How Did Trump Impact the Canadian Election? | Brian Lee Crowley

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This is the full version of Jan Jekielek’s interview with Brian Lee Crowley. The interview was originally released on Epoch TV on March 10, 2025.

“Donald Trump is looming so large in the Canadian consciousness right now,” says Brian Lee Crowley.

“And I have seen a lot of my compatriots running around like chickens with their heads cut off, saying, ‘Oh my God, Donald Trump is a mad man. You can’t understand what he’s doing. There’s no rhyme or reason to it.’ And I looked at what Donald Trump was doing, and I thought, ‘Okay, I don’t have to like it. That’s a separate question. But if the question is, ’Can I understand it?' The answer is yes.”

Crowley is the founder and managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a Canadian think tank whose work is often cited by the Canadian Parliament.

“What exactly is the difference between Canada and America, or Canadians and Americans? It’s not that it’s difficult to answer because there aren’t differences. It’s difficult to answer because the differences are subtle and hard to express,” says Crowley.

“Remember that America broke away through a violent revolution from the crown and the United Kingdom—from Great Britain. Canadians never experienced that.”

In this episode, Brian Lee Crowley discusses the recent election in Canada, Trump’s comments about Canada as America’s 51st state, and what the future of United States–Canada relations may look like.

“Canada exports 50 percent of everything made in the private sector, and the vast bulk of that, like 90 percent, goes to the United States. But [in] the United States, by contrast, foreign trade, or international trade, only represents barely 25 percent of the amount of the American economy, and that’s diversified across all of its trade partners. So, while for Canada, the relationship with the United States is existential, for America, the relationship with Canada is convenient, nice—not existential.”

CHAPTER TITLES
0:00:00 - Introduction to Canadian Consciousness and Trump's Influence
0:00:34 - The Subtle Differences Between Canada and the United States
0:01:36 - Canadian Election and Trump's Impact
0:04:45 - Polling Shifts and Election Dynamics
0:06:55 - Canadian Identity and Oppositional Nationalism
0:10:45 - Understanding Trump's Strategic Approach
0:21:09 - Trump's Negotiation Tactics and Deal-Making
0:22:35 - Canada-US Relations and the China Factor
0:27:50 - Economic Integration of North America
0:35:12 - Canada's Security Challenges and NATO Obligations
0:40:25 - US-Canada Defense Relationship
0:45:49 - Gardeners vs. Designers: A Philosophical Perspective
0:51:06 - COVID-19 and the Role of Experts
0:55:35 - The McDonald Laurier Institute: Origins and Impact
0:59:18 - Concluding Thoughts on Canada-US Relations