Near-century-old border symbol of peace, friendship caught in middle of Canada-U.S. trade war

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This article was published 13/02/2025 (207 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Although friendship and mutual respect have flourished for close to a century in a 2,300-acre park and natural sanctuary straddling the Manitoba-North Dakota border, a growing sense of distrust has sprouted at the International Peace Garden.

The idyllic destination, located about 28 kilometres south of Boissevain and 32 kilometres north of Dunseith, N.D., which has been a long-standing symbol of peace between Canada and the United States since opening in 1932, is caught in the political crossfire of an economic war started by U.S. President Donald Trump immediately after beginning his second term in January.

Trump, who has repeatedly spoken about making Canada the 51st state, has signed orders imposing crippling 25 per cent tariffs of virtually all goods imported from north of the border other than oil and energy, which are subject to a 10 per cent levy. Ottawa has responded with promises of retaliatory measures on U.S. goods.

The less-than-neighbourly threats and counter-threats have some Canadians making alternative summer plans, a concern for the non-profit that runs the peace garden.

“We got four emails last week from Canadians just expressing dismay with the political rhetoric that’s been going on the tariffs and the trade war,” park CEO Tim Chapman told the Free Press Thursday.

Chapman sent a letter to supporters last week saying that while he couldn’t fault the emailers for feeling the way they do, he wanted to reassure people that the park has always stood for peaceful co-existence and co-operation.

“We’re apolitical and don’t really have any say or input in what’s going on in the political discussions,” he said Thursday. “But we understand why some of our Canadian visitors and members feel the way they are.”

Chapman said he got back to each individual, including one who responded by saying they were simply venting their frustration. Their back-and-forth led to the member agreeing it would still be a good idea to keep coming rather than boycotting the garden.

Chapman has pored over another 20 or so emails he’s received since he sent Friday’s letter.

About 35,000 people visit every year. The number includes conference attendees, summer campers and schools, among others.

The previous Tory government of Manitoba contributed $7.5 million in 2021 for its share of a capital infrastructure and facilities redevelopment plan, matching funds from North Dakota.

Damaged girders from the World Trade Center towers toppled in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, pay tribute to Canada’s support for the U.S. in the aftermath.

Dwight MacAulay, a longtime provincial civil servant who sits on the garden’s board of directors, said there have been economic and political disagreements in the past.

MacAulay, who grew up in Killarney, about 50 kilometres northeast of the park, said it’s a beautiful, easily accessible attraction that often flies under the radar.

Visitors don’t require a passport. Instead they show identification to their home country’s customs officials after leaving the garden.

“At the end of the day, we were, we are, and will always be friends,” he said. “That’s a given. And it’s unfortunate (angry) people have those sentiments right now…. More than ever, is a time for people to visit in the International Peace Gardens and realize what it is — a world-class testament to the friendship that has always been there between Americans and Canadians.”

Boissevain-Morton Mayor Judy Swanson said she feels stuck between a rock and a hard place. Boissevain benefits economically from traffic to and from the park.

“But I do understand that things are different right now,” she said Thursday.

“This isn’t about the people in North Dakota. They are friends and family of ours. But this is about the president, who in our eyes, is about to do some things we don’t deserve.”

Swanson said people she’s spoken with have suggested they’re going to keep their tourism within Canada this year.

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“They really don’t want to go across the line right now,” she said. “I’m worried as a community. It’s going to be a difficult time, and I don’t ever recall having this feeling before.”

Premier Wab Kinew, who is in Washington along with the country’s 12 other provincial and territorial leaders to discuss tariffs with American politicians and business leaders, said he doesn’t believe people should boycott the attraction.

“Listen, it’s great for us to shop Canadian, to buy local, to buy Manitoban. But the peace gardens are going to continue to be an important symbol for the connection between our two countries,” he told reporters on a Zoom call.

“That will persist long after this current moment and the uncertainty and the emotions that have been brought forward will last.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.