July 1 is Canada Day, and across the river in Windsor, and all across the country, Canadians are celebrating it under the strangest cloud in years. Their closest ally and biggest trading partner has spent the past year hitting them with tariffs. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has floated the idea of making Canada the 51st state more than once.

The friction is intensifying in Detroit. A new bridge to Windsor, the Gordie Howe, is finished and ready — but it is sitting empty, reportedly blocked by the Trump administration.

Here’s what makes today remarkable. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico share a big free-trade deal — it’s what lets cars, food, and almost everything else move across their borders cheaply. When they signed it six years ago, they set a date to revisit it and decide whether to keep it. That date is today — July 1, 2026. So this Canada Day lands on the exact day that the deal comes up for review.

Craig Baird, host of the podcast and radio show Canadian History Ehx, says we have actually been here before. He told host Robyn Vincent that tariffs have historically made Canada stronger.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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