U.S. tourists welcome in Canada
(www.cbc.ca)
from Quilotoa@lemmy.ca to world@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 2025 11:43
https://lemmy.ca/post/42014957
from Quilotoa@lemmy.ca to world@lemmy.world on 09 Apr 2025 11:43
https://lemmy.ca/post/42014957
While Canadians are using “elbows up” diplomacy with the white house, they are welcoming U.S. tourists with open arms.
#world
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I’ve definitely thought about it, but am currently far too embarrassed to be a US tourist, especially in Canada. I really should, though, I’d much rather give Canada my money than the US.
The correct feeling is shame. We should be ashamed of this country and its people.
Don’t worry, I have that too. My feelings lately have been a mix of shame, embarrassment, and depression. Oh, and rage, how could I forget.
Don’t want you here, bye.
This is not how we represent Canada. It’s also not proper English with that comma splice, but that’s just icing on the masquerade cake.
No worries eh, we get it. Come on over!
Plus, if you need to buy absolutely anything, enjoy a nice discount on our non-tariffed goods - iphones, spices, car tires, fill your boots.
For other Americans that don’t speak British English, in this case “boot” = the trunk of your car.Edit: apparently this is incorrect, however to quote the dictator of Liberia in the movie Lord of War: "Thank you, but I prefer it my way "
I was today-years-old when I realized what that phrase really meant.
Except in this case where fill your boots refers to either a mug, or literal boots. It depends on where you think the origins of fill your boots come from.
It’s either a sailors reference (mugs for rum) or a military reference (steal everything and fill your boots.)
Nothing to do with cars, but yes UK uses boot for the trunk of a car. Just doesn’t apply to this idiom
Also, bootlegging.
Hey, we’re not THAT British. We just like to sprinkle some 'u’s into our words to make them more colourful. A boot goes on your foot and it is also how you pronounce about.
Yeah, fair enough. Someone else told me the origin of the phrase. I’ve somehow managed to avoid it for 44 years. It just made more sense to me to be the British usage of the word. More space to carry stuff in.
In the west we say “a boat”
Just don’t take the boxes with you. You came over with all that capiche?
Just don’t wear an American flag on anything and you’ll be fine!
And say ‘please’, ‘thank-you’, and ‘sorry’. And hold open doors. We’ll never know.
Also shoes off in a home.
I’ve been doing that for years (my ex was Korean, and she got me to make a habit of it)
This is mostly true, haha. Though…
I held open a door in Canada and got berated for it by someone in their 40s. He wanted me to slam the door in his face, which I get if it was an apartment on the east side of Vancouver, but this was not the case, lol.
I’m always amazed that Canada has more extreme personality types than where I’ve lived in the US. Generally people are more nice, but the mean ones are jaw-droppingly mean, lol. Always gives me a bit of culture shock whenever it happens, which is probably once every 10 visits or so (I visit often).
The most recent one was someone who was extremely bothered that we rented out a space for a wedding and admonished the groom that he was using a community space an hour before it was set to open (we got permission from the landlords to use it as such.)
All that aside, Canada is not for sale, Fuck those cunts in the Trump administration, and you guys were fully justified for what you did in 1812. 😎
That’s how we roll in minnesota anyways. So what kind of fun things are there to do in Thunder Bay?
If you do, just be vocal with
Canadians know it’s not necessarily the citizens, but the one in control. Don’t wear any flag clothes, be polite and nobody will care much less notice.
Yeah but you definitely want to hit up canda first so you can get enough stuff to look canadian when going anywhere else.
Don’t be. As long as you aren’t wearing MAGA or Trump gear, we’ll assume you’re one of the good ones.
Besides, MAGA are probably too scared to come to woke Canada.
It’s about 70 million people, and the additional 80 million who were silent.
And consider locking your shit down before returning.
www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017#par…
theguardian.com/…/phone-search-privacy-us-border-…
tomsguide.com/…/how-to-safeguard-your-phone-when-…
Returning?
I see what you did there.
In addition to what these articles recommend, you should turn off your device before going through customs. If you decide to power it on or not, that’s up to you. However, you should NOT unlock it for the first time.
