POLITE FLIGHT

Canadian Snowbirds Flee U.S. After ’51st State’ Jokes and ‘Go Home’ Taunts

Canadians no longer feel safe in the United States.

Canadians are selling their second homes in snowbird hotspots such as Florida and Arizona due to anger and uncertainty over Trump’s rhetoric about turning Canada into the “51st state.” Economic factors such as a weak Canadian dollar and rising homeowners’ association fees have already made ownership more expensive, but according to real estate agents, political tensions caused by the new president’s tariff and travel rules have accelerated sales. Garry Liboiron, 76, told the Wall Street Journal that he sold his 3,300-square-foot house in Phoenix after growing fears the government may nationalize Canadian-owned properties. In contrast, retirees Clifford and Paulette Lawrick sold their Arizona condo after longtime friends and neighbors started to turn hostile and told them the United States-Canada border “wasn’t where it should be.” Clifford said the change in attitudes “made it difficult to hang out at the pool.” Meanwhile, Montreal-born Philippe Trudeau decided to sell his Florida home after he was confronted in Walmart while speaking French and told to “go back home” because he “wasn’t needed here.” His two-bedroom condo sold after just one day on the market. “I wanted just to get out of there,” he said. A Florida real estate agent reported twice as many Canadian listings this year, while an Arizona broker said 700 Canadian-owned homes had been listed in early 2025, up from 100 a year prior.