With President Donald Trump threatening, applying and unapplying tariffs to Canada while continually declaring his desire to absorb the country as America's 51st state, the long-term relationship between the two countries has hit a rough patch.
But Canada is still committed to making things work, according to Sylvain Fabi, consul general of Canada in Denver.
“There's very little that the United States does that does not have some sort of effect or impact on Canada,” Fabi says. “We share the longest border in the world by far. We share a continent. We defend it together.”
An example of that partnership, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is located in Colorado Springs. It is the only binational military command in the world.
The consulate in Denver covers Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Kansas as a full-fledged diplomatic office, assisting Canadians and Canadian businesses with passport and legal help. The consulate also advocates for Canadian interests within the five-state territory by meeting with elected officials and other stakeholders, such as chambers of commerce.
Fabi says the Denver office often works on trade and investment development, supporting Canadian companies that conduct business here while helping pave the way for American companies interested in investing in the Canadian market.
In Colorado alone, 475 Canadian companies employ over 22,000 workers, according to the consulate. And according to Fabi, Canadians love Colorado — and the United States.
“Canadians, in general, have a very good opinion of the United States, certainly of Americans,” he says. “When I tell people I've been in Colorado for four-and-a-half years, they say, ‘Oh, Colorado! Oh, wow, that must be so cool. Oh, the mountains. Oh, Denver is a cool place.’”
But that goodwill is starting to get icy. Campaigns to buy Canadian products over American items are popping up in stores in Canada, he says, and other anecdotal evidence indicates Canadians are becoming frustrated with the Trump administration’s stance toward the country.
“We're shocked, we're disappointed, but we want to make this work,” Fabi says. “This is the single-most important bilateral commercial relationship between two countries in the world. …We're proud of who we are, and we're grateful for the unbelievable relationship we have with the U.S. But now, we're concerned and shocked.”
Westword sat down with Fabi to see how Canadian diplomats in Colorado are handling the last few weeks of turmoil between the two countries.
Trump's Flip-Flopping on Canadian Tariffs
Since Trump was elected last November, he has repeatedly said he wants Canada to become a U.S. state, claiming that he's fed up with the U.S.’s financial contribution to Canada’s national defense. At first, many believed he was joking, but since Trump took office, he has enacted tariffs on the country with the stipulation that tariffs would, of course, go away if Canada were a state. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister who announced his resignation in January, has always said Canada has absolutely no interest in such a proposition. Incoming Prime Minister Mark Carney has doubled down on that stance.
On February 1, Trump announced tariffs on Canada, which Canada said it would reciprocate. Two days later, Trump delayed the Canadian tariffs. But then on February 10, Trump said he would impose a 25 percent tariff on steel and raise the 10 percent tariff on aluminum to 25 percent; Canada is the leading importer of steel to the United States and ranks high on aluminum, as well.
In the first days of March, Trump and his cabinet members waffled on exactly what tariffs would look like for Canada, but then imposed a 25 percent tariff on Canadian imports on March 4, causing the U.S. stock market to fall after Trudeau said Canada would retaliate. On March 6, Trump said he pushed the implementation of Canadian tariffs back to April 2.
However, Trump again reversed course on March 11, announcing he would specifically double the steel and aluminum tariffs for Canadian imports of those products.
"I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA," Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social. "This will go into effect TOMORROW MORNING, March 12th."
Trump said the move was in response to Ontario’s decision to impose a 25 surcharge on electricity imports, which could impact Minnesota, Michigan and New York. Canada backed off on the electricity threat, so Canadian steel and aluminum tariffs are still currently at 25 percent, as they are for rest of the world. However, Canada announced a reciprocal 25 percent tariff on United States imports, including steel, computers and sports equipment.
Trump’s retaliatory tariffs could have consequences in Colorado as prices for aluminum and steel, used for infrastructure projects, are expected to rise.
“The current administration is keeping us on our toes,” Fabi says. “We've been allies and partners and friends for more than a century and a half, and now we're at a point where we're like, ‘Okay, what's going on?’ It's really concerning.”
Fabi points out that when the United States expressed worries about people illegally crossing its northern border and fentanyl coming down from the north, Canada invested $1.3 billion in increased border security in the form of helicopters, drones and personnel, even appointing a fentanyl commissioner and designating certain international cartels with operations in Canada as terrorist organizations earlier this year.
“We came up with our end of the bargain,” Fabi says. “We're listening to the U.S. You're our partner. You're our ally. You have a concern, you come to us. We step up. But it didn't stop the measures, at least at first, to be implemented.”
Fabi says Canada is still hoping for a positive resolution, but will continue to defend the country’s interests. The consulate is ramping up advocacy work to make sure people within its five-state territory know Canadians are surprised, disappointed and concerned by networking with stakeholders and making public announcements.
Trudeau has repeatedly said that no one wins in a trade war (although Carney seems poised to change that stance). One example of both sides being negatively impacted: the car manufacturing industry, in which parts can cross the border five or six times before a vehicle is ready for market. Under tariffs, each part and border crossing represents a higher cost that will ultimately be passed to consumers.
