LETTER: Why the Canadians are staying home

No one in Nevada should be surprised by the decrease in Canadian tourists.

I’m a Canadian who, like many others, has thoroughly enjoyed past visits to your state. For months, however, we have endured your president’s insults, his unprovoked trade war and his threats to Canada’s sovereignty. We have watched with dismay as your federal government has assaulted crucial pillars of American society. We’ve been shocked by the deployment of masked ICE agents, National Guard troops and U.S. Marines. We are appalled by the recent federal policies and actions that suppress free speech and oppress minorities, and we are angered by the cessation of efforts to fight climate change.

Many outside the United States are watching your country transform into something new — something aggressive, uncaring and unwelcoming — and we’re mystified by the passive acceptance of your president’s actions by too many members of Congress. Rather than exemplifying “the home of the brave,” Congress has become a land of the compliant.

If an economic plan is motivating your government, the plan doesn’t consider tourism. Your country won’t get international visitors by making foreigners furious about its policies or nervous about crossing its borders.

We’d like to visit again. However, until the United States reverts to being a good neighbor and a hospitable friend, many of us will spend vacations elsewhere.