Relationship dossier
Canada
United States
Relationship assessment
Deep cooperation in trade and defence, alongside recurring trade and policy disputes.
Canada toward United States
+45Canada participates with the United States in NORAD and Five Eyes and maintains extensive trade cooperation under the USMCA. Canadian governments have also pursued bilateral border and security cooperation, while disputing U.S. tariffs and other trade measures, including on softwood lumber.
United States toward Canada
+45The United States participates with Canada in NORAD and Five Eyes and maintains extensive trade cooperation under the USMCA. U.S. governments have cooperated on continental defence and border security while imposing or maintaining trade measures that have prompted Canadian objections, including in recurring softwood lumber disputes.
Overall relationship
+50The bilateral relationship is anchored in longstanding defence and intelligence cooperation and highly integrated trade, reinforced by the USMCA and joint continental defence arrangements. Recurring trade disputes and periodic differences over energy, tariffs and border policy create friction but have not displaced the broader institutional partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Canada and the United States sustain unusually deep cooperation in trade, continental defence, border management and intelligence, including through the USMCA, NORAD and Five Eyes. Their governments also face recurring disputes over trade measures, including softwood lumber and tariffs, and periodically disagree on energy and border policy. The relationship remains closely integrated despite these frictions.
Areas of tension
- Recurring U.S. duties and Canadian objections in the softwood lumber dispute.
- Trade disputes involving tariffs and market access under North American trade arrangements.
- Periodic differences over energy policy and cross-border infrastructure.
- Disagreements over border, migration and security measures.
Key developments
Canada and the United States signed the NORAD agreement establishing their joint continental air-defence arrangement.
The Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement was signed, providing a foundation for expanded bilateral trade commitments.
The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement entered into force, replacing NAFTA and governing trilateral trade.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of recent bilateral trade and border commitments may change with government policy.
- The long-term resolution of recurring softwood lumber and other trade disputes remains uncertain.