Businesses shouldn’t bet on return to normal Canada-U.S. relations: former ambassador
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BANFF – A former Canadian ambassador to the United States says businesses shouldn’t bet on the cross-border relationship going back to normal.
Kirsten Hillman told the Global Business Forum in Banff, Alta., that she’s been surprised to hear so many business leaders say in recent weeks that they expect things to settle out eventually.
She says Canadians have for decades taken for granted the deep economic integration between the two countries and touted it as a strength.
But Hillman says that message doesn’t resonate with President Donald Trump and his team, and it’s a sentiment that likely predates his emergence on the political scene.
She says while Americans have deep respect for Canada, they are ultimately focused on their own self interest.
Hillman says Canadians have to “be able to count on our own resilience” and not assume close North American trade ties will always be on the table.
“Any relationship is better when there’s deeper mutual understanding of each other and I think Canadians are coming to understand our neighbour better than before,” Hillman said.
“It’s great, because it is motivating our country to maybe take on some of those characteristics of self-reliance, self-interest, making decisions that are best and primarily just for ourselves.”
Christopher Sands, with the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, told the forum he sees “a re-founding of the Canada-U.S. relations” as a good thing — “a marriage of equals, or at least self-reliant, confident countries.”
The theme for this year’s forum, which runs Thursday and Friday, is “thriving in chaos.”
It’s the 27th year for the conference, held annually at the Banff Springs Hotel nestled in the Rocky Mountains west of Calgary.
“Rarely have participants seen a world with such a litany of turmoil and ruptures to the international order. Yet many leaders are successfully navigating uncertain waters, currents teaming with undertows and disruption,” Lois Mitchell, the former Alberta lieutenant-governor who co-chairs the forum, said in a news release ahead of the event.
Sessions are to cover global security, strained Canada-U.S. relations, space travel, artificial intelligence and more.
Other speakers include Artemis II astronaut Jeremy Hansen and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy. Executives with Shell Canada, Canadian National Railway Co. and Telus Corp. are also on tap to share their perspectives.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2026.
Companies in this story: (TSX:T) (TSX:CNR)