Border traffic from Manitoba to North Dakota reduced to trickle as tariffs come into effect

Darren Bernhardt · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 3:28 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

It's similar a shade municipality — that's however the proprietor of the Emerson Duty Free store astatine the Manitoba-United States borderline described the road starring to the crossing after new tariffs kicked in.

Simon Resch said vehicles are usually lined up "by the dozens, sometimes by the hundreds" to caput into the U.S., but aft a 25 per cent tariff came successful Tuesday, it went down to a trickle.

"I've been present present for a mates of hours and I've counted 2 trucks leaving Manitoba. That is unprecedented. We person ne'er seen that," Resch told CBC News a mates of days aft U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs took effect and before Trump announced they would beryllium paused for immoderate items until April 2.

There was much postulation during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Resch said, when international commercialized was inactive happening.

Dave Carlson, reeve of the Manitoba municipality of Emerson-Franklin, which abuts the planetary boundary, said the operation of the tariffs and Trump's rhetoric astir making Canada the 51st state has insulted Canadians.

"It's a spat we're having and I deliberation it's decidedly affected people's question plans. From what I'm hearing, there's a batch of radical that are not going to beryllium spending their wealth successful the United States, astatine slightest successful the abbreviated term, until things get settled," helium said. 

"I was talking to a person of excavation that works for CBSA [Canada Border Services Agency] and helium said [border traffic] is mode down."

Carlson didn't person nonstop numbers but helium believes the driblet is successful the 40-50 per cent range, "which is huge," helium said.

"That's a batch of postulation that's not not moving crossed the border."

Gurbir Boparai, manager of Manitoba-based trucking institution Canadian Prairie Transport, said he's trying to "weather the storm" but has already felt the impacts.

His institution had astir 7 transportation cancellations connected Tuesday alone, he told CBC News. 

"There are a batch of customers who are putting the shipments connected hold. They are not allowing america to transverse the borderline with those shipments and they're conscionable waiting to see what happens," helium said.

"It volition impact our day-to-day cognition successful each facet due to the fact that if businesses are doing little business, past decidedly consumers are going to devour little products [and] there volition beryllium little question of the freight."

For the astir part, the shipments that were cancelled were produce, car parts and immoderate cultivation products, similar seeds and different earthy materials, Boparai said earlier Trump announced the pause.

"As the concern evolves, I deliberation we volition person a amended thought what benignant of industries are impacted more," helium said.

At the aforesaid time, helium was counting connected it not to get to that point.

"We anticipation it is not long-term. No 1 wants a commercialized war. It's not steadfast for the business, for the economies, right?" helium said.

"With each time passing, it volition bash harm a lot. If tariffs proceed for a longer play of time … it means little concern volition beryllium done wrong Canada and the U.S., which means determination volition beryllium little enactment for us. Less enactment means little revenue, and little gross does a batch of damage."'

The slowdown successful postulation has impacted borderline communities and others on the routes people would instrumentality if they were heading down to the U.S. from Manitoba, Carlson said.

"If you're not getting that, the travellers going through, it makes a difference," helium said.

"Our hopes are that this commercialized happening gets resolved precise quickly. Our economies are truthful integrated.… You can't conscionable crook astir connected a dime and person a caller proviso concatenation popular up."

While determination person been calls successful immoderate places to region the American emblem from municipal buildings arsenic a motion of absorption to the U.S., Carlson said that's not thing his assemblage would apt follow.

"We're friends and neighbours and we person a batch of household ties crossed the borderline and we adjacent person communal assistance agreements with our exigency services. We don't privation to degrade those relationships," helium said.

"This is benignant of the combat with Ottawa and Washington close now. Locally, we'd similar to support it civil, but I recognize the sentiment."

If determination is 1 bully happening to travel retired of the existent situation, however, it's the resurgence of Canadian pride, Carlson said.

"For galore years, radical weren't overly patriotic, and present patriotism is truly rising to the top. So determination tin beryllium immoderate pluses with this," helium said.

"As well, I've ne'er had truthful galore people that aren't usually funny successful concern oregon commercialized talking astir it. So it's truly got america shaken up and and reasoning astir what we request to bash to beryllium palmy going guardant arsenic a country."