The state of Canada’s relations with U.S. on 250th birthday

With the United States recently celebrating its 250th birthday, its relationship with Canada has soured in recent years, and its reliability is down in the eyes of Canadians, according to a new poll.

This has been especially the case since U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, though it remains one of Canada’s top allies. The celebration also comes as the U.S. is facing deep internal divisions.

A Pew Research poll shows that only 35 percent of Canadians view the U.S. as a reliable partner — down from over 80 per cent back in 2022.

The poll also found only 33 per cent of Canadians viewed the United States favourably — a drop from 34 per cent in 2025 and a steep decline from the 54 per cent recorded when that question was asked in 2024.

“Their policies towards us are aggressive, and I think they are confrontational. And I think that under the current leadership in the U.S., there’s chaos,” said Calgarian Judy Gray.

“The tariffs really affected our market and shopping for groceries, as you can imagine, crazy prices,” Camila Bayardo, also a Calgarian, told CityNews.

“If we were to look at the brands that are available in most grocery stores, a lot of them are U.S. brands. So we kind of have to have that working relationship if we want to be able to afford things and buy products.”

Andy Knight, a professor of international relations from the University of Alberta, says the U.S.’s importance as a hegemonic power is diminishing.

“I think the U.S. is still one of our closest allies, but obviously, there’s a problem. The problem is it’s not a trustworthy ally anymore. It’s not as reliable an ally as it was in the past. And this is causing a problem for Canada,” he said.

Although the trade relationship is crucial for both countries, with Canada being the second-largest trading partner for the United States, the Trump administration has decided not to renew the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

The Canadian government says significant uncertainty remains on the next steps in trade negotiations, with Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc saying he asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer how he intended to structure discussions as part of the annual review.

Canada and Mexico had hoped the agreement, in its current form, would remain in place for another 16 years. Instead, Washington wants changes, saying the current version has run its course.

Knight recalls an analogy describing the challenges Canada has had with the U.S.

“I remember Lloyd Axworthy when he was foreign minister; he used to talk about the relationship with the United States for Canada was like making love to a porcupine. It’s difficult, it could happen, but it’s very difficult,” Knight said. “And I think that difficulty has actually raised its head even more so under the Trump administration.”

Canadians celebrated the country’s 159th birthday this past week. As the Canadian identity and our place in the world get stronger, Knight says we need to help shape and adapt to a new world order.

“So we cannot panic. We have to remember that geography is permanent. But the question that Canada has is: will the United States remain a solid, reliable partner? And if it’s not, then we’ll have to diversify our relationships with other countries,” he said.

With files from The Canadian Press