‘The U.S. is canceled’: Canadians say they’re boycotting Amazon, American goods, and even travel

An increasing number of Canadians on Reddit are declaring intentions to boycott Amazon and potentially all U.S. products thanks to President Donald Trump. Tariff threats, talk about making Canada the 51st state, and Amazon closing warehouses in Quebec may inspire boycotts big enough to impact the U.S. economy.

Although avoiding international retail giants can be difficult, Canadians are already giving advice, suggesting alternatives, and reminding each other of the benefits of ditching Amazon—even if it hurts.

'I'm done subsidizing the U.S. economy'

Posts in Canadian forums on Reddit talking about U.S. boycotts began to appear soon after inauguration day. These accelerated after Trump imposed high tariffs on Canadian products, and the President's quick backpedaling on this order didn't do much to stop them.

Amazon became a specific target of boycott calls after news broke on Jan. 22 that the company would be closing warehouses in Quebec. The move will erase 2,000 jobs, 1,700 of them permanent, in a decision closely following the creation of Canada's first unionized Amazon workforce.

On the r/EhBuddyHoser sub, Reddit user DatTrashPanda posted a screenshot of an Amazon notice about their Prime subscription ending.

"I'm done subsidizing the US economy," they wrote. "Who's with me?"

Commenters were quick to add their support for the boycott or announce that they'd hopped on that train a long time ago.

"Cancelled mine a few weeks ago and I’m already saving money by eliminating impulse buying!" wrote AcanthisittaOne4145.

Others gave advice on how to avoid using the company and reminded folks that although they might miss next-day shipping, it's not worth the human cost.

"I've replaced it with many different businesses depending on what I'm looking for," said small_town_cryptid. "It's also possible to do your window shopping on Amazon and buy directly from the seller's website since many of them use Amazon as a storefront."

"An important thing is to remember that you likely won't get Amazon speed shipping and that's a GOOD thing. They can only achieve that kind of performance by exploiting their staff and I would rather wait for my delivery to come through Canada Post than further support Bezos' wage slavery practices."

Anti-union Amazon

In 2024, over 200 Amazon warehouse workers in the city of Laval formed a union and began demanding a $6 wage increase, more safety measures, and a slower work pace. Less than a month after Amazon seemed ready to make its first offer, the company announced the closure all facilities in Quebec, claiming it had nothing to do with the union.

"Following a recent review of our Quebec operations, we found that returning to a third-party delivery model supported by local small businesses, similar to the one we had until 2020, will enable us to offer the same excellent service and deliver even greater savings to our customers in the long term," a spokesperson told CBC.

Few Canadians believed Amazon, aware that the retailer has a storied history of anti-union activity in the U.S. In 2022, a federal judge ruled that they broke labor laws by firing a worker for participating in protected union activities. The following year, the National Labor Relations Board found that the company was guilty of threatening and racially disparaging union organizers.

"This decision makes no sense whatsoever," union president Caroline Senneville said of the facility closings in Quebec. "Neither from a business point of view, nor from an operational point of view. Amazon, one of the most integrated companies between the click of a mouse and home delivery, would entrust all its warehousing and distribution operations throughout Quebec to a third party?"

'The U.S. is canceled'

Amazon isn't the only U.S. company Canadians are targeting, however. It seems that our neighbors are avoiding anything American—including the nation itself.

In a video posted on Feb. 17, TikTok user and Uber driver @greg_the_uberdriver2, who lives near the border and talks to a lot of Canadian riders, says a family told him that their people appear to be boycotting travel to the U.S.

"When they went to the airport ... there was like nobody in line," he says, "and that both planes were like half full as opposed to being completely full."

@greg_the_uberdriver2 Thank you Donald Trump for the Canadian boycott of all US made products and travel and tourism to the US. The US is cancelled #trump #canada #canada_life???????? #canadian #boycott #tariff #tariffs #tourism #miami #orlando #fortlauderdale #disney #greg_the_uberdriver2 #losangeles #california #houston #newyork #boston ♬ original sound - greg_the_uberdriver2

Meanwhile, in Canada's grocery stores, American goods have been seen stagnating on the shelves.

"They are boycotting every single product in Canada that is made in the United States," the driver continues. "You can go to the grocery stores in Canada ... all the stuff from the U.S., completely full, not a one, they're on sale, she said they're on sale price for $2.97, nobody's touching it."

Over on Bluesky, more Canadians are warning us about their boycotts and reminding us how much the economic impact could hurt.

"Canada is boycotting US goods and services, and changing their tourism destinations from the estimated 220 BILLION we pump into your economy to local or abroad," says @stacescases2.bsky.social‬. "To put that in context 1% could be BAD for the US. It has reached 30% cancelations in states like #Tennessee."

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