Your phone (either android or iPhone) forensically has two states - BFU (before first unlock) and AFU (after first unlock). You may not think this is a big difference but it’s actually huge. After your device has its first unlock it’s much more susceptible to forensic data extraction. The BFU state on several devices is, as far as publicly known, immune to AFU extraction with Cellebrite. Naturally older devices or those that weren’t designed with security in mind are susceptible in either state.
Look into GrapheneOS and their user forum if you want to learn more about this as well as what devices have decent protection against forensic data extraction
tl,dr - power off and optionally back on your phone but don’t do the first login if you want to deny your device being searched or at least to make it as difficult and as expensive as possible for your data to be extracted forensically.
Source - I’m a cybersecurity professional
There’s an Android app on the Play store that will reboot your phone on a timer. It doesn’t need root, but because of that it’s a little wonky. But it does work. My phone reboots every night now.
I don’t want Americans in Canada and I won’t be ‘polite’ to the ones that are. They are the enemy now. Fuck em.
I think it’s worth keeping the doors open for tourists. Americans who have a good experience of visiting Canada, and who have met Canadians, may be less inclined to support invading. And it will be counterproductive to alienate the entire US population by turning hostile - this will only help Trump. Sure, a good number of Americans support Trump’s fascism, but just as many do not. It will be helpful to maintain decent relations with those ones, and to have them on Canada’s side if Trump escalates hostilities.
The people trying to escape right now are also the vulnerable who voted against this shit. Many of us also have friends and/or family across the border. It’s the people who want to stay behind that you should fear.
Yes, about 100M people right next door are probably risky to Canada, because they are drinking the fox poison or allow evil through indifference. Maybe 150M?
About 5 million potential refugees. Difficult for us to manage but we’ll try. The other 200M are (I’m guessing at the local mood here) welcome to visit and maybe immigrate.
The blame USA’ians feel coming from the north, even to allies, is about voting not being enough, it’s not a way to wash away culpability.
Don’t go full serial killer please. And while protesting can be helpful and at times necessary, it is only a small fraction of what is required for political and cultural change.
What would I do in your shoes, even though I don’t know their size or colour or condition or style? It seems obvious to me, but I am old and have spent time in places where Canadians have more global power than the locals.
Let’s say I move to Canada as a non-refugee, but maybe a political migrant moving out of concern. Some people are very welcoming and many seem cold or outright distrustful. Some of that seems directed not so much at me, since I check whether I am a mealy whinger or arrogant main character, and I’m not. It’s mainly about my origin and identity.
So I am going to earn trust where it counts. Not for the globally consistent 20% or so of boneheads who are always going to be authoritarian and xenophobic or supremacist in some way, fuck ‘em. Earn trust by building community in meaningful ways.
Work on making friends, while working on making up for the bullshit everyone here is now burdened with because American culture is so individualistic and religious and authoritarian and parochial and violent. Mitigate that shit for my new neighbours, in my own behaviour and by joining local initiatives that are pro-social, like volunteering at shelters or for a refugee organization.
Educate myself on history and local customs and geography. Don’t be the parochial dimwit of stereotypes. These are standard practice for any mildly courteous traveller, mind you.
Canada, however, has a special colonial relationship with the USA that affects everyone. So I pay attention, and remember that the citizens of the USA have long been friendly to, but have also long ignored and belittled and coveted and threatened and financially controlled and culturally dominated my new home… and people are going to remind me of that when I inevitably channel some of the american exceptionalism that galls most Canadians into passive aggressive mockery.
Eloquent. Probably the most well thought out comment I’ll read today.
Rebel.
I would.
Why aren’t you?
Fucking A I’m afraid of Americans. Any sane person is right now you guys are off the deep end
And one of you motuertuckers might be conscripted to fight against me. You have lost your democracy and are now a valid threat that outnumber us 100 to 1.
I don’t think you fully grasp how out of control you guys are as a collective. There has never been a bigger threat in my 50 years of life.
Please stay away until you are no longer the biggest threat on earth. Thanks yeah.
Nawa, we just fear all of you. As a collective you allowed this to happen.
I get where you are coming from. I don’t feel that way. If they want the privilege of visiting Canada and not experience prejudice, then they need to take care of affairs at home first.
