As Canada and the world adjust to the second American presidency of Donald J. Trump, including his tariff-based trade war, Policy has been posting regular insight pieces from members of the Expert Group on Canada-US Relations, sharing their individual perspectives and expertise. The Expert Group is a foreign policy initiative jointly sponsored by: Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs; The School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary; and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

With many thanks to Expert Group co-chairs and Policy contributors Hon. Perrin Beatty and Fen Osler Hampson, welcome to our Policy Special Series: The Expert Group on Canada-US Relations on Navigating Trump II:

First, the Expert Group’s widely cited January 1, 2025 call to action, A Canada-First Response to Donald Trump. “Our country faces the most serious threat to its sovereignty and economic prosperity since the Second World War,” the statement warns. “Canada needs to take the initiative and generate bold ideas that will benefit both countries’ economic security and prosperity.”

Expert Group Series Pieces: 

With all the wisdom and perspective of Canada’s chief negotiator on the original NAFTA, former WTO Ambassador John M. Weekes provided us with a first-person primer and reality check on the state and fate of the CUSMA, two months ahead of a July 1st deadline for a joint review. “Canada has already made a deal with Trump to provide duty-free treatment to almost all trade. It’s called the CUSMA,” writes Weekes. “So, does it really make sense to enter a new deal with less favourable terms of access than the CUSMA, in the hope that this time Trump might keep his word?” Here’s John M. Weekes from May 2nd with Thoughts on the CUSMA Review and Negotiating with Trump.

While the July 1st 2026 deadline for the parties to weigh in on the future of CUSMA has been imbued with a fateful, do-or-die quality, Chief Trade Negotiator Janice Charette, among others, was defining it by April as less stark — a “checkpoint, not a cliff”. On April 27th, Expert Group member Colin Robertson took the pulse between the launch of Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East and the negotiations on the future of Canada’s existing, violated continental trade agreement. “Washington has shifted toward sector-by-sector bargaining and tariff leverage. Canada remains committed to rules-based integration,” writes Robertson. “That is the real rupture. Not dairy. Not digital taxes. But whether trade is governed by rules at all.” Here’s Colin Robertson with CUSMA and the New Canadian Statecraft.

On February 28th, Donald Trump launched a joint U.S.-Israel military operation against Iran that produced: the assassination of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and replacement by his son, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei; the escalation of the strikes into a regional war, with Iran striking Gulf State targets and Israel attacking Lebanon; Iran’s blocking of shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz; and havoc in the price of oil. Fen Osler Hampson found a possible silver lining for Canada in the chaos. “The third Gulf war is a disaster of historic proportions,” writes Hampson, “but also a singular opportunity to drive home the reality that, in a world of violent conflict and closed straits, a reliable, resource-rich neighbour is worth a lot more than any tariff revenue.” Here’s Fen Osler Hampson on March 9th with Carney’s New CUSMA Cards: Trump’s Gulf War and the Ghost of Jimmy Carter.

As the world heads into the second year of the second Trump presidency, Canada continues to adapt economically, politically, and diplomatically to a new and starkly unfamiliar bilateral relations context. On February 15th, former longtime Globe and Mail writer Drew Fagan, now a professor at the University of Toronto and a visiting professor at Yale, filed his second major piece on the state of the Canada-US relationship, this one tracing the backstory of Canada-US upheaval. “Dean Acheson, who served as U.S. secretary of state during the Truman administration, once said of Canada-U.S. relations,” writes Fagan: ‘Americans assume Canada to be bestowed as a right and accept this bounty, as they do air, without thought or appreciation.'” The rest is all here, in The Big Split: How Canada and the United States Pulled Together, Then Apart.

On February 9th, Donald Trump threatened to prevent the opening of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit. Expert Group Co-Chair Fen Osler Hampson heard in that outburst echoes of historical dynamics between declining imperial powers and their friends, neighbours and dependencies. “Historically, great powers experiencing decline have gone from being the ‘benevolent’ provider of public goods to their alliance partners in the form of security guarantees and trade on preferential terms,” writes Hampson, “to a much more extractive and punitive set of relationships.” Here’s Fen Hampson with Donald Trump’s Bridge Fixation and the Wages of Imperial Decline.

