A quiet realignment is taking shape across the Atlantic. With America’s 250th birthday looming, Canadian elites are increasingly turning their gaze toward London. The handshake between Trudeau and Starmer at the G7 wasn’t just a photo op. It was a signal. Downing Street sources confirm a surge in backchannel talks with Ottawa on defence and trade integration.
The calculation is cold. Washington’s political chaos has become a structural reality. The US election cycle, the debt ceiling games, the tribalised foreign policy. Canada needs a hedge. And the UK, post-Brexit, needs friends. The two are natural partners with Commonwealth roots and shared parliamentary traditions.
Privately, Canadian officials admit the ‘special relationship’ with America is fraying. The new ambassador to the Court of St James’s has been instructed to fast-track a mini-trade deal on critical minerals and digital services. Meanwhile, Trudeau’s office has requested regular intelligence briefings from London ahead of the November US election.
This isn’t about breaking with America. It’s about insurance. As a senior cabinet minister put it to me: ‘We love the US. But love doesn’t pay the bills when the house is on fire.’ The 2026 celebration of American independence will be a time of reflection for many in Ottawa. They’ll be raising a glass to the States, but their eyes will be on Buckingham Palace. The game has shifted.