Until such a time, how can I trust anyone from America? I can’t, I won’t and I want them to know how much good Canadians humans are filled with disdain for anyone from the Kingdom of Trump.
I get where you’re coming from too, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have that bit of mistrust going on. I feel a similar mistrust towards quite a few Canadians too though, with all the antivax stuff we’ve seen, the trucker convoy, Poilievre being the most popular Conservative leader in a while, and so on.
OK, are you telling me to fuck off after I expressed some sympathy with your view? And who do you mean by “we” and “your”? But maybe you’re telling Americans to fuck off.
You were being patronizing… still are.
How about we move on since nothing productive shall get accomplished here.
Also why would I want the sympathy of an American? Crazy idea, but that’s really falling on a Nation of deaf ears right now.
The self importance of an Americans is insane. You are not #1. You are a bunch of crazies, and need to heal yourselves.
I’m a Canadian. I’m sympathizing with your view as another Canadian. You’re misreading and being rude.
My apologies, I only want my rudeness directed at Americans.
The user you are talking to is on lemmy.ca, which is a Canadian instance.
You are talking to another Canadian
I have apologized to him. Thank you
I’m with the OP and don’t think it needs or deserves explanation.
Fix your county before we all die. Nobody outside can do it for you.
He’s going to fucking invade counties soon. Oops, sorry, America is going to invade countries soon, including Canada.
My German grandma’s family immigrated to Canada right after WW1 and that’s what they faced. She lost her language, and even if I asked her questions about Germany she would just turn away from me and not answer.
She never cooked German food either … it was all Swedish for my grandpa.
Trump is still in power, right now, at this very moment. If you feel helpless in the face of what’s going on, that’s one thing, but what is being talked about isn’t some bygone era of days past. It’s the literal present.
Rebel, revolt and kill those in power is a good starting point.
I think we are clear on this.
We can’t invade you, so take care of your own shit.
My point wasn’t that I had a step-by-step comprehensive guide to solve everything from the moment that you read these words, my point was that the analogy of “sins of the father” doesn’t work because 70 percent of the current living electorate looked at fascism and either were completely apathetic to it or actively sought it out. There are very legitimate reasons why Canadians are not going to be fond of Americans now and for some time to come. The threat of annexation is both real and current.
Then get rid of him, so we can begin the looooooooooooooooong road towards healing this completely fractured relationship.
We only deal with what is, which is all of America is our enemy now. You know we are preparing for an invasion right?
I know a few people who feel that we are under imminent threat of unimaginable violence. It does things to you.
Most of them see certain usa cultural behaviours and feel that’s where the risk comes from. It’s too hard for them to articulate or figure out how to filter through it, so it comes out as blanket rejection and distrust. Not sure I have seen any outright hate yet, it’s mostly defensive.
Also I have seen a lot of USA people online confuse that distrust with hate, obviously feeling touchy.
Bingo.
Oh yeah this is easy, thanks for asking.
If you want to visit Canada, take care of the shit happening at home first. Rebel, revolt, overthrow your government, whatever you have to do to get your affairs on order.
Until you have control of your country again, keep your fucking American taint as far away from Canada as possible. I dont want the American disease to spread up here.
You are the enemy right now. Literally the enemy, none of you get a free pass.
GET YOUR SHIT IN ORDER. until then, you are not welcomed. No enemy is.
And for the record, I don’t hate Americans. I simply dont no trust in Americans anymore. You ignorant cunts.
“We want Canada.” Is a fucking chant I have heard at hockey games. Fuuuuuuck thaaat. Fuck you. Stay away.
Yeah, fuck off Americans. You don’t deserve to visit us
Gatekeeping how people post. What a waste of time you are. Blocked.
For the record I don’t hate you. But just like a neighbour that beat his wife, I wouldn’t allow him or any of his family to visit me until there was no wife beating going on.
Everyone I America is sick and that sickness needs to stay away from us healthy countries, until it is no longer sick.
Take care of the wife beater, and then you have permission to visit again.
I’ve always wanted to go visit our neighbors to the north, but honestly, I’m now scared of just trying to return. Much love to you all in Canada.
