I work at a Canadian university located less than 100 miles from the US border. I have yet to find a professor colleague who plans to attend a conference in the US this summer.
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Omg, why would they? Crossing the border for a legitimate work purpose is akin to a playing a round of Russian Roulette. I’m in awe of the nurses that cross daily in Detroit. And scared for you!
I'm a permanent resident, I'm wary about traveling to the UK. Last time my flight was changed and I had to fly back via O'Hare.
Who knows what's going on.
Most Canadian universities are so underfunded, they are on hiring freezes and/or gutting entire departments. Canadian academics can barely get hired as it is.
And this is one reason , the other is the TSA is making facial recognition mandatory, once they scan your drivers license 🪪 you are forced into a facial scan or deal with repercussions .
That is because they are smart. You can end up getting detained by officers of the law if you do not pledge allegiance to trump , 2 female Canadian folk musicians found this reality the hard way .
I would not blame them at all. I don't want to be here.
Any takers on adopting a mom/grandma for their kids in Canada 🇨🇦 I am over qualified and available 😀 😉
Unlike when I grew up in Canada before i left 30 years ago the American citizens aren't shouldering the blame for this . It's one man that is despised by both countries. When I grew up it was the Americans who had the bad reputation .
Everyone should boycott the US on principal. There are a variety of reasons, any one of which is reason, to not come here. Many people in the US are basically hostages at this point. As a US citizen, I totally support boycotting the US. It is a shameful bully country run by sadists.
I brought a great conference to my students attention a few weeks ago. They were very excited until they noticed it was just over the border in the USA. It's not only teachers who are not going. A Trans friend in Mexico also canceled their trip. It feels ugly because it IS ugly. And dangerous.
We are so sorry 1/3 of our electorate (electoral college bull💩) voted in the orange dictator-wanna be & is causing problems for you all. Solidarity👊 ... ❤️ 🇨🇦!
Please dont stop showing support. It might seems as not so effective, but us canadians feel betrayed, and we know deep down it's not all americans, but its hard to separate the good and the bad americans, but you are helping. Take care!
It’s so sickening. It’s heartbreaking. It’s actually not good and bad. It’s those who saw the truth and those who were brainwashed by this orange buffoon.
It’s not all Americans, but 52% voted for the racism and utter stupidity that was there for all to see during the election campaign.
As a Brit who has holidayed in the States on a number of occasions, I know that I won’t be going anywhere near the place for the foreseeable future.
I've stopped all non-essential buying, as a U.S. crash is coming, but I, too, am buying from our traditional allied countries and not from red states or red businesses. Life is grim.
As an American I feel betrayed by Republicans too. I just want to say 1) Thank you for recognizing its not all Americans. 2) Thank you for the pressure other countries put on the Trump regime. They are bullies and they need push-back and punched in the face.
Avoiding conferences in the USA is the best safety action you have needed for a long while. Think of it as supporting other conferences in your field, ones that provide a different view or opportunity. Think of it as widening your knowledge base. Think of your kids not having a disappeared parent.
A lot of lawyers from Europe are still very happy travelling to the US for conferences, enjoying a drink and a chat whilst at the same time lamenting the Donald but just carrying on as normal. But it isn’t normal any more. Not at all.
We're watching members of the Navajo nation getting swept up in ICE raids, legal residents deported to horrendous prisons, and a basic disregard for civil rights. Aside from Canadians' justified rage and disgust, this country isn't safe for anyone. Apologies from Washington State.
It is so sad.. my sister is a pediatric oncologist with a very unique specialty. She speaks all over the world. It was her turn to host at CHOP this year.An honor!! But now many doctors from around the world may boycott because we suck right now. Their research will suffer. SICK Kids too!
No surprise there! Many schools are banning educational travel for teachers, profs, and kids. That's on top of the tourists cancelling. What a wallop that'll be to their economy!
Thanks. It's very strange to be in it, see what's actually happening, but also be among people who are oblivious. I go to protests on weekends, which is quite rewarding and somewhat therapeutic. I don't want to look back and realize I wasted time when I should have been pushing back.
I hate that we are at a point in the USA where this is the correct decision, for you and your country. Hoping your external pressure and resistance helps the resistance here
Pauline why would anyone still CHOOSE to come visit this 3rd world shithole dumpster fire of a country at this point? You might end up getting detained by ICE like that woman from Canada did recently… Seriously stay out of this place if you can help it, shits getting bad
George Santayana said it best” Those that cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. I guess people don’t remember Chairman Mao sending educators and scholars to work camps in China. Pol Pot in Cambodia executing the educated.