Between the impact of climate change on Arctic navigability and the impact of Donald Trump on the realm of possibility, the sovereignty and security of Canada’s Arctic has become a trending geopolitical topic. While Trump, as of the end of January 2026, has ceased and desisted his immediate threats against Greenland, concerns remain that he may have similar designs of Canada’s Arctic territory, including the long-contested Northwest Passage. “The U.S. has criticized us before, often justifiably, for talking a good game in the Arctic but not following through,” write Vincent Rigby and Lawrence Herman on January 29th. “We can no longer afford to proceed at a leisurely pace.” Here are Vincent Rigby and Lawrence Herman with The Arctic Appetites of Donald Trump: Could Canada be Next?

Amid a Trumpian misinformation effort against Canada’s new tariff adjustments with China, Expert Group member and international trade lawyer Lawrence Herman filed a clarifying brief on the new rules for Chinese EV imports and what they mean for Canadian automakers. “For the record,” writes Herman, “nothing in this deal on Chinese EVs contravenes any agreement we have with the Americans.” Here’s Lawrence Herman on January 29th with Chinese EVs and Canadian Trade Remedies.

Former longtime Globe and Mail writer Drew Fagan, now a professor at the University of Toronto and a visiting professor at Yale, offers an exploration of Canada’s history as an American annexation target via the legendary John Lewis Gaddis On Grand Strategy course at Yale. “As for Canada’s present predicament, the study of grand strategy offers no easy solutions,” writes Fagan. Here’s Drew Fagan with On Grand Strategy, Peak Annexation and Trump’s Bilateral Disorder.

As Prime Minister Mark Carney headed to China for the first official visit by a Canadian prime minister in nearly a decade, Fen Osler Hampson filed a pre-emptive primer on the trade files, from canola to EVs, and the rapidly evolving geopolitical context. “The more Canada is perceived as a U.S. vassal in trade policy, the harder it becomes to maintain and negotiate meaningful trade agreements with anyone else.” In our first piece of 2026, here’s Fen Hampson on January 11th, with The Trade Minefield of Carney’s China Visit.

So much of trade negotiations is about leverage, expectations, and real and stated bottom lines. Since before his second inauguration, Donald Trump has manipulated all three variables — notably with the use of arbitrary, unjustified tariffs — to position his administration ahead of the looming CUSMA review. Former career diplomat and Expert Group member Colin Robertson writes on December 27th that Canada should be willing to walk away. “Preparing for a post-CUSMA scenario,” writes Robertson, “requires a structured, federal–provincial approach involving premiers, business leaders, and organized labour.” Here’s Colin Robertson with Canada Must be Ready for a Post-CUSMA Economy.

With Canada’s trade focus shifting in the new year to the renewal of the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), Policy columnist and Expert Group member Fen Osler Hampson has some expert advice for the country’s new ambassador to the United States, Mark Wiseman. “As we approach 2026 and Donald Trump’s second year of second-term trade belligerence, one thing is clear,” writes Hampson. “Canada cannot afford to drift into the looming USMCA (CUSMA) renewal talks as a supplicant.” Here’s Fen Hampson with Mark Wiseman’s Wisest Opening Gambit: Call Trump’s CUSMA Bluff.

As one of the key postwar multilateral institutions anchoring the rules-based international order, the World Trade Organization has been a target of competitive systemic degradation since China’s accession in 2001. As international trade lawyer and Expert Group member Lawrence Herman writes in his December 24th piece, that assault is now being assisted by Donald Trump’s renewed targeting of the WTO. “These factors have, predictably, had a damaging impact on the institution itself and on the rules-based trading order in general,” writes Herman. Here’s Lawrence Herman with How the WTO can Survive the US-China Challenge.

After the most tumultuous year in Canada’s relationship with the United States since 1812 and the most destructive year in bilateral trade, ever, NAFTA Chief Negotiator John M. Weekes looks ahead to 2026. “In my view,” writes Weekes, “the Carney government should focus on two key strategic considerations as the bedrock of Canada’s approach to dealing with Trump in 2026.” Here’s John Weekes with Bracing for Year Two of Trump’s Trade War. 