Why return?
We’re aware you all are having a housing crisis. It wouldn’t be fair to dump a lot more of that issue on you.
Although I would certainly love to move up there if I had a choice.
We’re having a housing cost issue, but despite all reports saying there is a shortage of houses - I don’t know if I believe it. Maybe in specific areas and maybe of a certain type.
But everywhere around me houses are sitting and sitting and sitting until the sellers lower the price enough that someone buys it.
There are worse things than being stuck in Canada.
I thought the implication was being detained or jailed by US officials going back, like being sent to an El Salvador prison.
American citizens haven’t been getting detained at the border like people from outside the states and I doubt they ever will be. Secret police can just scoop you up on the streets if they really want to go after you
Yet. Apparently the Fanta Menace is exploring ways to do just that.
❤️
In 2018 my partner and two of our dearest friends traveled in Canada for 2 weeks. It was an amazing trip. Amazing nature, fantastic food, and the locals were lovely. Canada is fucking awesome.
Taking the train to Montreal next month to visit. Speed run to find a wife lol.
You’re going to the right place. Lots of beauty there.
Montréal is a beautiful city, even after traveling around I can assure you it’s worth the trip 😁
I took Amtrak from NYC to Montreal last year for the eclipse, I had a great time.
Would have been technically faster to drive, but the flip side is that I didn’t have to drive, and it was a beautiful ride. And once I was there I definitely didn’t miss having a car, I found everything to be very walkable and the subway beat anything I’ve personally used in the US. If the weather is nice I’d probably also consider using their bike share.
Assuming you’re doing the same train, just a heads up that Amtrak WiFi is practically useless. Make sure you have whatever you need downloaded before then because a lot of the way had spotty or no cell service. Bring a pen, you’re gonna have to fill out a form at the border crossing and pens seemed to be in short supply on the train. The Canadian border agents when we went seemed like they were kind of dicks, but I think that’s just kind of a feature of border crossing officials around the world. Coming back the American ones seemed a bit more chill but a lot has changed since last year. The food options on board aren’t amazing so you’ll probably want to pack some snacks, but they’ll hold you over for the ride.
Some other unsolicited advice/highlights from my trip-
If you’ve got the wiggle room in your budget, au pied de cochon was hands-down the best meal I’ve ever had in my life. In general all the food I had there was amazing but I can’t recommend that place enough.
The biodome, planetarium, and insectarium were really cool.
There was a store we stumbled into in the plateau- mycoboutique, that sold all kinds of mushroom stuff. Dried mushrooms, mushroom foods, mushroom growing stuff, various mushroom themed bric-a-brac. My wife and I are big mushroom eaters so we loved that. The stand-out though was an ice cream made from maple milky cap mushrooms. It contained no maple, just the mushrooms and it tasted just like you’d want a maple syrup ice cream to taste.
Take some time to explore the “underground city”/RESO, for the most part it just kind of feels like a shopping mall, but it’s kind of amazing just how far you can get around in the city without setting foot outside.
The art museum seemed pretty cool, but unfortunately the day we tried to go someone had apparently called in a bomb threat so we didn’t get to see that.
Poutine, smoked meat, bagels of course.
Everyone we ran into seemed to speak passable English, and no one seemed to give us any attitude about it. I can stumble my way through some basic French pleasantries with my half-remembered high school French, and people seemed to appreciate my token efforts, but it’s probably not totally necessarily as a tourist.
I’m from Philadelphia, in general Montreal kind of felt a lot like the best parts of Philly if we cleaned up and got our shit together.
There’s not many cities I’ve visited where I’m itching to go back, normally I’m more of a woods and camping kind of guy, but I would definitely go back to Montreal in a heartbeat.
Tight I’ll be doing the same with Amtrak but I’ve ridden with them before so I know what to expect. But thank you for the insight and hello neighbor! (Im in Baltimore).
I second mycoboutique, it is cute as fuck.
Moving there soon. Never ever gonna call myself an American. This country is an embarrassment.
I’d rather call myself by my country of birth, or even the state I live in
I noticed that often, when traveling, people from the U.S. will say the state they’re from rather than the country. I’ve often wondered why.