I saw some Biden to Trump voters say they like that Trump "is doing things." Some weren't sure what he was doing, but doing something is better than not doing something so they approved. It's mind boggling.
I feel like it's also the steady drumbeat of American exceptionalism, coupled with the sheer scale of the country. We're quite insular and so anything we do is the greatest in the world, even when all our western allies are doing something so much better.
I saw a news clip yesterday about how folks were getting ready for the “busy US travel season” to get into swing as the weather warms up & I thought “oh, you sweet summer children. No one will want to come here. Lots of folks *here* won’t want to risk the TSA to fly anywhere else. Tourism is effed.”
No. If this is a politically inspired boycott, that's fine, but there is a vibe that people fear bad things happening to them now if they travel to the US, that wasn't a possibility a couple of months ago. That's just hysteria.
Fair enough. A boycott. But perhaps the 51st state crowd in the US took Justin at his word when he called Canada the "1st post national state". Me, I'm an old fashioned Canadian nationalist who's not too happy about today's Liberal Party. The Americans don't see a core when they look north.
Please don't come and spread the word to your colleagues. Keep as much pressure on this tyrant as possible. The only thing he and Musky care about is lining their pockets. Hit them hard where it hurts!
French scientist on his way to a conference was detained briefly, had his phone and work laptop searched, and was sent back to France because he had messages criticizing Trump's anti-science - it was deemed hate speech. His phone or laptop were confiscated and not returned.
As an American, please don't come here. Our government is arresting people and disappearing them into ICE hell with no due process. I promise those of us who care are trying to keep our country from sliding into whatever awfulness this Admin has planned, but keep yourselves safe.
I live in B.C.'s Fraser Valley which is about 10 minutes from the border. Last week my wife & I sold our Seattle based time share that we've had since 1994.Sad,we met so many nice people down there over the years.We will never go back across the border! It's all because of that moronic sex offender.
I am planning to attend a team meeting and conduct field work in Arizona this May. Unfortunately, there is only one Meteor Crater; we have to go where the rocks are.
If you haven't been, I'm sure you'll enjoy your visit. Possibly a trip to the Grand Canyon or the Navajo Nation could be possible. Or just down time in downtown Flagstaff.
Sorry about the stupid politics of it. Being white really helps.
I used to live in Arizona, so I know just how beautiful that part of the world is.
As a white dual citizen, I have a lot of privilege that should protect me. It’s my students I’m most worried about. But they deserve the chance to do their science unimpeded.
I have not been to the united states since 2016 when my Iranian students told me they could not attend a conference (ASMS) that my group was planning to go tomorrow My group decided not to go...never been back. Even the four year reprieve from teump was utterly toxic.
I was working for a charter bus company around that time and most k-12 school groups decided against going to the US for trips because some kids couldn't go. I'm certain the same thing is happening now. I won't be going for a long time. Going to miss visiting Minnesota though. Most Canada-y state.
Just imagine that the entire continental US has been infected w/a new type of zombie cootie that has no cure, no test & no meds. Lock down quarantine. Your qualms about not crossing the border will float away. Remember us the way we used to be.
Smart. Beyond not wanting anything to do with this insane asylum they may end up in a Central American prison. This regime would love to make an example of them.
As a Canadian, not going to conferences or vacations or anything else in the US is about more than responding to the orange man’s rhetoric. It’s a personal safety issue. History has taught us that the loss of human and legal rights can happen overnight.
Smart on your colleagues. The US doesn’t believe in education anymore. All of our “facts” now come from some random book written thousands of years ago.
And trade shows as well, is what I've heard.
It's all very scary.
Anybody can be disappeared, it seems.
Plus the FDA is not inspecting their food whether processed or grown.
aaaand let's have a Measles Party! 🎉🎉
The Handmaid's Tale
"That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn't even any rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction."
Is it only through lawyers & judges this shit will get turned around?
There is no low too low for you Republican White Supremacists assholes. You are more than just wanting to privatize government services. You are about hate & rebid racism, authoritarianism, greed for money & power, treason, fake religion! We are going to take you lawless fascist motherfuckers down!
We have so many immediate concerns, but this points to the long-term damage Trump/Vance/Musk/Vought/Miller are causing. The brain drain will be real as smart people avoid the U.S.
I support boycotting the hell out of the US to prove a point, but I worry about draining the country of intelligent and moral people. It's more scary that the US become a vacuum for decency than anything else, with its military and industrial strength. We need great people to stay and fight
Every field is different, every school is different. some can skip them, some can go virtual, some can go to an European versions, and some still need to go.
