Canadian and U.S. flags fly atop the Peace Arch monument at the Douglas-Peace Arch border crossing in Surrey, B.C.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press

In 1942, as the Allies fought Germany and Japan, Lester Pearson, then a diplomat in Washington, D.C, wrote a letter to his superiors that succinctly defined Canada-U.S. relations.

“Suspended, then, somewhat uneasily in the minds of so many Americans between the position of British colony and American dependency, we are going to have a difficult time in the months ahead in maintaining our own position and standing on our own two feet,” he wrote. Canada has been navigating that passage ever since.

It is impossible to predict with certainty what ultimately will become of the American intervention in Venezuela, or of the Trump administration’s vow to acquire Greenland, or of the new and evolving U.S. tariff regime. But this should be borne in mind: For much of our country’s history, relations between Canada and the United States have been less than intimate, and yet our country grew and prospered.

Despite all the drama over what U.S. President Donald Trump says or does, Canada and the United States are likely to continue to trade with each other and to cooperate in collective security where there is mutual interest, despite new tariff........

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