As the bilateral trade focus shifts away from the volatility of Trump’s tariff pummelling and toward the status of CUSMA with its 2026 review and possible renegotiation looming, Fen Osler Hampson advises a big-picture, long-game approach. “If Trump’s narrative were true,” writes Hampson, “we would not see such an overwhelming majority of American cheerleaders—from the energy sector to agriculture—urging the administration not to go rogue on an agreement that has generally been to everyone’s benefit.” Here’s Fen Hampson from December 4th, with Our Best CUSMA Strategy: Canadian Cool.

The Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL) is an international organization in Geneva that provides legal advice and support to least-developed and developing countries so they can participate effectively in the rules-based system of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Former WTO Ambassador John Weekes, who served on the ACWL management board for 20 years, argues that re-funding the ACWL would be one way for Ottawa to renew its commitment to the WTO. Here’s John Weekes on December 4th with A Simple Plan for Shoring Up the WTO.

As the first year of Donald Trump’s tariff war segues into the process leading up to the July 1st, 2026 CUSMA review deadline, international trade expert Lawrence Herman examines the global context of Trump’s tactics, including the recent trend toward smaller trade deals and its geopolitical implications. “Even before the assaults on the global trading order by Donald Trump,” writes Herman, “there had been a notable shift in international trade as governments pursued narrower, often less politically contentious trade deals covering specific fields, such as pharmaceuticals, cybertechnology, critical minerals, defence and security.” Here’s Lawrence Herman with Go Small or Go Home? Trump, CUSMA, and the Evolution of Megadeals.

Amid the latest unhingeing of the Canada-US ad-hoc trade negotiations prompted by Donald Trump’s tariff war — derailed this time by Trump’s belated outrage over the Ontario government’s  Ronald Reagan ad — Expert Group co-chair Fen Osler Hampson filed an October 24th analysis to The Globe and Mail (reposted with permission by Policy) of where Canada’s leverage might be. “Mr. Trump’s approach to negotiations has never been about mutual benefit,” writes Hampson. “It is rooted in coercion and dominance: define the field, set the terms, then punish those who resist.” Here’s Fen Hampson with Where is Canada’s Leverage in Trade Talks with Trump?

On October 7th, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney participated in the second iteration in his early tenure of that ultimate Canada-US relations ritual; the White House bilateral, complete with Oval Office pool spray. In this case, the dominant theme was Canada’s effort to remedy the economic damage from Donald Trump’s tariff war, and while Carney did not leave Washington with the ad-hoc, extra-conventional tariff deal this process has generated elsewhere, he did make a crucial point about the size of Canada’s foreign direct investment, per our takeaways piece from Expert Group Co-Chairs Perrin Beatty and Fen Osler Hampson: “Whatever other leverage Carney brought to Washington this week, he articulated economic intelligence about a major cost to America of this trade war.” Here are Perrin Beatty and Fen Hampson with Central Banking vs. Central Casting: The Latest Carney-Trump Bilat.

As the consultation processes ahead of the July 1, 2026 CUSMA review deadline get underway, former chief NAFTA negotiator John Weekes looks at the current state of play of Donald Trump’s extra-conventional tariff triangulation, what factors are informing the consultation and review process, and what Canada can do to pre-empt and mitigate further chaos. “While the challenges may appear daunting,” Weekes writes, “the government should use the coming year to build the groundwork for Canada’s future prosperity and security.” Here’s John Weekes with Setting the Stage for the CUSMA Review.

In the wake of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to Mexico September 18-19, Director of International Policy for the University of Calgarys’ School of Public Policy Carlo Dade filed a must-read take on the diplomatic dog that didn’t bark. “The lack of the simplest or blandest statements about recognizing the importance of shared challenges with China was telling,” Dade writes of Carney’s bilat with President Claudia Sheinbaum. “That absence cannot last. The role of China in North America looms too large to be ignored.” Here’s Carlo Dade with Why China was the Dragon in La Sala in Mexico City.

From Expert Group member Lawrence L. Herman, as the US Supreme Court weighs the legality of Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, there are a number of possible ways in which the administration could respond in the event of a surprise negative ruling from a Trump-tilted SCOTUS. “The reality is that Canada should be prepared for the fact that there are always alternate tariff routes for Trump if the Supreme Court decides against him,” writes Herman. Here’s Lawrence Herman with Beyond a SCOTUS Tariff Bombshell: How Trump — and Canada — Could Double Down.

