How are Canadians and Americans doing?

Canada’s current flag-waving is a dramatically novel phenomenon. Trump’s tariff tirade and his talk of Canada’s destiny as the 51st state changed everything.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has described tariffs as a miracle fiscal cure, but the country's debt is now over $40-billion while Canada’s fiscal room is the highest among its G7 peers, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade and courtesy of the White House/Daniel Torok
Opinion
BY NELSON WISEMAN
September 7, 2026

Doctors and pollsters expect an honest answer to the common greeting, “How are you?” It asks about feelings. Economists, however, want to know about your material conditions. 

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