Canada’s relationship with the United States is one of profound interdependence.
The shadow of the United States looms large over Canada, shaping our identity in ways we’re too proud, or too reluctant, to fully admit. Recent events have reignited debates around our complex yet deeply consequential relationship with our southern neighbor. Conversations about trade, security, and cultural influence have become flashpoints for broader questions about our national identity and our place in the world. As someone who attended graduate school in the United States, loved every moment of the experience, and holds a deep admiration for the country and its people, I’ve always been a bit surprised by how Canadians approach these conversations about the U.S. There’s often a mix of dismissal, quiet superiority, and, at times, outright disdain that seems out of step with the realities of our interdependence. It’s a reaction that has always struck me as both curious and, in some ways, contradictory.
For centuries, we have coexisted in the shadow of the world’s largest economy and, currently, the most powerful military, a superpower whose size, ambition, and cultural dominance permeate nearly every aspect of Canadian life. Yet, for all this connection, Canadians often exhibit a peculiar tendency: a mix of self-congratulation and quiet disdain for our neighbors to the south. It’s a narrative we repeat often, but one that, in my humble opinion, merits deeper reflection.
The irony is hard to miss. We proudly distance ourselves from American excesses – be it their military spending, capitalistic fervor, or social inequalities – while simultaneously relying on their defense umbrella, economic engine, and scientific advances. We chide their healthcare system while turning a blind eye to the struggles in our own. We dismiss their societal issues while quietly adopting policies that lead us to similar challenges. As an example, instead of funding our post-secondary education, we chose to take a business view of education and developed an over-reliance on international students for their dollars. And now, we do not want them when they are already here.
And let’s not forget: many of us would jump at the chance to live or work in the U.S., drawn by the very opportunities we choose to critique.
This is more than a neighborly rivalry or cultural comparison – it’s a reflection of a deeper uncertainty about Canada’s place in the world. For decades, Canada has leaned into a narrative of moral and social superiority, defining itself as the “gentler, more progressive” alternative to the United States. But that narrative falls apart under scrutiny. The bravado we project has no substance when we examine our own shortcomings. Worse, it distracts us from the candid self-assessment we need to clearly define who we truly are.
Consider our dependence on the United States for security. For all our pride in a smaller, less aggressive military, our borders, and by extension, our sovereignty, are protected by the vast resources of the U.S. military-industrial complex. Economically, we are deeply tied to their markets, a fact made painfully clear whenever a policy announcement or tariff threat from Washington sends shockwaves through Canadian industries. The recent suggestion of a 25% tariff tied to border security measures was enough to throw Canadian policymakers into disarray. This wasn’t even a formal policy, just a threat, a soft announcement one may say, yet it highlighted how precarious our position can be.
What underpins this dynamic is not just dependence but a degree of laziness. It’s easier to criticize than to confront our own vulnerabilities. It’s easier to bask in a borrowed sense of moral high ground than to acknowledge the messy complexities of our own reality. We tell ourselves we’re better for not having the societal violence of the U.S., but we ignore the systemic inequities and growing tensions within our own borders. We distance ourselves from the unbridled capitalism of Wall Street, yet we structure our economy around similar principles of growth and profit, often at the expense of the very values we claim to hold dear.
The United States, for all its flaws, operates at a scale that magnifies both its strengths and its problems. Gun violence, racial tensions, healthcare inequities – these are amplified by a population more than ten times our own and a system designed around competition and individualism. But with that scale also comes innovation, resilience, and an ambition that few countries can match. From groundbreaking scientific research to social innovations that define eras, the U.S. demonstrates what can be achieved when a nation embraces its complexity rather than retreating from it.
Canada could learn from this. Not by adopting the American model wholesale, but by developing a more nuanced, humanized understanding of our relationship with our southern neighbor. Rather than defining ourselves in opposition to the U.S., we need to focus on defining ourselves in relation to the world.
What is Canada’s role in the 21st century? How do we leverage our strengths – our diversity, natural resources, and relative stability – while addressing our weaknesses?
The answer lies in honest reflection. It’s time to shed the false bravado and confront the realities of our interdependence. We need a narrative that acknowledges the support we’ve received from the United States, the challenges we’ve faced because of it, and the opportunities it continues to present. It’s not a simple story, but it’s a necessary one.
Perhaps the ultimate irony is this: While we quietly judge Americans for their perceived arrogance, I believe, we allow our own narratives to create a subtler, but no less harmful, form of hubris. If we teach ourselves to feel good by denigrating the neighbor next door, what does that say about us?
By comparing ourselves to others instead of focusing on our own growth, we risk stunting our own potential by fixating on the shortcomings, or successes, of someone else.
Canada’s future will not be determined by how we measure up to the United States, but by how we choose to define ourselves. Let’s leave behind the bravado that lacks substance and embrace the complexity, humility, and ambition required to step out of the shadow and into our own.
It’s a harder path, but it’s the only one that leads to true maturity as a nation.
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