A growing number of migrants in the U.S. are heading north to seek asylum, even as Canada adopts increasingly restrictive immigration policies of its own.
During the first six days of July, Canadian officials at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing — the busiest land port between New York and Quebec — received 761 asylum claims, a more than 400% increase from the same period a year ago, according to data from the Canada Border Services Agency. The number of claims at the crossing rose 128% in June and is up 82% since the start of the year.
In response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on our exports and musings about Canada becoming the 51st state, Canadians have enthusiastically embraced not visiting the United States and boycotting American products. An Ipsos poll done just before Canada Day found 75 per cent of Canadians intend to avoid the U.S. when travelling, while 72 per cent are purchasing fewer American goods. In May the share of Canadian exports going to the U.S. fell to 68.3 per cent, one of the lowest proportions on record. But while our actions have clearly affected several U.S. sectors and regions, the overall impact on the U.S. economy has been minimal and therefore cannot be expected to change Trump’s behaviour. We need a 
