Gerald Ford and Canada

Given the recent U.S.-Canada relationship, it's good to reflect back to the days when Gerald Ford was president. Ford died this week at the age of 93.

The news reports have spoken of Ford's role in getting Canada admitted to the G7. That was a significant move. We have also read that Ford and then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau got along well.

But I also want to give a shout-out to one key point. Ford grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and went to school at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Having grown up in Michigan myself, traveling to Canada is not a big deal.

Ford had an understanding of Canada that few presidents have had in recent memory. The trend of presidents from the South and West has been extensive. Very few presidents have come from states that border Canada (more if you count Ohio).

Ironically, Ford never got a chance to visit Canada during his brief term as president. But according to John Books, an expert on presidential politics at the University of Texas, Ford developed a "better-than-average" understanding of Canada while growing up in Michigan and during his years in the House. Books describes Ford as having a friendly working relationship with then prime minister Pierre Trudeau, mostly through regular phone conversations.

The more familiarity U.S. residents have with Canada, the more they seem to like the country. Ford had an intimate knowledge of Canada few presidents have ever had, especially the current resident.