Muhammad Amanullah
Date: October 15, 2026
The True Post (Web News) —
Cross-border travel between Canada and the United States has increased in recent months despite an ongoing trade war and strained relations between the two countries, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
The agency’s latest figures show that travel between the neighbouring countries has continued to recover compared with the same periods last year, although Canadian travel to the United States remains significantly below levels recorded two years ago.
In September, Canadian residents made approximately 1.9 million return trips to the United States by car and air. That represented a 6.8 per cent increase compared with September 2025, Statistics Canada reported.
The increase marked the sixth consecutive month in which the number of Canadian trips to the United States exceeded the total recorded in the corresponding month a year earlier.
Despite this improvement, Canadian travel to the United States remained 31.1 per cent below the September 2024 level, indicating that cross-border travel has yet to return to its earlier volume.
US Travel to Canada Records a Stronger Increase
Travel from the United States to Canada also increased substantially in September.
According to Statistics Canada, US residents made approximately 1.8 million trips to Canada during the month, up 17.2 per cent from September 2025.
The increase marked the eighth consecutive month in which travel by US residents to Canada exceeded the corresponding monthly total from the previous year.
The figures suggest that cross-border movement remains active despite political disagreements and escalating trade tensions. The year-over-year increase in US visits to Canada was also considerably higher than the growth recorded in Canadian travel to the United States.
Trade Dispute Continues to Strain Relations
The rise in travel comes as the two countries continue to face significant trade disagreements.
The US administration under President Donald Trump imposed new import restrictions last month on certain Canadian products, according to the supplied report. The affected goods reportedly included most Canadian-produced alcoholic beverages, some dairy by-products and certain types of motorcycles.
The restrictions represented another escalation in the trade dispute, as Washington continued to press Canada for trade concessions.
The latest measures followed the suspension of trade negotiations between the two countries by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in August. Before the talks were halted, both governments had accused the other of attempting to introduce last-minute changes to a proposed trade agreement.
The suspension added to uncertainty surrounding the economic relationship between the two countries, whose businesses and consumers are closely connected through cross-border trade.
Tariffs and Retaliatory Measures
The day after negotiations were suspended, the United States imposed tariffs on Canadian goods reportedly worth $28 billion.
Canada responded by introducing retaliatory tariffs on American products on September 8, according to the report.
The exchange of trade measures has placed additional pressure on the economic relationship between the two countries. Businesses on both sides of the border face uncertainty as governments continue to dispute trade terms and market access.
Nevertheless, the latest travel figures indicate that political and economic tensions have not stopped people from crossing the border.
Travel Trends Show a Mixed Picture
The Statistics Canada figures point to two contrasting trends.
Canadian travel to the United States has recorded year-over-year growth for six consecutive months, while visits by US residents to Canada have increased for eight consecutive months.
However, the longer-term comparison shows that Canadian trips to the United States remain well below their September 2024 level.
The stronger annual growth in US travel to Canada suggests that cross-border movement is developing differently in each direction. While the latest figures show improvement, they do not establish that travel patterns have fully returned to previous levels.
As Canada and the United States continue to navigate trade disagreements, border-crossing data will remain an important indicator of travel behaviour and the broader relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
