AGAR: Did Western Canadians cut off their nose to spite their face

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Don’t let Donald Trump get in your head. 

There are a lot of reasons to be unhappy – angry – with the American president. Tariffs, 51st State, Governor Trudeau, etc. 

But none of that can be solved by you or me. That is what we elected a new prime minister and his government to handle. 

A few premiers, most notably Ontario’s Doug Ford, are weighing in as well. 

But did Western Canadians cut off their noses to spite their faces? 

I am not referring to those Albertans who are prepared to ask for a divorce from Canada. 

I mean possibly four thousand Canadians who chose not to make their annual trip to Seattle to see the Blue Jays play baseball against the Mariners. 

Each year when Canada’s only major league baseball team visits Seattle a casual fan taken to the game could be forgiven for thinking the Jays were the home team. 

The stands are always a sea of blue, the crowd is chanting, “Let’s go Jays,” and some reports say it isn’t that much fun for the actual home team. 

But if staying away from the ball game was to send a message, who got the message? 

I would be surprised if Trump knows what is happening in Seattle generally, much less in baseball, and shocked if he were to care. 

Who imagines Trump sitting in the oval office saying, “Well if they won’t come for baseball, I will have to rethink my tariff and rhetorical policies.” 

His policy is Canada doesn’t have anything the United States needs and that apparently includes tourists. 

He is wrong, but that is how he thinks. Facts have nothing to do with it when it comes to Trump. There is no indication he cares. 

Many Americans will care, but that doesn’t include the governor of Florida. 

The National Post reports, “During an address to lawmakers at the state capitol in Tallahassee, the governor briefly mentioned Florida’s tourist numbers from 2024, boasting 142 million visitors, 3.3 million of whom hailed from Canada, he noted. 

“’That’s not much of a boycott in my book. Maybe they wanted to get a glimpse of what a Stanley Cup-winning hockey team actually looks like,’ DeSantis said to applause.” 

I am sure some people are not travelling due to the dollar, but the dollar was the same a year ago, so that can’t be the reason the baseball fans did not go to Seattle. 

What people do with their own disposable income and time is none of my business but when they loudly claim they are making a political point, I weigh in. 

If those fans are on their high moral horse and feeling good about it, good for them. 

But the baseball world was predicting Seattle to sweep the Jays, who were in a bit of a bad stretch going into the weekend. But the Jays took all 3 games. I would have liked to have been there. 

I bet those fans wish they had been. 

No doubt the fewer Canadians going to the USA will impact bars, restaurants, tour groups, hotels, taxis and Uber drivers in the places we usually vacation. I feel sorry for those people and businesses, but Trump doesn’t. 

I’m not letting Trump into my head. I am not letting Trump control my life. 

Are you?