The busy holiday shopping season is in full swing, and the majority of British Columbians are choosing to source gifts close to home instead of travelling down to the United States.
A new study by technology company Square shows that over half of B.C. shoppers are adopting a “pro–Canada” mindset during the lead-up to Black Friday.
It continues a trend of many Canadians taking matters into their own hands after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the imposition of tariffs on goods from Canada earlier this year.
And it also reflects the continued drop of B.C. travellers to Washington State.
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“Canadians are putting their loonies behind their ‘glowing hearts’ this holiday season,” said Square in a release.
“While Black Friday has long been a cross-border shopping moment, that tide is turning. The majority (61 per cent) of Canadians believe their communities will focus on supporting local businesses this year, compared to previous years when 57 per cent shopped interchangeably from U.S. and Canadian retailers.”
According to Square, 56 per cent of B.C. holiday shoppers say they will be “pro–Canadian” this Black Friday.
Locally owned businesses may see a boost, with 67 per cent sharing that they will allocate more of their holiday budgets to buying local, and 59 per cent of those shoppers stating that they are willing to spend up to 50 per cent more to buy Canadian.
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The holiday season used to be a busy time for British Columbians taking day trips to the U.S. to stock up on gifts, but recent data show that visits to Washington state from B.C. have continued their sharp drop.
The Whatcom Council of Governments’ 2025 Changes in Border Volume data shows that in October 2025, the volume of southbound vehicles from B.C. to Washington state is down by 37 per cent compared to the same period in 2024.
Whatcom Council of Governments
Recent data released by Statistics Canada also show a continued decline in travel between the countries, both by land and air.
“In October, the number of Canadian-resident return trips by automobile from the United States totalled 1.4 million, a steep decline (30.5 per cent) from the same month in 2024, marking the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year declines,” said Statistics Canada in its report.
Are you avoiding travel to Washington State or the U.S. this holiday season? Will you be shopping locally for everyone on your gift list? Let us know in the comments or get in touch at vancouver@dailyhive.com.