The relationship between Canada and the United States has never been more complicated. Tariff threats, annexation rhetoric, and a dramatic shift in tone from Washington have left Canadian business leaders in unfamiliar territory. The rules that governed cross-border trade, investment, and partnership for decades suddenly feel negotiable. And when your largest trading partner starts to feel unpredictable, the ripple effects are felt everywhere.
Having served as the US Ambassador to Canada from 2021-2025, David L. Cohen has a unique perspective on the Canada-US relationship. As both a keynote speaker and a frequent media commentator, he brings rare clarity to a relationship that has never been more scrutinized — examining its historical foundations, its strategic importance to both countries, and the fault lines that are increasingly difficult to ignore.
We sat down with David for our ongoing Ask the Expert series to ask the question on every Canadian business leader’s mind today — is the Canada-US relationship broken, and what does it take to fix it? Here’s what he had to say.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Where does the Canada-US relationship stand?
The question of the Canada-US relationship is obviously one that I reflect on a great deal and one I’m asked about a great deal. I think it’s important to distinguish who you’re talking about when you say Canada-US relations, both on the Canadian and US side.
Taking Stock of the Relationship
For regular US citizens, there continues to be a strong feeling of affection and connectedness to Canada. Extremely positive feelings, neighbourly, almost family-like. With business leaders there continues to be a very strong connection. It’s among Canadian government officials where there is clearly a developing degree of uncomfortable suspicion and discomfort with what is going on south of the border. That is primarily because of the actions and the attitude of the president of the United States and members of his administration toward Canada, which is clearly less friendly and more confrontational than the relationship was with President Biden, President Obama, President Clinton, President Bush, and President Reagan. This is not a Republican or a Democratic thing. This is just the distinction of who the president is at any one point in time.
Canada Has More Friends Than It Thinks
One of the things that I say to Canadians is to remember that the Canada-US relationship goes far beyond and is much deeper than the United States president’s relationship with Canada. That’s one of the reasons why the relationship is so strong because it is a relationship populated by governors, members of Congress, business leaders, civic leaders, union leaders, think tank leaders, and ordinary citizens. And when you assess the way they feel towards Canada, there continues to be very strong positive feelings. So I don’t think, as Canadians, you should be overly reactive to the verbiage and the actions that the president takes. I’m not, by the way, attacking those actions. He’s the duly elected president of the United States and has the right to implement his vision as Canada has the right to react to that. But in reacting to it, I always encourage Canadians to remember how many friends they have in the United States outside of the White House.
Rebuilding Canada-US Relations
While I was the US Ambassador to Canada, I had between three and four years of experience trying to implement a vision that was important to me and President Biden, who I was representing in Canada. It was to convince Canada of its importance to the United States, the value we placed on our allyship and friendship with Canada in terms of presenting a North American front in trade, technology, defense, and intelligence. Those were the basic pillars of our relationship.
I saw the polling numbers move over the four years that Joe Biden was president in terms of Canadian perceptions of the importance of the US relationship. Those numbers were at an all-time high towards the end of President Obama’s presidency and dropped precipitously towards the end of Donald Trump’s first presidency. When Joe Biden came in, we consciously wanted to rebuild that relationship. We got those numbers up into the low 50s, so not quite as high as when President Obama was president. They are now back sub-10. So the polling I think accurately reflects people’s perceptions, their anecdotal feelings about the relationship with the United States.
The way you rebuild it is by being respectful, emphasizing how important the relationship is and making Canadians feel like they are a part of a mutual North American defense and offensive pact in working together to advance North American trade.
Book Amb. David L. Cohen for Your Next Event
With extensive experience across business, law, government, and international relations, Ambassador David L. Cohen delivers compelling perspectives on Canada-US relations, leadership excellence, political dynamics, and diversity initiatives that help leaders navigate complex challenges and seize opportunities in our rapidly evolving global landscape.
If your audience is looking for guidance on navigating uncertainty south of the border, David delivers the insight and clarity they need. Contact us to learn more.
