American conferences relocate to Quebec due to fears surrounding Trump administration

Major conferences that would usually be held in the U.S. are switching to venues in Montreal, giving the city thousands of extra visitors.

“I’ve got seven, eight in front of me that have made the change,” Tourisme Montreal president Yves Lalumiere said.

With inflammatory rhetoric regularly coming out of the White House, many academics have growing fears about gathering in the United States.

Event manager Heather Dow said people speaking at conferences that touch on diversity, inclusion or LGBTQ2S+ issues in particular, are concerned about speaking openly in the U.S.

“What we’re seeing is the comfort in holding a meeting in Canada. There are no barriers like people are facing in the U.S.,” she said.

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Fears over getting detained at the border and the exchange rate are other reasons some believe Canada’s meeting industry stands to benefit from fears caused by the Trump administration.

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