"The festival happens every five years and celebrates the Acadians - descendants of early French settlers who came to Louisiana from Canada in the 1700s. It attracts a lot of tourists from Canada, but not so much this year. At least one tour company canceled. The tour operator told him Canadians just didn't want to come this year. MENARD: After the tariffs and the president's comments, he let us know that people were dropping like flies."
"He's referring to the comments President Trump has made about Canada becoming the 51st state and his ongoing international trade war. Just this week, in a meeting with the Canadian prime minister, Trump cracked a joke about a, quote, "merger" of the two countries. Louisiana Republican Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser is asking the president to apologize to Canadians for those remarks. This is because on a recent trip to Canada, he heard how upset people there were."
Grand Réveil Acadien near Lafayette, Louisiana, celebrates Acadian descendants and normally draws many Canadian tourists. This year attendance declined and at least one tour company canceled due to Canadian reluctance to visit. The tour operator attributed cancellations to tariffs and President Trump's comments. Trump joked about a merger with Canada and referenced Canada as a possible 51st state, prompting anger. Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser traveled to Canada, heard that people were boycotting visits until Trump apologized or left office, and urged the president to apologize. Nungesser said an apology might not fully restore tourism and expressed uncertainty about next steps.
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]