BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The White House maintains that Canada should become the 51st state, which has fueled tensions between the two neighboring nations amid ongoing tariffs and rising patriotic pride.
The 25% tariff on all Canadian imports has sparked a national response, prompting a "Buy Canadian" movement across the country. As a result, border traffic into the United States dropped 32% in March. Experts predict travel from Canada to the U.S. will decrease 20% this year, potentially costing the American economy $3.4 billion in tourism revenue.
However, Canadians are still gravitating to the States through sporting events.
At KeyBank Center Tuesday night, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game gave Canadian fans the chance to show up.
While fans were heading into the arena, I spoke to a few Canadian fans about the growing strain in U.S.-Canada relations and what national pride means to them.
"It's never going to happen. We are a proud country and we will do what we need to do to support our country," said Canadian fan Kelly Vaillancourt, referring to the idea of U.S. annexation.
Vaillancourt said she could not miss the game but admits the political climate has made her hesitant.
"We did think twice about coming because of everything that is going on but we wanted to support our Canadian team," she added.
Since the tariff tensions began, Vaillancourt said she and her family have canceled trips to the U.S. and are more intentional about where they shop.
"We look for everything that we can possibly buy that's Canadian because we want to support local small businesses," she said. "It's a good opportunity. It's sad for us because we used to come here all the time."
Mike Polito and his friend Bill Nanou echoed her sentiments. When asked about the possibility of Canada becoming a U.S. state, Polito was blunt.
"Ixnay on that. It's rude to even mention it," Polito said. "We thought of you as a big brother, and we love America and all the people but now it just seems like one big bully."
Nanou was even more direct, criticizing the U.S. government's approach.
"Reckless. The U.S. has a deficit problem; fix it. You've got overspending with the government; fix it. Don't go beating the hell out of everyone else around the world in order to solve your own interior problems," Nanou said.
However, not every Canadian at the game was as concerned. Sarah Wismer said it does not bother her.
"I don't really listen to the news or anything. I think he's trying to get us going. It's not going to happen. It doesn't bother me at all," Wismer said. "Well, I've always supported Canada as much as I can and buy Canadian goods. It doesn't change the fact that we travel to the States as much as we want. It hasn't changed anything to be honest," she said.