Because of course we know USA geography, eh?
Personally, because I’ve never felt pride in this stupid country and don’t want to be associated with red states. It’s like how Torontoans might feel about Albertans, but replace any semblance of national unity with utmost disgust.
Also, NY is close enough to Canada that most Canadians know roughly where it is, especially in Ontario
I think it’s because the United States is a large place and it helps place the region/culture they’re from specifically.
Canada is bigger (2nd largest country in the world) and nobody answers by province.
Well, if you speak french you’ll hear us say we’re from Quebec :)
Bigger, but not nearly as densely populated or culturally varied.
Well, part of it is that almost every time I’ve said “The States” when asked that question in Europe they look at me like ‘no shit Sherlock I’m not an idiot’ and then ask where in the States. So it may be an efficiency thing for some. I still try to lead with the States as my answer.
I’m not.
I have a good friend in Canada (Saskatchewan) who has visited us in the States a couple times now. Thinking of doing the drive up this summer to visit her and support the Canadian economy (even if just a little) for a change. If I do, I’ll probably tape a sign next to my Colorado license plate that at the very least says “sorry!”
lol. Do it. That’ll win hearts.
While I welcome tourists, I worry for them. Now doesn’t seem like a good time to leave the US with plans to go back; you may just not be permitted to return, citizenship or not.
That sounds like a win to me
Not if you left all your family, friends, and assets behind (car, house, valuables, etc) with plans to return.
Now your stuck in a foreign country essentially seeking asylum unexpectedly.
It my be fine for some, but most people aren’t prepared to suddenly uproot their entire lives with 0 warning or planning.
I genuinely think that I’d be better off seeking asylum in another country, even though I’m pretty comfortable in the US. I’d certainly be having fewer panic attacks.
Sure, and that’s something you can decide to do.
The point is there’s a very big difference between deciding to leave the country permanently to a chosen destination, bringing what you can with you; vs leaving for a short holiday and suddenly being told what you thought was home won’t let you return.
Worse; just because you’re in Canada on a visitor’s visa and the US decides it’s doesn’t want to let you back in, doesn’t mean you’ll just be turned around and accepted back into Canada (or wherever you’re visiting) instead. You may just be detained by US authorities and deported to wherever they decide.
Welcome to your new home in an El Salvador prison camp…
Do you think Canada would allow a US citizen to seek asylum (yet at least)? I assumed that they’d just dump you in the US and whatever happens next isn’t their problem.
TBH, I don’t know. It would depend on your specific situation; I doubt we’re just broadly accepting Americans.
Some resources:
Seeking Asylum in Canada
Paths to Immigration
Working Visas (>6mo, extended up to 4years)
Canada can keep me if they want to. I have a buddy in Toronto I could meet!
This is my biggest fear tbh. I have friends I’d love to see in plenty of places, but leaving isn’t the worry. Coming back is, especially being trans with a passport of my correct gender marker
Only to then be disappeared into Federal custody, have my updated birth certificate deemed illegitimate and shipped off to God knows where
as a dual citizen living in Canada, I won’t be visiting family for at least 4 years. this asshole is ruining everything for everybody. it’s hard to believe the amount of damage he’s done in 12 weeks
What generally happens to one who enters Canada on a tourist visa, and overstays? Are they generally on top of that shit and will find you and give you the boot? Or is it like a “lay low, don’t draw attention to yourself, and you can fly under the radar” type thing?
Asking for a friend.
If the gentleman in the homeless shelter, I was working at was telling the truth they just kick you out if they discover they are working without proper license or residence or whatever
Do “under the table” jobs exist in Canada? And if so, how widespread are they?
We don’t have an ICE equivalent hunting down and kidnapping people on the streets if that’s what you’re worried about.
Mainly it’ll be very difficult to get work, you’ll probably be homeless (which really really sucks in the snow…), and whenever the cops do catch up with you, you will be deported when they realize your status.
why would they not welcome tortoises
Just don’t be miffed if Americans does the same thing and not come to Canada. They would be responding to what we’re doing.
We all should be understanding that most of us didn’t want this to happen and hunker down and wait for better times
Yes, it’ll be interesting to see if there’s an increase or decrease.