B.C. Premier David Eby is encouraging residents to continue spending their vacations within Canada following remarks from the U.S. ambassador Monday morning. Pete Hoekstra, an appointee of U.S. President Donald Trump, appeared at the Pacific Northwest Economic Region summit in Bellevue, Wash., where he was asked about the decrease in Canadians crossing the border. “Canadians staying home, that’s their business,” Hoekstra said, in audio of the event provided by Eby’s office. “If you want to ban American alcohol, that’s fine. It doesn’t necessarily send real positive signals in terms of their treating us well. There are reasons why the president and some of his team refer to Canada as being mean and nasty to deal with.” Data from U.S. customs shows the number of travelers crossing the border from Canada has declined sharply since last year, amid ongoing concern and frustration over Trump’s comments about the country becoming the 51st state. Eby responded to Hoekstra’s remarks in a statement Monday afternoon, saying: “Clearly, our efforts are having an impact.” “I say to my fellow Canadians: Keep it up. Keep buying Canadian. Keep your vacations Canadian,” the premier said. “We won’t take these attacks our jobs, our economy and our sovereignty, lying down. We’ll stand strong together.”
