Canadian border crossings to U.S. decline significantly in February

The number of people travelling from Canada to the United States has dropped significantly in February. Nearly 500,000 fewer travelers drove across the border compared to January. This decrease has been noted since December, which coincides with rising tensions between the two countries. In total, around 2.2 million people in passenger vehicles crossed into the U.S. from Canada in February. This is down from about 2.7 million in January and 3.5 million in December. The decline in travelers is linked to comments made by President Donald Trump about Canada and new travel policies requiring foreign nationals to register before entering the U.S. Pedestrian crossings have also decreased. Only about 99,200 people walked into the U.S. from Canada in February, down from 107,000 in January. Air travel from Canada to the U.S. has also declined, with around 1.7 million travelers arriving by plane in February, compared to 2.1 million the previous month. The number of truck drivers crossing the border has also fallen. About 473,000 truckers entered the U.S. in February, a decrease from 513,000 in January. A weak Canadian dollar and uncertainties over U.S. tariffs have made Canadians more cautious about traveling. Statistics Canada reports that the number of Canadian residents returning from the U.S. is down 23% compared to the same month last year. The data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection is still subject to changes as final statistics will be released at the end of the fiscal year.