grandy high school cancels U.S. field trips

Meanwhile a high school in Granby, south of Montreal, has already put a halt to plans to take their students south of the border.

Collège Mont-Sacré-Cœur has cancelled two trips – one to New York and another to Boston in April – because of the current tariff tensions.

“We teach our students one of the values of school, which is responsibility,” the high school’s assistant director David Choinière told CityNews. “We want our students to be responsible citizens. And for us, a responsible citizen is someone who makes decisions, not only for themselves, but also about the consequences it has on others.”

Choinière says the annual New York trip for Secondary 4 students was already being planned — and a deposit was needed this week.

“Given the conflict situation between the United States, then Canada, then the threats of tariffs, then all the lack of solidarity that we see across Canada regarding purchases, then even people who decide to change destination in protest, we had to make a decision this week,” Choinière explained.

“So on Monday, I met with teachers who were making the trip, I spoke with my fellow principals, I spoke with several people from the school, and it was unanimous, people, they were not comfortable going to the United States in the circumstances to send a bad message to the students.

“And in this case, the consequence, in fact if we had maintained the trip, we would have sent the message that it is not important what happens, and that what matters first is one’s own little personal pleasure. And that is not how we want our students to be, that kind of thinking.”

‘Buy Canadian’ trend

Earlier this week, Trump said he would hold off on his threatened 25 per cent tariffs against Canada for at least a month. But uncertainty around Trump’s motives and intentions has left Canada scrambling to reassess its global trade strategies and reconsider its relationship with the United States.

Several Canadian premiers and municipal politicians are urging their citizens to buy Canadian-made products to ease the reliance on American products.

RELATED: Faced with looming tariffs, Montrealers vow to buy local produce to limit dependence on U.S.

It’s something Longworth has fully taken to heart.

“Well, certainly it will not only stop me from going to the U.S. but also it’s gonna change my buying habits,” she said. “I will no longer buy a product from the U.S. Like fruit that I can get from Mexico, I will no longer buy U.S. Wine, I can get plenty of choices from Italy and France and Spain.

“So for the first time in my life, because I’ve lived in the States, I’ve worked for American companies, yes I have American friends, I’ve visited there hundreds of thousands of times, but now my attitude has changed.”

CityNews also spoke to two American citizens at the Montreal airport Wednesday who were hopeful the tariff tensions would be short-lived.

“We’re optimistic,” said David Sugrue, who works in industrial sales. “I think most people in the States don’t think it’ll last long and it’s a negotiation point. We’ll see, time will certainly tell them. But also it affects us with … products that we buy from Ontario. So hopefully this doesn’t hold true for long.”

“I think it eventually is gonna all work itself out,” added Michigan’s Vik Singh. “I think it’s just a temporary hiccup. Both these countries depend on each other. So if they do tariff each other, it’s not gonna last long.”