As the August 1st deadline for a bilateral trade deal loomed and expectations were being pre-calibrated on both sides, Fen Hampson, Tim Sargent and John Weekes filed a worst-case scenario piece gaming out the cycle of retaliation that could unfold. “Should the US respond to Canada’s stance by boycotting its agricultural exports or imposing punitive tariffs, the resulting economic impact would be severe,” write the authors. Here are Hampson, Sargent and Weekes with Thinking the Unthinkable in Trump’s Trade War.

From Expert Group Co-Chair Fen Osler Hampson on July 15th, a look at how accelerated economic development — including via infrastructure investment — of Canada’s North is a strategic imperative. “Notwithstanding current sensitivities about Russia’s appalling and unjustified aggression against Ukraine,” writes Osler Hampson, “there are useful historical parallels between the vulnerabilities Canada now faces on its southern borders and in its exposed North and the threats Russia once faced from hostile neighbours in earlier times.” Here’s Fen Hampson with The North is Canada’s Secret Weapon Against Donald Trump.

Following Donald Trump’s threat of 35% tariffs on all non-CUSMA goods, issued on July 10th, Expert Group Co-Chair Fen Osler Hampson filed a piece presenting some excellent free advice for Canada’s trade negotiators. “Above all, Canada should resist the urge to jump first,” writes Osler Hampson. “Instead, by waiting to see the general and sector-specific rates others get, Canada can negotiate for tariffs that are lower than those imposed on its competitors.” Here’s Fen Osler Hampson with Canada’s Last-Mover Advantage in Trump’s Tariff War.

Within hours of Donald Trump’s suspension of bilateral trade negotiations with Canada on June 27, Expert Group on Canada-US Relations co-chairs and Policy contributors Perrin Beatty and Fen Osler Hampson filed a piece critical of the Carney government’s handling of the digital services tax that prompted Trump’s ultimatum. “The decision to start collecting the Digital Services Tax (DST) while we were engaged in delicate trade and security talks with the United States,” Beatty and Osler wrote, “has put us on the defensive and handed President Trump a convenient stick to beat us with.” Evidently, someone agreed and the DST was scrapped 48 hours later. Here are Perrin Beatty and Fen Osler Hampson with The Digital Services Tax Standoff: An Own Goal We Could Do Without.

On the practical question of how Canadian trade law should be updated for a wholly unforeseeable change in the bilateral status quo, Lawrence Herman writes that “There is concern that the existing system may be too slow, too cumbersome, and too expensive for the Canadian companies that need to use it.” With a prescription for what can be done, here’s Lawrence Herman with Updating Canada’s Trade Remedies to Better Equip Canadian Companies.

From Colin Robertson, a major post-Trudeau, post-2025 election bilateral relations piece adapted from a submission to the Association for Canadian Studies special edition of Canadian Issues/Thèmes Canadiens on the evolving state of Canada-U.S. relations. “Trump’s words and tariffs have unified Canadians as never before,” writes Robertson. “For now, unfortunately, the implicit trust in the Churchillian belief that the US will do the right thing after all the other possibilities have been exhausted is broken.” Here’s Colin Robertson from May 14 with Good fences: Managing the Bilateral Re-Set.

Following the May 6th Carney-Trump White House bilateral, international trade lawyer and former trade diplomat Lawrence Herman helpfully provides a road map to the four major “packages” that will define bilateral negotiations moving forward: Trump’s tariffs; a possible bilateral economic security deal; the process of review and future of CUSMA; and, Canada-US arrangements on other items such as critical minerals. Here’s Lawrence Herman with Mark Carney has Retuned the Bilateral Music. Now What?

From Expert Group co-chair and former Candian Chamber of Commerce President Perrin Peatty in the wake of Canada’s election outcome and ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first bilateral with President Donald Trump on May 6th, an excellent political précis. “Having been visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future in the form of Mr. Trump, Canada has the good fortune of being able to assess whether that’s what we want for ourselves,” writes Beatty. “Most Canadians would like something better. That something better starts with our willingness to work together.” From May 2nd, here’s Perrin Beatty with Donald Trump, Great Canadian Unifier.

