Travel between Canada and the United States was steadily climbing in August, before trade talks collapsed shortly before the end of the month between the two countries and U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his trade war against Canada.
The number of Canadians travelling south fell sharply last year following the growth of the Buy Canadian movement, but the trend had been reversing this year, data from Statistics Canada shows.
On Aug. 21, Canada walked away from talks after the U.S. demanded “unacceptable” last-minute concessions, Prime Minister Mark Carney said. After Trump imposed fresh, sweeping 50 per cent tariffs on Canada, Ottawa responded with dollar-for-dollar counter-measures.
In August, Canadians made 2.6 million return trips from the United States, up 8.8 per cent from the same month in 2025. This marked the fifth consecutive month of growth.
However, the travel figures were still not back to their 2024 levels for August.
While return trips by automobile rose 9.9 per cent compared to August 2025, the number was 27.4 per cent lower compared to the same month in 2024. Return trips by air rose 3.6 per cent compared to the same month last year but were down 22.7 per cent compared to August 2024.
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Travel from abroad in August peaked during the long weekend, with 176,900 returning home on Monday, Aug. 3.
More Americans travelled to Canada in August compared to the same time a year ago. U.S.-resident trips to Canada increased 2.4 per cent in August, reaching 2.4 million. This marked the seventh consecutive month of increase, Statistics Canada said.
In August, Americans made 1.8 million road trips to Canada, up one per cent compared to the same month in 2025. They also took 629,600 trips to Canada by air, an increase of 6.8 per cent.
August also marked the first full month of operation for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which connects Windsor, Ont., to Detroit, Mich.
The bridge was used for 134,900 return-trips by Canadians from the U.S., although more than half (56.7 per cent) were same-day trips.
During the same period, 101,000 Americans made trips to Canada via the bridge, with 52.2 per cent being same-day trips.
August also saw a significant drop in Windsor’s Ambassador Bridge being used, with 348,000 total trips entering Canada. This was a drop of 35.4 per cent from August 2025.
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