So, by "backfire" they mean the US has made it easier for Canadians to boycott travel to the US? Just goes to show how petty and short-sighted this administration is.

This article smells of AI slop

IMO, this article is written weirdly, so have the main quote:

    During an interview with CTV News, Canadian immigration law specialist Warren Creates said:
    
    “The adjudication at the border is a lot more thorough, a lot more detailed, and perhaps at times a lot more hostile. It’s (...) because there are fewer travelers. Which means these same officers have more time to spend on each examination, that is to say, each person presenting in front of them.”

Personally, I don't know if that's the case: If CBP are told to be more thorough, then I'd expect them to be more thorough, regardless of how that affects the number of vehicles processed per unit time.

From my experience as a Canadian who has travelled to both the US and within Canada recently, I find that two of the bold statements made in this article are simply not true:

#1 "Many Reddit users in Canada have been claiming they can no longer afford domestic travel. This has created a paradoxical situation in which flying to Europe can be cheaper than traveling to a different Canadian province." Flights in Canada this year are a bit cheaper than I've seen them in a while. I actually scored a last-minute flight to Calgary from Toronto for $94 in August (return trip was double - also a last minute deal). Gas is cheaper as well (for road trips!).

#2 "Still, the more detailed border controls are only one of the ways Canadians are also experiencing the consequences of the travel boycott." I have yet to experience a delay at the border that is much longer than what I would have expected on average over the last 2 decades.

That said, my desire to travel to the US for pleasure has definitely nosedived this year given the political climate and statements made by the current US administration. And I'm not alone - most Canadians feel as if they are not welcome in the US from this messaging. In other words, you won't find MAGA merch in Canada... but you will find MAGBA (Make America Great Britain Again) merch, because we haven't lost our sense of humour!

How is this backfiring? I don't feel it's the CBP retaliating, but just staying busy as Canadian tourism plummets

If western Canada joins the States, interstate travel would be easy ;)

You keep on using that word 'backfire'. I do not think it means what you think it means. Also:

> The other is linked to the Trump Administration's decision requiring CBP officers to be more rigid in their controls.

I think this is a more likely explanation.