I’m still planning on going one US conference this year, technology conferences by far are still US dominated.
I was planning on attending one in the US in a couple of weeks. Had to cancel for personal reasons, but the socio-political issues make me not as sad about that as I might be.
My other regular US conf for my field is in July. Fingers crossed. Nothing booked yet.
I hope some conferences can be scheduled in Canada instead. I'm sure lots of deserving educators in the US would love to visit/take a break and the relocation could help Canada too 💪🏽
Between Canada and Europe I hope we kill their tourism industry. Between Trump's military and economic Warfare I have no sympathy for the US. We need to protect ourselves and our allies which the US is not. We sacrificed too many men and women for their b******* Wars and causes no more.
It started here with the "buy American" people. In 1973 after the Powell Memorandum came the heritage foundation. In 2010 after the Made in America movement came heritage action. Both cases took about 5.5 years. There were no steps between turning down foreign stuff and turning down people.
The Buy Canadian movement is to boycott American and support Canadian. It is a response to the US, not a copy of it. The other big push (LOL, not the band) is to increase trade amongst allies, ie., not US.
It really looks completely indistinguishable from the fascist talk here for the last decade and a half. They're just setting up shop in Canada and you guys are straight up handing them power.
Literally everyone I know who supports buying Canadian is disgusted by the US situation. I have absolute belief that we are quite different in this respect, and many others. We are not isolationists, just anti-fascist.
Yes, I have heard this all before from the "buy american" people disgusted with the situation in China. Those people became MAGA within a 4-5 year window after it began in 2010. You are narrating exactly how it happened here.
Fear of a hyper-nationalistic core of businesses using a lot of threat-forward propaganda and lobbyists/extralegal tactics to create a populist movement with the end goal of merging corporate and government power at the expense of most of a society's values and institutions.
Ye. Here people were more worried about communism or more worried about losing manufacturing to China. In both cases out of fear they excused handing power to evil people. That kind of threat-based following didn't really stop once it started. Was reasonable at first, unreasonable later.
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Who knows what's going on.
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/canadian-folk-duo-cassie-and-m-MITcjA33TzqfMiuM16cSSw
Any takers on adopting a mom/grandma for their kids in Canada 🇨🇦 I am over qualified and available 😀 😉
Especially for an academic conference. If there’s anything these guys hate, it’s smart people
Be safe. We hope America can be as chill as Portugal one day. Until then - stay away.
No more brain drain to America the Trump Regime has made sure of that.
"Oh yeah, I'm absolutely going to the Leopards Eating People's Faces convention. Why?"
As a Brit who has holidayed in the States on a number of occasions, I know that I won’t be going anywhere near the place for the foreseeable future.
Take care and hopefully things can go back to some normalcy soon enough.
Hope you find a way to get through to your politicians.
It's often the organisers, not an endowed organisation, who pay the financial price. That can be four-five times their *annual* salary.
I do not have any suggestions for a solution, except that the US courts need to go with unprecedented speed. And US Marshalls need to comply.
It's not safe to travel to or in the U.S. right now
Travelers risk unlawful detainment on top of the mass shooting risk at your favorite restaurant or movie theater
Or church or park or grocery store or or or
The US is not safe.
I've walked Meteor Crater several times.
If you haven't been, I'm sure you'll enjoy your visit. Possibly a trip to the Grand Canyon or the Navajo Nation could be possible. Or just down time in downtown Flagstaff.
Sorry about the stupid politics of it. Being white really helps.
As a white dual citizen, I have a lot of privilege that should protect me. It’s my students I’m most worried about. But they deserve the chance to do their science unimpeded.
There's lots of rankor; but things are likely to go smoothly.
I hope you have fun!
As an American, I fully support their sanity!
WELL DONE!
ICE seem to have legitimised inhuman and sexualised detention.
It's all very scary.
Anybody can be disappeared, it seems.
Plus the FDA is not inspecting their food whether processed or grown.
aaaand let's have a Measles Party! 🎉🎉
#elbowsup 🇨🇦
"That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn't even any rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction."
Is it only through lawyers & judges this shit will get turned around?
Signed, an American
Even if there were relevant conferences, I wouldn’t be going. I wouldn’t remotely feel safe anywhere near the US right now.
I’m still planning on going one US conference this year, technology conferences by far are still US dominated.
The other one, I’ve cancelled
My other regular US conf for my field is in July. Fingers crossed. Nothing booked yet.
So…. Nobody should go.
This is an insane time for ALL of us