A new playbook for Canada-U.S. relations: How the University of Calgary’s New North America Initiative aims to reshape the continent’s politics

A new research initiative based out of the University of Calgary is challenging historic approaches to Canada-U.S. relations, arguing that conventional thinking is inadequate for navigating generational shifts in American politics and society. The New North America Initiative, led by Martha Hall Findlay, director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, and Carlo Dade, director of international policy at The School of Public Policy and the director of the initiative, aims to move beyond short-term crisis management toward deeper analysis of fundamental changes reshaping North America. The Hub’s editor-at-large Sean Speer spoke with Findlay and Dade to better understand their approach and why they believe Canada needs new approaches for engaging with its southern neighbour. The Hub has partnered with the initiative on an ongoing content series, which will aim to expose Canadian audiences to some of the political economy thinking and thinkers that are poised to influence the future of America in regard to trade, globalization, and America’s place in the world. Here are five key takeaways from the conversation. 1. Building a new table The New North America Initiative explicitly rejects the framework of Canada seeking “a seat at the table” in existing policy discussions. “We’re not asking for a seat at the table with the initiative,” Dade explained. “We’re trying to build a new table, not just for the West, but for the country. A new table for the next generation.” This new table, they argues, must encompass actors who haven’t traditionally participated in Canada-U.S. policy discussions, while still including established voices. Findlay believes that Canada hasn’t been well-represented in its trade relationship with the U.S. because of the concentration of power in Toronto and Ottawa. “When you look at some of the really significant economic connections between the two countries, they’re actually in the West. Whether it’s oil, whether it’s gas, whether it’s potash, whether it’s uranium, and of course food…an awful lot of the relationship, the economic relationship, is actually in the western half of the continent.” 2. Generational change, not temporary disruption Both Dade and Findlay emphasized that the current upheaval in American politics represents something more fundamental than the Trump presidency. “This ain’t just Trump. This ain’t just CUSMA,” Dade said. “We’re looking at generational change on the Right and on the Left in the U.S.” Dade, who is both Canadian and American, noted that political movements once considered fringe have gained mainstream influence across generations, and often share values across ideological lines. “If you look at the America First movement and some elements of the Make America Great Again movement, you notice that there are positions where Bernie Sanders and AOC are pretty much on the same side as [Trump],” he observed. Dade and Findlay argued that while similar tensions have existed in American politics for decades, the intensity and institutional impact of current changes represent a difference in kind rather than merely degree. “The destruction that’s been wrought in the U.S.—things that took generations to build are being destroyed,” Dade warned. 3. Strategic distance from Ottawa The decision to base the initiative in Calgary reflects a deliberate strategy by Dade and Findlay. “If we really have had a rupture, if we really do need new views, new thinking, if we need to break from some elements of the past, that’s best done outside of the traditional centers of research, power and focus,” Dade explained. This geographic separation provides distance from “the immediacy of the relationship, the press releases, the tweets that dominate conversations, the short-term transactional thinking that by necessity is how you run day-to-day government,” he said. Dade and Findlay want more people from western provinces to have seats at the table. “It’s either Ottawa and D.C. or, from a financial center perspective, Toronto, New York, with very little understanding of just how important the whole of the country is,” said Findlay. “We’re hoping that this adds a broader perspective of what really goes on in this relationship between the two and then three countries.” 4. Uncomfortable conversations A core principle of the initiative involves engaging with Americans, even when those conversations prove difficult. Dade described this as an intelligence operation requiring Canada to “talk to people with whom we need to talk, not necessarily with those with whom we like to talk.” The leaders of the initiative believe Calgary allows for broader inquiry because of Alberta’s dedication to free speech. “We benefit from this being, I think, in Alberta, because the government has mandated that universities here uphold the Chicago Principles in terms of open inquiry,” Dade said. He emphasized that the initiative won’t simply platform controversial voices but conduct guided conversations designed to provide useful information for Canadian interests. “We’re not handing people a microphone, we’re handing them a seat next to Sean Speer,” Dade said. 5. Smarter engagement as costs rise The program heads acknowledged that Canada cannot simply diversify away from the U.S. market. “We are not leaving the U.S.,” Dade stated flatly. “We are going to continue to trade with the fastest, richest, and–even with the current difficulties–easiest market on the planet.” However, the pair emphasized that with the U.S. raising costs through tariffs and regulatory barriers, Canada must become more intelligent about engagement. “We have to make our investments in that engagement go further and pay higher dividends,” Dade argued. The choice, he said, is between “taking a bad situation and making it worse or taking a change situation and managing it proactively and intelligently.” Findlay added that the New North America Initiative is meant to help ensure Canada continues to succeed for future generations. “My kids and my grandkids want to know that over the next number of decades the world will continue to be a really good place to be, and that Canada will continue to be a really good place to be, and that they will be prosperous economically and socially.” This story draws on a Hub video. It was edited using NewsBox AI. Full program here.