Michael J. Fox laments Canada-U.S. trade war, says people-to-people ties still strong

OTTAWA — Michael J. Fox says the state of the Canada-U.S. relationship is “sad” and “pointless” but he believes ties between Americans and Canadians on the “human level” remain strong.

“It’s really sad. It’s so pointless. And I have to tell you, it doesn’t reflect the opinions or the attitudes of virtually any Americans I meet outside of this little cabal of political reactionaries,” Fox told The Canadian Press.

“Americans and Canadians still have the same relationship they’ve always had, no matter how much you try to ratchet it up with the trade war and stuff. It’s not filtering down to the human level.”

The actor and activist joined 50 other people in Ottawa on Friday for an Order of Canada ceremony. Fox, who was invested as an officer of the Order of Canada in 2010, was promoted to the companion level.

In an interview with The Canadian Press following the ceremony, Fox was asked for his thoughts on Canada-U.S. relations.

Fox, who maintains dual citizenship, was born and raised in Canada but moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to pursue his acting career. He received U.S. citizenship in 2000 and continues to live in the United States.

Canada and the United States have been locked in a bitter trade war since shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House almost two years ago and began imposing new tariffs which Canada says violate the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.

Trump has repeatedly mused about making Canada a U.S. state and has threatened to use “economic force” to make it happen. He has mocked Prime Minister Mark Carney and his predecessor Justin Trudeau with the title “governor.”

The tensions escalated in August when attempts to solve some outstanding trade irritants broke down before a Trump-imposed deadline to impose a new round of tariffs targeting $28 billion in Canadian goods.

Canada retaliated with tariffs of its own, and the Trump administration further responded with outright import bans on some Canadian goods.

The president also signed an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, and said this week he was teaching Canada a “little lesson.”

Fox said people need to distinguish between the Trump administration’s actions and the attitudes of ordinary Americans.

“It’s really important that we realize where it’s generated from. And it’s not the guy who you used to buy bourbon from across the line,” he said.

“It hasn’t risen to the level of animus, or contention. It’s purely this guy throwing mud at the wall and seeing if it slides or sticks. And it’s sliding mostly, now.”

Fox said he hasn’t paid close attention to Ottawa’s actions in the trade war but appreciates the “reaction, fighting back and standing firm,” Fox said.

“Like I said, from a distance … it’s frustrating. It’s saddening. But I think a lot of change will come in the next couple of years. I think there will be some selective backtracking.”

Asked whether the Canada-U.S. relationship comes up in his social circles, Fox said, “People are aware of it.”

“People just come up and they say, ‘You believe this guy?’ That’s all it is. It’s just bashing of the president, which doesn’t do any good either,” he said.

“People that know me and know my attitude about being Canadian and my attitude about being American — they both mean a lot to me. So they’ll bring it up to me, but they don’t take you to a certain level. At a certain level you don’t take it that seriously. I don’t want to pick a fight, but I mean, come on.

“To the extent that it doesn’t take anything out of my plate, I might go along with it for a while. But people get tired of it after a while.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2026.

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press