+34Michael J. Fox was elevated to the companion level of the Order of Canada at Rideau Hall and told CTV News the Canada-US relationship is doomed to success despite the trade war.
OTTAWA - Michael J. Fox says the Canada-U.S. relationship is doomed to success, even as he calls the current trade war sad and pointless. The actor and philanthropist was in Ottawa on Friday for a ceremony at Rideau Hall, where Gov.
Gen. Louise Arbour officially elevated him to the companion level of the Order of Canada for his Parkinson's advocacy. Fox joined 51 other people inducted into or promoted within the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honour. He was first invested as an officer in 2010.
Canada-US Relations Remain Strong
In an exclusive broadcast interview with CTV News in Ottawa, Fox said the two countries remain deeply alike despite current tensions. We're so alike. Culturally. I mean, there are key differences based on our origin stories and things like that, and you can find ways that we're different, he said.
But in many ways, we're the same. Fox told The Canadian Press the state of the relationship is sad and pointless, but he believes ties between Americans and Canadians on the human level remain strong. It's really sad. It's so pointless, he said.
And I have to tell you, it doesn't reflect the opinions or the attitudes of virtually any Americans I meet outside of this little cabal of political reactionaries, Fox told The Canadian Press. Americans and Canadians still have the same relationship they've always had, no matter how much you try to ratchet it up with the trade war and stuff, he said. It's not filtering down to the human level. It hasn't risen to the level of animus, or contention.
It's purely this guy throwing mud at the wall and seeing if it slides or sticks. And it's sliding mostly, now. Asked by CTV News about the honour, Fox described it as flattering. It's nice to be recognized as someone who upholds the character of Canada and stands for the things that this country stands for, Fox said.
Fox Honoured for Parkinson's Advocacy
During the ceremony, Arbour praised Fox for his Parkinson's work. After a remarkable artistic career, you might have chosen to retire from public life, but instead you chose to use your platform and your voice to support a cause that affects thousands of Canadians and millions of people worldwide, Arbour said. Sustainable progress requires that we move forward with courage, imagination and determination.
After all, back to the future has always been a much better idea than forward to the past, Arbour later quipped, referring to Fox's role in the Back to the Future trilogy. Fox went public with his Parkinson's diagnosis in 1998 and has raised US$2.5 billion, approximately C$3.5 billion, for research through the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He said he didn't want to be the poster boy for Parkinson's.
Trump's Trade War Tests Relations
I didn't want to be just a name attached to the disease. I wanted to make the commitment broader, he added. Canada and the United States have been locked in a bitter trade war since shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House almost two years ago and began imposing new tariffs that Canada says violate the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.
Trump has repeatedly mused about making Canada a U.S. state and has threatened to use economic force to make it happen. He has mocked Prime Minister Mark Carney and his predecessor Justin Trudeau with the title governor. The tensions escalated in August when attempts to solve outstanding trade irritants broke down before a Trump-imposed deadline to impose a new round of tariffs targeting $28 billion in Canadian goods.
Canada retaliated with tariffs of its own, and the Trump administration further responded with outright import bans on some Canadian goods. Trump also signed an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, and said this week he was teaching Canada a little lesson. Fox, who maintains dual citizenship, was born and raised in Canada but moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to pursue his acting career.
He received U.S. citizenship in 2000 and continues to live in the United States. He said people need to distinguish between the Trump administration's actions and the attitudes of ordinary Americans. It's really important that we realize where it's generated from. And it's not the guy who you used to buy bourbon from across the line, he said.
Speaking to CTV News, Fox did not directly name Trump but acknowledged the president's behaviour. We can't understand what's motivating his actions, and what we all fear is that nothing's motivating him. Just kind of automatic get up in the morning and do whatever strikes him, Fox said. But we can't hold against anybody broad complaints or conclusions about who or what his character is or what his goals are.
I think we just have to continue being ourselves, he said. Fox also praised Canadians' elbows up attitude. Canadians can only be pushed so far. So, it's interesting to see those boundaries tested and how we respond, he said.
He said he hasn't paid close attention to Ottawa's actions in the trade war but appreciates the reaction, fighting back and standing firm. Like I said, from a distance it's frustrating. It's saddening. But I think a lot of change will come in the next couple of years.
I think there will be some selective backtracking, Fox said. Asked whether the relationship comes up in his social circles, Fox said, People are aware of it. People just come up and they say, You believe this guy? That's all it is.
It's just bashing of the president, which doesn't do any good either. People that know me and know my attitude about being Canadian and my attitude about being American - they both mean a lot to me. So they'll bring it up to me, but they don't take you to a certain level, he said. I don't want to pick a fight, but I mean, come on.
Fox Reflects on Dual Identity
On his dual identity, Fox told CTV News, I'm real proud of my American connection and having raised a family in the United States and built a career in the United States and done a lot of philanthropic work in the United States. I don't denigrate the United States at all. I love it a lot but I'm Canadian. Americans love Canadians.
Asked if he feels a need to help improve relations as a Canadian living in the U.S., Fox said he thinks he and others do a pretty good job. Anybody in a country other than their country of origin is an ambassador for that country, he said. What's great about Canadians is that all Canadians are so nice.
The actor, known for Family Ties, Back to the Future and Spin City, has been a prominent advocate for Parkinson's research since revealing his diagnosis. He said the honour means a great deal to him, especially at a time when relations are strained. Fox added that he remains optimistic the political tensions will not permanently damage the deep bonds between the two countries, pointing to his own dual citizenship as proof the nations remain deeply connected.
He said he hopes the dispute will be resolved through diplomacy and that both countries remember their long history of friendship and cooperation.
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CTVNews:EXCLUSIVE: Michael J. Fox says Canada-U.S. relationship ‘doomed to success’ 
CP24:EXCLUSIVE: Michael J. Fox says Canada-U.S. relationship ‘doomed to success’This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
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