The International Bridge connects Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. (Photo courtesy of Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge)

(This story was originally published by Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit and nonpartisan news organization. Visit the newsroom online: bridgemi.com.)

With trade tensions between the United States and Canada already prompting a sharp decline in cross-border travel, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is facing backlash after suggesting Canadians vacation in Michigan.

During a trade-related press conference last week in Ontario, Ford concluded by thanking Michigan legislators who had joined him and offered impromptu praise for the state.

“Do me a favor — if you’re ever in the summer and you want to go to a beautiful destination, go visit our friends in Michigan, because they’re going to come up and visit us as well,” Ford said.

The comment drew criticism from Canadians, including journalist Brianna Bell, who, in an opinion piece for the Toronto Star, questioned Ford’s recommendation to cross into what she called “a politically volatile country.”

“Why should the people of Ontario cross the border, bear the burden of the terrible exchange rate, and risk their personal safety, especially as ‘a favour’ to Doug Ford and the State of Michigan?” Bell wrote.

Canadian travel to Michigan plummets

The local criticism points to strained relationships between the US and Canada, which worsened last year as President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on goods from Canada and described it as “the 51st state.”

Those tensions have already affected travel, prompting many Canadians to cancel trips south of the border.

In 2025, Michigan saw passenger vehicle visits from Canada drop to about 8.3 million from nearly 10 million in 2024, a nearly 16% decline, according to the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Some Canadian officials have urged residents to shop local and “not travel to the U.S.,” including former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who last summer encouraged Canadians to “choose Canada” for their vacations.

The travel boycott movement has big implications for Michigan’s tourism industry. In 2024, Canadian tourism generated more than $20 million in spending, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

Travel declines from Canada have been seen at most major Michigan crossings.

As of September, land traffic was down for the year by about 87,000 at the International Bridge in Sault Ste. Marie during the 2025 fiscal year compared with the previous fiscal year. Crossings are down by roughly 400,000 at the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel in Detroit. Crossings were also down by 14,700 at the Algonac ferry to Walpole Island. Border crossings at the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron remained about the same.

Whitmer: ‘We love Canadians’

Canada is Michigan’s largest international trade partner. The state imports more than $50 billion in Canadian goods annually, including crude oil, natural gas and raw materials, and exports $27.5 billion in goods.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, has been critical of Trump’s tariff policies and this week argued his cavalier attitude toward Canada has led the country to negotiate an auto-related trade deal with China instead of the U.S.

“It’s our ally, our best friend, negotiating with an adversary on a number of fronts,” she said. “I mean, this is a very damaging policy.”

Whitmer added: “I’m a Michigander, and we love Canadians.”

Speaking later at the same forum, Trump reportedly argued that Canada “gets a lot of freebies” from the U.S. and “should be grateful.”

“Canada lives because of the United States,” he said. “Remember that.”