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Episode 1381Apr 29, 2025

The Canadian economy goes “elbows up”

The future of U.S.-Canada trade relations.

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Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP

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After declaring victory in yesterday’s Canadian election, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the “old relationship” with the United States is over.

Over the past few months, President Donald Trump’s on-and-off tariffs and repeated annexation threats have caused Canadians to reconsider the United States as its leading trading partner and ally.

But Patricia Goff, professor of political science at Wilfrid Laurier University, said the idea of disentangling the two economies is unrealistic.

“We go back and forth on this particular conversation about being a little bit less dependent on the American market, but decoupling is not an option, if only for geographic proximity,” said Goff. “And I don't think Canadian businesses want to fully decouple from the American market.”

On the show today, Goff explains how Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats influenced the Canadian election, how Prime Minister Carney could respond to Trump, and what the current trade war could mean for the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

Plus, we’ll hear a pitch for a new “Make Me Smart”-themed rear window sticker. And, what one psychologist got wrong about burnout.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Email makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

The Team

The Canadian economy goes “elbows up”