Chamberwise: Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters

By Garry Douglas

In the words of Paul Simon, the state of the people-to-people relationship between Americans and Canadians is “like a bridge over troubled waters” — the troubled waters being the sad state of personal relations and the bridge being what we all need to help rebuild.

Just to emphasize how bad things are behind the 30%+ drop in Canadian visitation this summer, consider the following: A recent Leger poll of Canadians showed just 34% saying they trust Americans. Asked about the U.S. as a country vs. the American people, 53% say the U.S. cannot be trusted. And a majority feel “unwelcome” in the states. Perhaps worse, if that’s possible, a very recent Pew Research Center poll showed that 59% of Canadians now see the U.S. as a “threat”.

An old rule of politics is that feelings aren’t right or wrong. They just are, and must be acknowledged.

The economic effects on our hospitality and retail sectors are very real. From golf courses to restaurants to supermarkets and gas sales, reported drops in business of 20-30% and more are common. Yet we must not focus so much on the dollars as on the profoundly sad state of our people-to-people relationship.

For the North Country, our very special connection with Canada isn’t about where we are, but who we are. There is simply no place in the U.S. that enjoys as unique a historical, social and economic intertwining with Canada as we do. For us, Canadians are not just neighbors and visitors, but friends and family. And it’s that strong sense of familial connection that explains their depth of feelings. We all know that a sense of betrayal and hurt within one’s family is the deepest kind of wound and the most difficult to heal.

We cannot turn this around this year, but we must all engage in the right messaging and outreach to begin the process. The Chamber is continuing its commitment, especially to messaging north of the border as well as heightened hospitality for all Canadians still visiting. We encourage every business and organization to consider how they can do likewise.

Building that bridge over troubled waters must be

our mission.