Canada’s reclaimed ‘true north’ voice is the reason amid America’s insanity

From Punchline to Power Player: Canada’s Changing Role

Even the most left-leaning Americans – late night talk show hosts included – have leaned on Canada’s good-natured reputation for decades. Case in point: Seth Meyers once joked in a stand-up special about Americans threatening to move to Canada if Donald Trump won his first presidency – to date Canadian officials are still waiting for the influx of American migrants at the border.

That was then. Now with resources running thinner in the U.S., America is waking up to something many Canadians have known since high-school history class: at some point, America is going to want what we have – our land, our water, our minerals, and as far as we know our people. 

For generations, Canada has played the role of America’s polite, agreeable neighbor. But let’s be real – that dynamic is shifting. 

We’re Good, Actually

As separate countries, the U.S. and Canada have faced their own individual challenges and triumphs. Together, we’ve achieved a great many successes. Since the outbreak of COVID-19– arguably one of the biggest global reckonings since the great wars– both nations have contended with social and political challenges amplified by financial and cultural turmoil. While the U.S. grappled with Geroge Floyd’s murder and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, Canada was reckoning with its own colonial history through the Missing and Murdered indigenous Women Movement (MMIW) and Truth and Reconciliation. 

In 2025 as America has doubled down on ‘America First,’ Canadians aren't just watching. When President Trump floated the idea of revising the so-called ‘invisible-border,’ between our nations, Canada responded with a very different tune – one that, unsurprisingly, hasn’t necessarily made its way into the American discourse. 

TL;DR: Americans may “feel great again,” but Canada has little interest in becoming its 51st state (or for those with a grasp of geography, states 51 through 64). 

Geographic Literacy: More than Just Fun Facts. 

Despite what could be said are well meaning intentions, Americans' seem to lack geographic and cultural awareness about their northern (and southern) neighbors. Indeed, Canada’s presence on the international stage as well as how it presents itself still carries heft. That well-earned and long-standing reputation is now proving to be diplomatically strategic - and something businesses in the U.S. and globally could take a page from.

If you are in the United States and find yourself or your colleagues saying, "It's not all of us"  or “It’s not my problem” – that's not cutting it anymore. Three months into President Donald Trump's second term and the rest of the world expects you – perhaps not your country’s leadership to have a sense of cultural competence. One that you could easily borrow from your neighbor to the North. 

Why? 

The Global Game Demands Cultural Intelligence

While Canada may share a language and some cultural similarities with the U.S., as a refresher, it is a distinct nation with its own policies, priorities, and global standing. If American companies want to stay competitive, they need partners who bring a global perspective and aren’t afraid to offer real counsel. They need advisors who can understand ESG or DEI — even if those frameworks aren’t currently en vogue in the U.S. They especially need partners who have enough gravitas and global cultural awareness to not say things like “let’s have a powwow” or “run this up the totem pole” in a meeting with stakeholders of differing backgrounds – because those terms are, frankly, outdated and disrespectful. 

Diplomacy is a decades-long game, and as the Trump administration has demonstrated, it takes mere moments to obliterate hard-earned credibility. The rhetoric coming out of the U.S. has done real, long-term damage to the American reputation and brand. And just like in the world of startups – if you burn a bridge with a promising company before it comes to market, you’ve lost an opportunity for shared success. 

Canadians in business, politics, and diplomacy aren’t just stepping up to the plate; they’re bringing the long-standing and earned goodwill, alliances, and relationships they’ve built along the way with them.

Canada: It’s Not Just about Maple Syrup Anymore

Canada has long been regarded as the younger sibling to the United States, shaped by shared colonial histories with Spain, England, and France. But like any younger sibling, Canada has grown up, and we’re not done yet. 

Recent rhetoric has been a game changer, uniting the country as only a common enemy can (including the French-language province of Quebec - no small feat) and pushing Canada to look towards its EMEA and APAC neighbors. No longer relying on America’s protection, Canada is stepping up, building new alliances, and perhaps stepping into the global leadership role the U.S. has long held. While America may be trying for their second age, some are starting to wonder if it truly is Canada’s time. 

Who is advising your approach? 

If your team is exclusively U.S.-based, are they really equipped to navigate Canadian, Nordic, European, or South American markets? Do they understand Asian business dynamics – or Canada's growing role and authority in Arctic security and trade? If your perspective stops at the U.S. and U.K. you’re operating with global blindspots that your competitors might already be exploiting. 

For decades, Canada has been an intermediary, a diplomatic force, and a trade ally – not just to the U.S., but to the world. As global relationships realign its worth asking: 

Are you adapting, or are you assuming the world will adapt to the U.S. – and to you? 

Crisis creates opportunity and Canada isn’t just watching from the sidelines – we’re engaged, connected, and shaping what comes next. If your financial services business wants to keep up, you’d be well served to have a communications and marketing team that has at least one Canadian on it if not an entire group.