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.
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ties → say → level
“It’s really sad.
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It → ’ → ?
It’s so pointless.
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It → ’ → ?
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.
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Fox → have → 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.
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you → have → war
It’s not filtering down to the human level.”
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It → filter → level
The actor and activist joined 50 other people in Ottawa on Friday for an Order of Canada ceremony.
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actor → join → ceremony
Fox, who was invested as an officer of the Order of Canada in 2010, was promoted to the companion level.
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who → invest → level
In an interview with The Canadian Press following the ceremony, Fox was asked for his thoughts on Canada-U.S. relations.
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Fox → follow → relations
Fox, who maintains dual citizenship, was born and raised in Canada but moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to pursue his acting career.
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who → maintain → career
He received U.S. citizenship in 2000 and continues to live in the United States.
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He → receive → 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.
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Canada → lock → Agreement
Trump has repeatedly mused about making Canada a U.S. state and has threatened to use “economic force” to make it happen.
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it → muse → force
He has mocked Prime Minister Mark Carney and his predecessor Justin Trudeau with the title “governor.”
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He → mock → title
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.
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attempts → escalate → goods
Canada retaliated with tariffs of its own, and the Trump administration further responded with outright import bans on some Canadian goods.
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administration → retaliate → 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.”
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he → sign → lesson
Fox said people need to distinguish between the Trump administration’s actions and the attitudes of ordinary Americans.
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people → say → Americans
“It’s really important that we realize where it’s generated from.
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it → ’ → where
And it’s not the guy who you used to buy bourbon from across the line,” he said.
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he → ’ → line
“It hasn’t risen to the level of animus, or contention.
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It → rise → animus
It’s purely this guy throwing mud at the wall and seeing if it slides or sticks.
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it → ’ → wall
And it’s sliding mostly, now.”
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it → slide → ?
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.
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Fox → say → reaction
“Like I said, from a distance … it’s frustrating.
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it → say → distance
It’s saddening.
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It → ’ → ?
But I think a lot of change will come in the next couple of years.
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lot → think → years
I think there will be some selective backtracking.”
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I → think → ?
Asked whether the Canada-U.S. relationship comes up in his social circles, Fox said, “People are aware of it.”
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People → ask → it
“People just come up and they say, ‘You believe this guy?’
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You → come → guy
That’s all it is.
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it → ’ → ?
It’s just bashing of the president, which doesn’t do any good either,” he said.
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he → ’ → good
“People that know me and know my attitude about being Canadian and my attitude about being American — they both mean a lot to me.
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they → know → me
So they’ll bring it up to me, but they don’t take you to a certain level.
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they → bring → level
At a certain level you don’t take it that seriously.
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you → take → it
I don’t want to pick a fight, but I mean, come on.
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I → want → fight
“To the extent that it doesn’t take anything out of my plate, I might go along with it for a while.
uncertain
I → take → while
But people get tired of it after a while.”
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people → get → while
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2026.
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report → publish → Press
The Aporia