From CGAI fellow, former career diplomat, Global Exchange podcast host and longtime Policy contributor Colin Robertson, a must-read take on the bilateral blast radius of Donald Trump’s trade war, and how Canadians and Americans have a mutual interest in fighting the Trump tariffs. “This time,” writes Robertson, “Trump has launched a trade war that poses the same economic danger to citizens of both countries.” Here’s Colin Robertson with Canada’s Trade War Arsenal Should Include a Team America.

From NAFTA Chief Negotiator John Weekes on March 5, the day after the Trump Tariffs, some recommendations on how Canada can move forward now that Trump’s three-month tariff phoney war has given way to a real trade war. “Now, many Americans are finally going to begin speaking out about how that trade war is harming their interests,” writes Weekes. “So, ironically, the fact that tariffs are now in force may actually hasten the day when we will be able to restore some normalcy to our bilateral trade relationship.” here’s John M. Weekes with From Phoney War to Trade War: Canada’s Next Steps.

From former diplomat Bernard Etzinger on March 5, a look to the 1991 Allaire Report for guidance on how the provinces can be strengthened in the face of external threats to Canada’s economic sovereignty. “Jean Allaire saw something many in Canada did not,” writes Etzinger. “He saw that a centralized Canada, with Ottawa trying to micromanage everything, was a Canada vulnerable to political shocks.” Here’s Bernard Etzinger with A Decentralized Vision for Canada’s Survival.

From Expert Group co-chair Perrin Beatty, published on March 4, the day the Trump Tariffs became a reality, a piece about the dangers posed by underestimating Donald Trump. “During Donald Trump’s first term, The New Yorker published an iconic cartoon that showed a flock of sheep grazing on a hill alongside a billboard of a wolf who is campaigning for office. The wolf’s election slogan is ‘I am going to eat you,’ leading one sheep to comment, ‘He tells it like it is’,” writes Beatty. “There’s a lesson for us here. When Donald Trump says he wants to impose massive tariffs on us or absorb our country, we should believe him.” Here’s Perrin Beatty with Donald Trump’s Tariffs are a Goal, Not Just a Tool.

Business Council of Canada founding CEO Thomas d’Aquino‘s latest piece in our series, posted February 13, addresses the moving target of Trump’s tariffs with a comprehensive approach to strengthening Canada’s hand. “President Donald Trump has declared economic war on Canada,” writes d’Aquino. “Our top priority now? Let’s get on with the job!” Here’s Tom d’Aquino with A Canadian Business Strategy for Winning Trump’s Tariff War.

One of the many big-picture sidebars to the Trump tariff crisis is how its arbitrary unilateralism impacts the longstanding multilateral trading norms of the World Trade Organization and how Canada might use the WTO to effectively fight back. Former WTO Ambassador John Weekes reflects on the organization’s role in fostering free trade agreements provided they contribute to the general liberalization of trade without imposing new barriers. “This goal was more than pragmatic,” writes Weekes, “it was an agreed-upon value of postwar multilateralism, based on the belief that countries who trade with each other have a greater investment in peaceful relations.” Here’s John Weekes with Trump, Tariffs, and the WTO.

On February 3rd, Donald Trump agreed to a one-month pause on his threatened 25% tariffs against Canadian imports. Former Deputy Minister of Trade Tim Sargent, now Director of Domestic Policy and Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and Expert Group Co-Chair Fen Hampson, examine the truths behind the rationale for the tariffs. “The iron laws of economics and US politics will eventually defeat Trump’s use of tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China,” write Sargent and Hampson. “But it will take time.” Here are Tim Sargent and Fen Hampson with We Have a Tariff Reprieve. Let’s Use it to Firmly Establish the Facts.

From February 1st, deadline day for the Trump tariffs that were paused 48 hours later, career diplomat and Policy contributor Colin Robertson with an invaluable look at the unprecedented nature of Trump’s actions, and the implications for the Canada-US bilateral relationship within a tumultuous global context. “No previous president of the United States,” writes Robertson, “has ever weaponized bilateral trade in violation of all norms, rules and conventions without any consistent, plausible justification.” Here’s Colin Robertson with The Antagonist Next Door: Trump’s Tariffs and Our New Bilateral Reality. 

