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By now, Canadians are familiar with Trump’s about-face on relations with Canada. Despite his early warm friendship with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on July 1 the former reality-television star imposed new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports — even taking the astonishing step of declaring our dominion a national-security threat, his justification for the punitive measures. Canada has retaliated with tariffs of its own on American goods.

The U.S. chief executive has also hinted at additional tariffs on more Canadian goods, such as autos. The backdrop for this unprecedented trade war is the ongoing negotiations for an updated North American Free Trade Agreement, the treaty that governs the flow of good and services between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The numbers back up Lorenz’s view. Michigan’s Tourism Economics show an increase of 10.1 per cent to 1,456,100 visitor arrivals into the Wolverine State.

“This pattern is consistent with Canadian visits across the U.S. as a whole . . . which tracks with the recent fluctuations in the strength of the Canadian dollar against the U.S. dollar,” Lorenz’s colleague Michelle Grinnell said.

There is no “Trump slump” in part because Ontario and Michigan have a long history of close ties and share an identity as Great Lakes states. “We’re so closely aligned,” Lorenz noted. “We’re friends. The politics don’t get in the way.”

And the future looks bright for Michigan. Projections show visitors increasing 16.5 per cent between last year and 2022 to 1,696,097.

In other words, Canadians can hold two thoughts in their minds: They may think Trump is awful, and they seem to appreciate the attractions and events Michigan has to offer.

But then there’s the steadily weakening loonie. “That will be the major factor,” Lorenz said.

danbrown@postmedia.com