Continental Breakup?

“Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they shall be against Judah” (Isaiah 9:21). Many have found it difficult to interpret what this millennia-old prophetic scripture is telling us. What was the prophet Isaiah referring to? Interestingly, current events involving the United States (descendants of Manasseh) and Canada (among the descendants of Ephraim) may shed important light on this passage.

Since the 1945 end of World War II, the nations commonly referred to as the Anglo-Saxon world or Anglosphere—the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—have been largely at the forefront of world economic, military, and scientific advancement. This is not just the result of ability and effort, but much more the fulfillment of blessings promised to an ancient ancestor because of his dedicated obedience to God. Our free booklet The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy explains this in detail.

The U.S. and Canada have existed side by side, and since the Treaty of Washington in 1871 they have had the longest undefended border on earth—8,891 kilometers (5,525 miles). Both lands are fabulously wealthy in terms of agriculture and natural resources of almost every description. Since the 1960s, their governments have negotiated several trading agreements, fostering bilateral trade valued at more than a trillion dollars annually and supporting millions of jobs on both sides of the border. Each day, an average of $3.6 billion worth of trade crosses between these two countries. At the same time, through a series of trade agreements, the world’s largest industrial integrated supply chain has developed.

U.S.-Canadian Partnership Challenged

Tariffs Hurt

In 2025, this relationship began to change. The U.S. administration’s tariff policy wrought disruption as the attempt to reshore manufacturing in the U.S. spurred the creation of new trading alliances. In what may be an unintended consequence, many nations once considered fundamental allies of the U.S. are looking at their former partner with more suspicion than trust.

NATO Negligence

Defence alliances are also a point to note. For years, NATO partners—including Canada—have lagged seriously behind the agreed-upon defence-spending target of 2 percent of GDP. After the Ukraine-Russia war began, the U.S. administration hinted that it might not defend Europe if NATO spending did not rise—a possibility that along with new tariffs has strained relations with Washington. Additionally, comments from Washington seen as threats targeting Canada’s sovereignty have led Canada to adopt policies that would have been unthinkable a year or two ago, breaking with a nearly century-long effort to integrate manufacturing between the U.S. and Canada.

Trade Negotiations With China

The current Canadian government has chosen to address these challenges by taking unprecedented steps to diversify Canada’s trade and significantly reduce its dependence on the American market. Over 2025 and into 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney has utilized his many international contacts to help expand and revitalize Canadian manufacturing and resource export activities—in an attempt to compensate for the consequences of a U.S. trade war.

So far this year, Canada has renewed its relationships with India and China, entering into trade deals worth multiple billions of dollars. Canada has signed agreements with India and Australia for a massive co-development of highly sought-after resources, including rare earth minerals and uranium. Additionally, Canada is flexing its capacity to increase its production and export of agricultural and energy resources through large-scale development of infrastructure, with a focus on enhancing global partnerships.

Politico made the following observation on February 12: “The Canadian prime minister is spearheading discussions between the EU and a major Indo-Pacific trade bloc after calling on middle powers to join forces. Ottawa is ‘championing efforts to build a bridge between the Trans-Pacific Partnership [CPTPP] and the European Union, which would create a new trading bloc of 1.5 billion people.’”

We are in fact witnessing the development of a massive trading bloc—one bridged through Canada and linking the EU and a number of Asia-Pacific nations.

But it is in the matter of defence where we see the most profound turn away from a Canadian partnership with America. Mr. Carney has used his close connection with EU leaders to integrate Canada into defence and trade agreements with the EU. On February 12 of this year, in an unprecedented move, all six major Canadian banks committed to supporting the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB), an initiative on the part of European and Canadian governments that represents a seismic shift from reliance on U.S. defence forces and industry.

Twelve European states have joined Canada in creating this new bank, which seeks to fund resource acquisition for—and the subsequent development and manufacturing of—offensive weapons and defensive systems across Europe and Canada, largely independent of the U.S. defence industry. Notably, it has been announced that the DSRB headquarters will be located in Canada (The Globe and Mail). The initiative will also see a major industrial manufacturing boost in DSRB-supported regions, reducing purchases of U.S. defence systems while creating a new competitor for international arms sales (WealthProfessional.ca).

Earlier this year, Reuters reported on a new initiative, led largely by Canada, to purvey and develop rare earth minerals for global supply chains as an alternative to Chinese- and American-controlled sources. The Canadian government has been working with France, Japan, Australia, and other “middle powers” to create what amounts to a “buyer’s club” for rare earths, assuring security of supply and ability to avoid intimidation by the world’s larger powers.

Allied with Europe Instead?

Finally, politicians in both Europe and Canada are increasingly musing about making Canada a member of the European Union. Polls now find about half of the Canadian population sympathetic to the idea, with support increasing as contention between Canada and the U.S. has continued.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has made his desire to cut Canada’s economic dependence on the United States crystal clear. And along the way, he’s referenced Europe as a top destination for Canadian goods. “As the most European of the non-European countries, Canada looks first to the European Union to build a better world,” Carney said last June at an EU-Canada summit in Brussels…. Canada has since signed a security and defence partnership with the EU, and this week the two sides agreed to enhance their existing free trade agreement (CBC.ca).

A Continental Breakup Foretold

The present relationship between Canada and the U.S. would not have been imagined even two years ago. Yet, 2,700 years ago, Isaiah was given words that predicted a rift between Ephraim and Manasseh toward the end of the age—one that will even lead to a rupture with Judah, the ancestor of the modern nation of Israel. Could we be seeing this beginning to be fulfilled? Truly, unless they return to the God who made them successful—and work to serve His purpose—a very dire time of upheaval awaits these modern Israelite nations.