USA

Canadians do not appear to be getting over it.

When President Donald Trump returned to office with tariffs and declarations of Canada as the 51st state, snowbirds turned tail across the U.S. That was spring, an easy time to head back north.

Now, however, as fall colours signal winter’s imminent arrival, new data show little sign of Canadians flocking back to the sunny south for the cold months.

Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, the United States’ top diplomat to Canada, has come under fire for being undiplomatic. But this criticism is misguided. At a time when Canadian workers and business leaders face unprecedented uncertainty, we need more candour, not less.

Since arriving in Canada, Mr. Hoekstra has taken part in multiple panels, podcasts, and press interviews, and has been unfailingly frank in explaining U.S. President Donald Trump’s thinking. That’s his job. His role as ambassador is to faithfully reflect his government’s positions.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Prime Minister Mark Carney “better fight like hell” during his trip to Washington, D.C., next week.

“You’re going down there Tuesday. You better fight like hell. Don’t roll over and keep fighting,” Ford said during a rally in front of the Stellantis Assembly Plant in Brampton on Saturday afternoon.

Carney is set to travel to the U.S. capital for a “working visit and meeting” with President Trump, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

I get the feeling Ford is now living in the past.

Before heading off on a Caribbean cruise, Dennis Murphy and his wife had a stopover in Florida. But they didn’t intend for it to be a proper Florida vacation.

“We kind of plan on spending as little of our money in the U.S., based on everything that happened,” Murphy said in an interview.

It’s the fall air show season, but the biggest attraction — U.S. military planes — will not appear this weekend in Southern California because of the federal government shutdown.

In their place? The Snowbirds, the acrobatic fleet from the Royal Canadian Air Force.

“Thank God Canada is not the 51st state yet,” said Kevin Elliott, the director of the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, Calif.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. administration is set to publish its National Defense Strategy this month at a time when the Pentagon is planning for a leaner, meaner military, and President Donald Trump is inviting Canada to enjoy the protection of Golden Dome defence by becoming the 51st U.S. state.

So, National Post spoke with Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies, to get her insights on American defence strategy and the road ahead.

Canada will not pony up.

The prime minister is expected to visit the White House on Tuesday to meet face-to-face with U.S. President Donald Trump after he publicly brought up his 51st state idea again and tariffs continue to pummel some Canadian industries.

Mark Carney’s office said he will travel to Washington on Monday evening ahead of talks.

“The Prime Minister’s working visit will focus on shared priorities in a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S.,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.