Articles by Kelly Geraldine Malone The Canadian Press

Technology

Majority of Americans think Canada is negotiating in good faith: Poll

WASHINGTON - Most Americans — including Republicans — continue to view Canada positively in economic and trade matters even as U.S. President Donald Trump directs anger at their northern neighbour. That finding comes from new polling by Leger, Maintenant Media and Canada 338 that also says Americans trust that Canada is negotiating in good faith as the countries face an uncertain trade relationship. “In the American general public, there’s still some general goodwill towards Canada,” said Andrew Enns, Leger’s executive vice-president for Central Canada. The survey polled 1,010 adults in the United States between Oct. 24 and Oct. 26 and can’t be assigned a margin of error because it was conducted online. Trump’s tariffs have deeply rattled the longstanding relationship between Canada and the United States. Trump has repeatedly subjected Canada to complaints and threats of annexation. He has claimed Canadian officials are hard to deal with and made misleading statements about trade with Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney seemed to steady relations during two White House visits where he received praise from the president, but it did not last long. Trump again suspended negotiations last month after Ontario sponsored a TV ad quoting former president Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. Enns said the survey didn’t get into specifics around the Ontario ad but asked generally how Americans are feeling about trade negotiations and how they see Canada as a partner. Democrats overwhelmingly had positive views of Canada. Most Republicans and Independents saw Canada as a good trading partner, but not to the same degree. The poll indicates that 75 per cent of Americans said they either trusted completely or somewhat trusted Canada’s intentions to negotiate in good faith. That number was 90 per cent for respondents who identified as Democrat and 67 per cent for Republicans. Respondents were asked a similar question about Trump’s administration and a lower number — 52 per cent — said they had trust it would negotiate in good faith. It was significantly higher among Republicans – 85 per cent – compared with Democrats – 32 per cent. “I am from California and we would like to be one of the provinces of Canada,” said Roger Anderson, 63, who was taking part in an anti-Trump protest near the White House Wednesday. Anderson said “we’re the ones that tore up the treaty that this president signed with (Canada) back in his first term.” The Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, known as CUSMA, was negotiated during the first Trump administration to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump at the time described it as the best deal ever. CUSMA is up for mandatory review next year and some experts and trade lawyers say Trump’s tariffs undermine the continental trade pact. Trump boosted economywide duties on Canada to 35 per cent in August but those do not hit goods compliant with CUSMA. Canada is also being hammered by separate tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles, copper and lumber. Kristen Hay, who was also at the anti-Trump rally near the White House, said it would be a shame if the relationship with Canada was ruined. “They haven’t had good-faith negotiations with Canada and I think this administration has ruined the reputation of America,” said the 42-year-old from Indiana. The poll suggested 22 per cent of Americans, when thinking about the economic and trade relationship, saw Canada as a close ally. Thirty-six per cent saw Canada as a friendly partner and 30 per cent saw the country as a neutral neighbour. Nine per cent thought Canada was an unfriendly neighbour working against American interests and four per cent said it was an adversary. Enns said the opinion of Canada has taken a little bit of a dip from previous surveys, but it remains high. The polling also found Carney had fairly low name recognition among Americans; 63 per cent said they didn’t know the prime minister well enough to weigh in. Scott and Cortney Bloxham were visiting Washington from Oklahoma on Wednesday. “We’re from the south. I don’t think we have animosity towards anybody, except maybe Texas and their football team,” Cortney Bloxham said with a laugh. “It’s a good place to go deer hunting,” Scott Bloxham added when asked about his opinion on Canada. The polling industry’s professional body, the Canadian Research Insights Council, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2025.

Technology

Longest U.S. government shutdown in history could hit Canadians' travel plans: expert

WASHINGTON - As the impasse between Republicans and Democrats pushed into its 36th day on Wednesday, one expert warned that the U.S. government shutdown — now the longest in the nation’s history — could upset some Canadians’ travel plans. It’s not clear how long the shutdown will last as federal workers miss another paycheque and as Americans face the prospect of a busy holiday season at airports coupled with a shortage of air traffic controllers and airport staff. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that air traffic capacity will be reduced by 10 per cent across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning Friday morning, to ensure safety during the government shutdown. Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said they will meet later Wednesday with airline leaders. The markets that will be affected will not be announced until Thursday. Duffy has been warning of flight disruptions as air traffic controllers continue to go without paycheques. CNN reported that last weekend saw the worst air traffic controller shortages since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Pictures shared on social media show massive lines at airports. Flight delays and cancellations are piling up. Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport warned passengers Sunday it could take three hours to get through security checkpoints because of staffing issues. Even though many Canadians have been avoiding travel to the United States due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats of annexation, they may not be able to avoid the cascading effects of the shutdown. John Gradek, a McGill University lecturer in aviation management, said the North American air travel system is integrated. American airport delays affecting planes destined for Canada could cause cascading delays throughout the Canadian system. Gradek said that’s not the only problem. If someone is flying from southern Ontario to Western Canada, he said, “a significant portion of that flight is overflying U.S. airspace.” Canadian travellers looking to warm up in Mexico also fly over the United States. “In normal times, the handoff between Canadian and U.S. air traffic controller is seamless,” Gradek said. If the specialized air traffic controllers who handle that part of American airspace stop showing up to work, it could hinder Canadians’ travel plans, he said. “If there’s a slowdown or a reduction in air traffic control capabilities in places like Albuquerque, for example, that would in fact affect the ability of Canadian carriers to operate in American airspace as they transit U.S. airspace, not necessarily as they go into and out of the U.S.,” he added. Transport Canada is aware of the situation and is closely monitoring it through its 24/7 Operations Centre, said department spokesperson Hicham Ayoun in an emailed statement. Ayoun said travellers leaving Canadian airports should check the status of their flights in advance. Democrats and Republicans continue to blame each other for the shutdown, which has brought many government agencies to a standstill, left hundreds of thousands of public servants furloughed and put federal food benefits at risk for millions of Americans. Republicans claim their bill to extend federal funds is not controversial, but Democrats say they won’t support the legislation unless it includes an extension for expiring health care benefits. Trump told the CBS program “60 Minutes” he would negotiate health care benefits only once the government is open. The president predicted Democrats would capitulate to Republicans. “I think they have to,” Trump said during the interview, which aired Sunday. “And if they don’t vote, it’s their problem.” Airport staff were key to ending the government shutdown during Trump’s first administration. That shutdown — which previously held the record as the longest — began when the president demanded that Congress give him money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. During that 35-day shutdown from late 2018 into early 2019, employees deemed essential — including air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration staff — were required to continue working without pay. They started calling in sick at a higher frequency, leading to long airport delays. A similar situation has been playing out during the current shutdown, with an increasing number of ground stops called in airports across the United States because of staffing issues. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration was already dealing with a shortage of air traffic controllers before the shutdown. The administration posted on social media on Oct. 31 that “nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks.” It said half of the agency’s core 30 facilities were experiencing staffing shortages, and nearly 80 per cent of air traffic controllers were absent at New York-area facilities that day. “The shutdown must end so that these controllers receive the pay they’ve earned and travellers can avoid further disruptions and delays,” the agency posted. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2025. — With files from The Associated Press