You're Not Alone: Dispatch from Canada

Canadians' Thoughts & Feelings about Americans in Crisis

When I recently posted about my own limits in keeping up with the relentless news cycle, I heard from hundreds of people, mostly Americans, who shared how they are coping. But about 19% were replies from Canadians. And I thought you would be curious about what they shared.

They definitely were not indifferent nor tuning out the US because it doesn’t affect them. Quite the opposite. Many are watching just as closely, with grief, worry, and a kind of exhausted solidarity with Americans. And like Americans, they’re also having to escape from it at times to get a reprieve. As someone said, “it’s like we are in an apartment next door, and we can hear fighting and we jump when we hear large objects being thrown, and we are wondering when something might come flying through the wall.”

Sympathy Without Distance

The tone of these Canadian responses was consistently warm, pained, and supportive. Some felt rattled by what’s happening in the U.S.; others seemed quietly afraid it might spread. One person wrote:

“We’re worried too, because when America gets a cold, we get pneumonia.”

Another simply said:

“I thought things were bad here but the U.S. seems unrelenting.”

No one was trying to one-up Americans in despair. If anything, there was a kind of measured humility, paired with concern for their neighbours. One Canadian commenter even offered:

“If it helps, we’ve got a canoe and a spare room.”

Photo by Steve & Barb Sande on Unsplash

Coping, Watching, Worrying

These commenters also shared their coping strategies and their take on the media environment in Canada. Here are the major themes that came up repeatedly:

1. Supportive Messages to Americans

This was the most common theme. Simple, compassionate lines like:

• “We’re with you.”

• “Thinking of our neighbours.”

• “I read your posts and think yes, someone else sees it too.”

2. Disbelief at U.S. Conditions

Canadians often used my post as a prompt to say:

• “I’ve always been a news follower too, but this is too much.”

• “I used to feel informed, now I feel overwhelmed.”

Many shared how the sheer pace and scale of political breakdown in the U.S. left them stunned. The headlines felt “unrelenting” and “hard to process.” One wrote:

“I’ve stopped watching the news after 8pm or I won’t sleep.”

3. Worry About Contagion

A good number of people expressed a low-grade dread, not only for the U.S., but for what might be next for Canada. They mentioned:

• Political polarization starting to seep into Canadian discourse

• Culture wars arriving through Canadian media or politics

• The fear that Canadian institutions won’t be as immune as we hoped

One person wrote:

“Even our news is starting to echo yours. It’s like watching the spread of a virus in real time.”

4. Coping by Limiting Exposure

Canadians, like Americans, are starting to back away from constant exposure to political news. This isn’t because they don't care, but because they do care and need to attempt to regain some sense of peace.

A few explicitly shared that their political burnout isn’t from Canadian politics but from secondary trauma from watching the U.S. spiral. They said things like:

• “I just can’t read every story anymore.”

• “I need to protect my sanity, but I still want to stay informed.”

• “It’s hard to know what’s enough—and what’s too much.”

5. Gratitude (with Caveats)

Several Canadians mentioned feeling lucky to live where they do, but they weren’t naive about it. Their gratitude wasn’t the smug kind bur rather measured, and often tinged with anxiety about how fragile things are.

One person said, in effect:

“We’ve got our own problems, but at least it doesn’t feel like the sky is falling… yet.”

Another echoed this:

“I’m grateful, yes. But I’m watching closely.”

Closing Thoughts

There were consistent themes in what these Canadians are saying. They’re not looking away from the US, but they are figuring out what it means to bear witness without burning out. They are in solidarity with Americans who are watching, caring and pained by what is going on and especially by what the future may hold.

Thanks for reading!
Canada Resists