OTTAWA – Canadian actor and philanthropist Michael J. Fox says despite current trade tensions, the Canada-U.S. relationship is “doomed to success.” “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,” Fox said in an exclusive broadcast interview with CTV News in Ottawa. “But in many ways, we’re the same.” Fox was in the nation’s capital on Friday for a ceremony at Rideau Hall, in which Gov. Gen. Louise Arbour officially elevated him to the companion level of the Order of Canada for his Parkinson’s advocacy. “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 to Fox during the ceremony. “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 previous role in the famous “Back to the Future” trilogy. The actor went public with his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1998 and has raised US$2.5 billion (approximately C$3.5 billion) for research into the disease through the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He has also openly shared his own experiences living with the disease. Asked by CTV News about his latest Order of Canada 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 told CTV News. While he says he didn’t want to be the “poster boy” for Parkinson’s, it was important for him to contribute to growing research about the disease. “I didn’t want to be just a name attached to (the disease). I wanted to make the commitment broader,” Fox added. Fox on Trump’s actions against Canada Fox, who has been living in the United States for decades with his family, says despite the current trade tensions between the two countries, “Americans love Canadians.” “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,” Fox said. “I don’t denigrate (the United States) at all. I love it a lot but I’m Canadian.” When asked if he feels a need to play a role in improving 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,” the actor said. “What’s great about Canadians is that … all Canadians are so nice.” Fox, meanwhile, did not directly name U.S. President Donald Trump while speaking to CTV News, but he did acknowledge 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.” Fox also positively recognized Canadians’ “elbows up” attitude. “(Canadians) can only be pushed so far. So, it’s interesting to see those boundaries tested and how we respond,” Fox said.