From Colin Robertson on January 27, on how the premiers have been responding to Trump while political leadership at the federal level is in flux. “Answering existential questions such as ‘How best do we defend our sovereignty?’ and ‘How do we diversify our trade?’”, writes Robertson, “should be core considerations in the Liberal leadership campaign and for all parties in the coming election.” Here’s Colin Robertson with Trump 2.0, Week 2: Premiers Matter, Diversify or Die, and Liberalization Begins at Home. 

From NAFTA negotiator and Policy contributor John Weekes, an overview of the unprecedented elements at play in Trump’s latest weaponization of tariffs, and what can be done to minimize its consequences. “Canada needs to look urgently at other ways of strengthening Canadian economic prospects,” writes Weekes, “to restore confidence in Canada, and to rekindle investment.” Here’s John Weekes with his recommendations: Charting Canada’s Economic Course in the Face of Trump’s Threats.

From Expert Group Chairs Perrin Beatty, former President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and Fen Osler Hampson, Chancellor’s Professor and Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University, a look at the principles by which Canada’s response to Donald Trump’s tariff threat should be governed. “The first principle is to ‘do no harm’ to Canadian producers by compounding the pain with export duties and embargoes,” they write. “Let American consumers of our exports howl, as they surely will, when they see what Trump is doing to their pocketbooks.” Here are Perrin Beatty and Fen Hampson with The Opportunity for Canada in Trump’s Tariff Crisis.

Longtime Policy contributor, Business Council of Canada founding president and Expert Group member Thomas d’Aquino brings his decades-long immersion in the deeply enmeshed business community on both sides of the border to Canada’s Carpe Diem Moment. “I believe Canadians owe Trump a vote of thanks,” writes d’Aquino. “For far too long, Canada, with our massive geography and rich natural endowments, has wallowed in complacency.”

Expert Group Reports:

While the Canada-China bilateral relationship was fraught with trade and diplomatic tensions before Donald Trump’s second presidency, the shifting trade reality and geopolitical landscape have further complicated Ottawa’s dynamic with Beijing. In their August 25th report, Between the Eagle and the Dragon: Managing Canada-China Relations in a Shifting Geopolitical Reality, the Expert Group argues that the status quo needs to be replaced with “a new strategy marked by realism, maturity, and an unapologetic focus on Canada’s national interest.” Here’s our Policy summary piece, Managing Canada-China Relations in a Shifting Geopolitical Reality, from authors Perrin Beatty, Fen Osler Hampson, Thomas d’Aquino, Heather Exner-Pirot, Martha Hall-Findlay, Jonathan Fried, Lawrence Herman, Meredith Lilly, Admiral (ret’d) Mark Norman, Vincent Rigby, Colin Robertson, Tim Sargent, John M. Weekes.

As Prime Minister Mark Carney prepared to join Canada’s premiers at the annual Council of the Federation meeting in Huntsville, Ont. the week of July 21st, the Expert Group published the report, Canada’s Energy Future: Moving Ahead in One Canadian Economy, a comprehensive look at the newly expanded possibilities for Canada’s energy sector with the adoption of the One Canadian Economy Act. “At a time when Canada faces persistent economic headwinds,” write the authors in our Policy summary piece, “Bill C-5 represents a bold and necessary step to secure the nation’s economic future and reduce our economic dependence on the United States.” Here are Expert Group members Perrin Beatty, Thomas d’Aquino, Heather Exner-Pirot, Fen Osler Hampson, Lawrence Herman and Tim Sargent with Canada’s Energy Future Should Top the Nation-Building Agenda.

The Expert Group’s July 9th, 2025 report The Canada-EU Security and Defence Partnership: Opportunity, Risks, and Uncertainties, estimates the potential economic gains from the Canada-EU agreement signed in Brussels June 23rd and offering a comprehensive risk analysis in the face of various fiscal, political and implementation obstacles on both sides of the Atlantic. And, from the report’s authors, Perrin Beatty, Mark Norman, Vincent Rigby and Tim Sargent, we have the excellent Policy summary piece by the same name, The Canada-EU Security and Defence Partnership: Opportunity, Risks, and Uncertainties.

