Canada’s close integration with the United States created extraordinary prosperity — but perhaps also dependency and a narrower field of vision. As the world becomes more transactional, resilience requires options. Canada’s opportunity is not to retreat from the U.S., but to diversify, build strategic capacity and rediscover the ambition to see the world as its market.

The United States can function without Canada. But at what cost—and by becoming dependent on whom instead? From oil, potash and uranium to hydropower, critical minerals and defense, Canada strengthens the supply chains behind American power. Canada is not a threat to U.S. strategic autonomy. It is one of its greatest assets. Perhaps the smartest path to America First is North America First.