It’s been a provocative year and a half for the relationship between Canada and the U.S., two countries celebrating birthdays this week. Canada turned 159 on Wednesday, and the U.S. is celebrating its 250th year today.
Since President Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, he has imposed punishing tariffs on some of Canada’s most important industries, insulted two prime ministers by calling them “governor” and frequently suggested that Canada become the 51st state.
Canadians have expressed hurt, anger and even confusion at their once closest ally turning on them. Many stopped traveling to the U.S. and buying American products. International sporting events between the two countries feel like the War of 1812. It got us thinking about how we understand each other and how much we really know about each other.
And so, in honor of the countries’ birthdays, we put together a quiz we hope will be fun (and a little bit challenging) for everyone. To our American friends, we even made it a little bit about you. If you find it difficult, of course we’re sorry.
A wild week in the West
Matina Stevis-Gridneff, the Times’s Canada bureau chief, reported on the multibillion dollar investments, including a new oil pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific Coast, along with natural gas facilities, that Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday, as he aims to diversify trade away from the U.S.
There were a few surprises in the projects in British Columbia, which will include expansions for the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, as well as the development of five liquefied natural gas terminals in the North Coast, which will keep in place the politically important restriction on the movement of tankers in those waters.
And despite the Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s monthslong advocacy for a pipeline to the North Coast of British Columbia, the current plan is for it to run alongside the TMX and exit on the south coast, near Vancouver. The last-minute change of heart suggests that Ms. Smith was convinced by the federal and British Columbia governments that a northern pipeline would have encountered a wall of resistance from coastal First Nations and required lifting the tanker moratorium, leading to unpalatable delays. Read the full story.
Canada at the World Cup
Canada plays Morocco in the World Cup round of 16 today at 1 p.m. Eastern time in Houston, and the team has created a national hysteria that, depending on the outcome, may or may not peak with this match.
No. 6-ranked Morocco is heavily favored, but Canada has been on a historic run. Coming into the tournament, the Canada men’s national team had never won a World Cup game. They opened the tournament with a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, beat Qatar 6-0, lost 2-1 to Switzerland and beat South Africa 1-0 in a round of 32 thriller this week to advance alongside the powerhouse nations France, England, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.
Throughout the tournament, fans across the country have been gathering by the thousands at outdoor and indoor watch parties, as well as in bars and at home, to cheer on the team. This week, Canada’s coach, Jesse Marsch, said that preparing for Morocco was like “a gory, horrible nightmare.” But with the way underdogs have been performing at the World Cup, it would be a mistake to count them out. Tariq Panja, a global sports reporter for The Times, will be covering the match.
The free trade stalemate
My colleagues Ana Swanson in Washington, Ian Austen in Ottawa and Emiliano Rodriguez Mega in Mexico City reported that the Trump administration on Wednesday declined to renew the trade deal President Trump negotiated with Canada and Mexico in his first term, a pact that he later came to criticize.
“It was the expected result,” Ian told me. “All three countries, overtly and otherwise, had suggested that the 16-year extension of the trade deal Canada and Mexico requested was unlikely to be approved by the Trump administration.”
He added: “The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, as Canada calls it, will continue for another 10 years, but as a zombie agreement. The three countries will formally review it every year and, for the time being, continue to meet and negotiate its terms and the American tariffs that violate it. At some point, perhaps after President Trump leaves office, those talks may lead to a 16-year extension. But at meetings later this month, Canada will most likely push for an end to Mr. Trump’s tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos.” Read the full story.
The Interview: Robby Hoffman
Robby Hoffman, a comedian and actor who grew up in Montreal’s Hasidic community after relocating from New York, sat down with Lulu Garcia-Navarro for a wide-ranging interview that touched on her being raised by a single mother, coming out as gay in high school and cutting her teeth as a young comic in Canada.
“I am simultaneously the most nervous and confident person,” she said. “I don’t know how that happened, either. But I’m always nonbinary, not just in the gender sense. I’m Canadian, I’m American, I’m nervous, I’m confident. The whole thing is a disaster.” Read the full story or watch the video.
Who Speaks for Trees? This Quebec Town.
The small town of Terrasse-Vaudreuil, Quebec, was carved out of the forest about 75 years ago. But until recently, the trees had no rights.
Last spring, Ephrat Livni reported, about 60 residents attended a screening of “Des Arbres et Des Arts,” or “The Trees and the Arts,” a documentary by the Quebec filmmaker André Desrochers that proposes trees should receive legal rights. Suddenly, the community saw its trees in a different light. Read the full story.
Trans Canada
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Canada faced a prolonged heat wave this week, with some areas experiencing their first major heat event of the season as temperatures surged well above normal levels. Read more about how heat domes work and how without climate change, the current heat wave wouldn’t even be possible. Track the heat across the country with The Times’s Canada heat tracker.
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Canada will compete in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest. The decision, announced on Canada Day, came less than a week after the CBC became a full member of the organization that runs the high-camp singing competition.
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A beaver statue representing the U.S. was smashed to pieces in Toronto, Vjosa Isai reported. It was one of dozens of statues of Canada’s national animal and part of a public art installation for the World Cup located in the city’s downtown. Was the destruction random or a political message?
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A woman’s morning walk with her dog in Kananaskis, Alberta, took an unexpected turn after a grizzly bear galloped toward her, stood on its hind legs and continued to move closer as she shouted, grunted and slowly retreated. Incredibly, she captured the entire encounter on video.
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A Chinese dissident who fled by sea to South Korea has landed in Canada. Dong Guangping reached Toronto after a decade of failed attempts to escape China. He traveled to South Korea last month in an inflatable rubber boat.
The Canada Letter is edited by Shawna Richer, who oversees Canada coverage on the International desk at The Times. She lives in Toronto.
How are we doing? We’re eager to have your thoughts about this newsletter and events in Canada in general. Please send them to [email protected].
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The post A Big Week in the West, Canada vs. Morocco, Trade and a Canada-U.S. Quiz appeared first on New York Times.