The Expert Group’s April 1st, 2025 report on the state of bilateral relations, Broken Trust: Managing an Unreliable Ally, explored a dynamic transformed by Donald Trump’s second presidency. “The administration’s resort to coercion, rather than persuasion and soft power, inverts its relationship with other countries, particularly those that rely on it most,” write the authors. “It transforms the United States from the guarantor of stability and the rule of law into a threat to be mitigated. It forces other countries to reexamine the assumptions on which their policies are based.

Members of the Expert Group on Canada-US Relations: 

Thomas d’Aquino is the founding CEO of the Business Council of Canada and Chair of Thomas d’Aquino Capital. He is also the Chair Emeritus of the North American Forum. He has been a Director of Calgary-based Coril Holdings Ltd. and the Lead Director of Canada’s largest technology provider company, Montreal-based CGI Group Inc. He has also served as a director of Manulife Financial Corporation, and his involvement in the financial services sector has included experience on the advisory boards of investment banks Schroders and Lazard.

Carlo Dade is the Director of International Policy for the Univeristy of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. He served as founder and director of the Trade Infrastructure Policy Research Centre at Canada West Foundation. He is among the country’s leading voices defending and advancing Western Canadian trade interests in Canada and abroad.

Laura Dawson is the Executive Director of the Future Borders Coalition and the former North America Lead at the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Institute. She is also a former Director of the Wilson Centre’s Canada Institute.

Martha Hall Findlay is the Director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. Previously, she was the Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Climate Officer for Suncor Energy, and before that was President and CEO of the Canada West Foundation and a former Member of Parliament.

Jonathan Fried is a senior adviser with the Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington, D.C., and adviser to Independent Economics Consulting in London, United Kingdom. Before he retired from the government of Canada, he was coordinator for international economic relations and concurrently the personal representative of Prime Minister Trudeau for the G20 from 2017 to 2020.

Lawrence L. Herman is an international trade lawyer with Cassidy Levy Kent LLP (Ottawa & Washington) and Herman & Associates (Toronto). He was previously a member of Canada’s mission to the UN and the GATT and has advocated cases before the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT), NAFTA panels, and Canadian courts.

Gary Mar is President and CEO of the Canada West Foundation and the former President and CEO of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC). He has broad experience in government, having served as a member of the Legislative Assembly in the Province of Alberta from 1993 to 2007, and he has held several senior cabinet portfolios.

Mark Norman is Senior Defence Strategist at Samuel Associates and a former Vice Admiral (VADM) and Vice-Chief of Defence, the second-highest appointment in the Canadian Armed Forces.

Louise Blais has served as Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations and as consul general in Atlanta — covering a region representing over $50 billion in commercial trade with Canada. She is now diplomat in residence at l’Université Laval and an advisor to the Business Council of Canada.

Vincent Rigby is the Slater Family Professor of Practice and formerly the McConnell Visiting Professor for 2022-2023. He recently retired from Canada’s Public Service after 30 years in senior posts in various departments and agencies across government, including the Privy Council Office, Global Affairs Canada, Public Safety, the Department of National Defence and the former Canadian International Development Agency.

Colin Robertson is a former Canadian diplomat, and Vice President and Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and hosts its regular Global Exchange podcast. He is an Executive Fellow at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, and a Department of National Defence’s Advisory Board member.

John Weekes is an international trade policy adviser, experienced in trade agreements, and the settlement of trade disputes. From 1991 to 1994, he served as Canada’s chief negotiator for NAFTA. He was ambassador to the GATT during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, chair of the GATT Council in 1989 and chair of the Contracting Parties to GATT in 1990.

Drew Fagan is a professor at the University of Toronto and a visiting professor at Yale University, where he is teaching a graduate degree course at the Jackson School on policy making in Canada and the United States.

The work of the Expert Group on Canada-US Relations is supported by: The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University; The School of Public Policy at the University of Clagary; and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. It is featured in our Policy Series: The Expert Group on Canada-US Relations on Navigating Trump II. All images via Shutterstock.