Colorado has been supportive of Canada, with Governor Jared Polis, both United States senators, and the four Democratic members of the House of Representatives all vocalizing support for Canada and pushing against Trump's tariffs. Polis even recently declared March 15 Colorado Canada Friendship Day.
Fabi says Canada appreciates Colorado, as well, and sees the state as a friend — but that only goes so far.
Tariffs Could Raise Grocery, Gas and Home Prices in Colorado
Colorado imports $5.4 billion in goods from Canada annually, according to the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C.,which used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Canada to compile information on the economic relationship between Canada and Colorado.
The top import from Canada to Colorado is crude oil, so gas prices could rise under tariffs. Next is wood and wood-based products, including $72 million worth of softwood lumber used to build homes.
“The amount of wood that Canada exports to the U.S. is the amount of wood that the U.S. doesn't produce to fulfill the demands of softwood for construction,” Fabi explains. “The U.S., now and historically, produces 70 percent of the softwood it needs. The other 30 percent is imported from Canada.”
Fabi adds that economic analysis has indicated tariffs on softwood could make houses in the United States $12,000 to $14,000 more expensive.
Colorado also imported $104 million in furniture and bedding, $101 million in aircraft parts, and $94 million in medical instruments from Canada in 2024, according to the Canadian embassy. Colorado imported $82 million in animal products and $75 million worth of pasta, breads and cereals from Canada last year, as well.
On the flip side, Canada has been a valuable trade partner for Colorado, with the Centennial State exporting $1.6 billion in goods each year to Canada, headlined by $375 million worth of animal meats.
Canada and the United States are intertwined on items as basic as a hamburger.
Canada Agriculture and Agri-Food Department
“It's not true that it's only going to affect Canada or Mexico,” Fabi says of the tariffs. “It will affect U.S. producers and U.S. consumers, too. There's no doubt about it, and that's why we’re trying to find ways to move forward.”
The consulate has also heard that Colorado craft beer manufacturers exporting to Canada are extremely concerned.
Tourism to Colorado could be impacted, too. Canada sent the second-highest number of tourists of any country to Colorado in 2023, with over 176,000 Canadian visitors vacationing here that year, according to the Colorado governor's office.
“We have anecdotal evidence, which is turning into factual evidence, that tourism from Canada this year will be significantly lower for many reasons,” Fabi says.
The combination of tariffs making the Canadian dollar worth less and goods costing more could make fewer Canadians able to travel, but international relations are a factor, too.
“People are upset, so they say, ‘You know what, I won't go on vacation in the U.S. …If there is eventually some sort of reduction of tourism from Canada to Colorado, it won't be because Canadians don't like Colorado. It will be because of the bigger issue," Fabi explains.
Businesses are still expressing interest in investing across both the Canadian and United States markets, Fabi notes, adding that the consulate is making sure those businesses stay on top of the ever-evolving situation so they can make the best choices about their investments.
International Hockey Has an Emotional Stake Under Trump
Even sports, which have traditionally bridged cultural gaps between nations in conflict, have become tension-filled lately. The Four Nations Face-Off hockey tournament, put on by the NHL in February, went from a fun, best-on-best contest to a proxy for the political situation between the U.S. and Canada. Before the two teams played their first matchup in Montreal, Canadian fans booed during the U.S. national anthem. Then, within the first nine seconds of the game, there were three on-ice fights between Canadian and American players.
Mikko Rantanen, left, and Nathan MacKinnon after the Avs won the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Evan Semón Photography
Before the final game to decide the tournament winner, Trump publicly pondered about attending, called the U.S. team and posted on social media taunting Trudeau, calling him “governor” of the 51st state. But Canada had the final say that night, winning 3-2 in overtime with major contributions from Colorado Avalanche players Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
“First of all, MacKinnon won best player in the tournament, thank you very much,” Fabi says. “And on the winning goal in overtime, Makar is the one who made a pass around the net to [Mitch] Marner and Marner put it on to [Connor] McDavid. We call him 'McJesus,' which is about what he looks like when he plays hockey.”
Because of the political undercurrent, Fabi says the game, a new creation in place of the NHL all-star game, felt akin to the 2010 Olympics when Canada beat the U.S. to win the gold medal in Vancouver.
“Given the current circumstances, Canadians were watching that game with an emotional stake,” Fabi says of the Four Nations final. “It was joy, but it was also some sort of a 'thank God, we still have that.'”
Soon, Canada will have new leadership, too, now that Carney has been elected leader of the Liberal party and will become prime minister in a number of days; Carney is expected to call for general elections soon after.
While campaigning, Carney was vocal about his dislike of Trump, even comparing him to Voldemort from Harry Potter, and called the tariffs unjustified. "In trade, as in hockey, Canada will win," Carney said during his victory win.
Regardless of what Carney and Trump do, Fabi and the Denver Consulate will stick around, continuing to advocate for Canada in Colorado. And just like the rest of us, Fabi admits he can't wait for 16th Street Mall construction to be finished.
