U.S. mayor makes appeal to Canadian travellers: 'We like you guys, we miss you' - National Post
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addresses the winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on January 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Alex Wong /Getty ImagesArticle contentA U.S. mayor has taken to social media to send a message to Canadians boycotting travel to the United States: Minneapolis misses them.
Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, said in the video he shared on Instagram on Wednesday: “Hey Canadians. We like you guys, we miss you. We don’t think of you as the 51st state. We know that you’re a sovereign nation.”
His message comes amid escalating trade tensions between Canada and the U.S., which most recently saw President Donald Trump accuse Canada of “taking advantage” of his country and call Canada’s leaders “very bad.”
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“I understand you’ve been dealing with some kind of unreasonable stuff, and to put it lightly, we’ve dealt with some really unreasonable stuff in Minneapolis,” Frey said. “We can talk about that when you come to visit us.”
The video comes months after two people were fatally shot in Minneapolis by federal agents. Renee Good was killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Jan. 7, and Alex Pretti was shot just weeks later, on Jan. 24, by a U.S. Border Patrol officer.
Following Good’s death, Frey demanded that ICE “get the f— out of Minneapolis” during a news conference. “Long-term Minneapolis residents that have contributed so greatly to our city, to our culture, to our economy, are being terrorized — and now somebody is dead,” he said.
In the recent Instagram video, Frey attempted to entice Canadians to travel to the Minnesota city by saying, “It’s beautiful fall right now,” and Minneapolis has “some of the best restaurants in the world.”
“But most importantly, we can have each other’s company,” he added. “So we miss you guys, and whether it’s a short flight away, or for some of you even a drive, I can’t wait to see you when you visit our city. Love, Minneapolis.”
Amid Canadians’ souring attitudes towards the U.S., Mayor Frey isn’t the only politician to personally urge his northern neighbours to visit. In April 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom shared a video promoting tourism to the Golden State, in which he said: “Sure, you-know-who is trying to stir things up back in D.C., but don’t let that ruin your beach plans.”
