Last week I attended FGS Longview’s Calgary Leaders Breakfast at the Petroleum Club in downtown Calgary. The event offered a fascinating look at the current climate Canadian businesses face when investing in the United States under the Trump administration.

FGS partners Martin Cej, Maeghan Dewar, Phil Harwood, and Michael Considine shared a candid, insider’s view of how Washington is currently functioning. From a communications standpoint, the message was unmistakable: As the U.S. landscape grows more politicized, strategic communications has become the decisive factor in whether Canadian deals succeed or stall.

What struck me most was how deeply politicized the investment review process in the U.S. has become. It is no longer just about legal compliance or technical filings. Proponents must strategically navigate an additional layer of political influencers in order to be successful.

FGS Partner Phil Harwood advised the audience that economic security has become synonymous with national security under Trump’s leadership, and political players are playing a larger role.

“What’s happened over time, and it’s accelerated with the second administration of Donald Trump, is that the political decision-makers have been broadening out what defines national security,” said Harwood.

Senior political appointees, including cabinet-level officials, are now weighing in early and sometimes unpredictably on transactions that would have flown under the radar in previous administrations.

This is where strategic communications can make or break a deal. It is not just about getting the facts right and getting them out there. It is about actively shaping perception, actively building trust, and actively aligning your message with political and economic interests, as well as the realities of the moment.

This is where strategic communications can make or break a deal. It is not just about getting the facts right and getting them out there. It is about actively shaping perception, actively building trust, and actively aligning your message with political and economic interests, as well as the realities of the moment.

To manage deals successfully, robust political due diligence has become a strategic imperative rather than merely a box to check. Proponents need to know who the key influencers are, what matters to them, and how to shape messaging so that it resonates with them and across their constituencies and jurisdictions.

FGS Partner Michael Considine pointed out that detailed scenario planning helps teams anticipate twists and turns before they disrupt momentum. Comprehensive stakeholder mapping is also critical, and messaging must be tailored to each of the audiences identified.

“It is not a world where one set of talking points fits all . . . the stakeholder piece is incredibly important.”

And as the transaction unfolds, it’s equally important to keep feedback channels open to surface concerns before they spiral, and leverage opportunities to build comfort and confidence among stakeholders and influencers as they emerge. Continuous engagement is what transforms complexity into clarity, and resistance into alignment.

Actively managing narrative is another key factor contributing to companies’ success. FGS partner Maeghan Dewar pointed out that if you do not actively manage the story around your project, someone else will, and the result will almost certainly be unfavourable.

“The narrative behind a transaction is really important… if you do not manage it, you allow the opposition to take over… and the narrative gets out of hand.”

Dewar also spoke about narrative discipline and pointed out that deal teams need to be able to think on their feet while keeping within the bounds of their messaging strategy.

“But I think the other thing for boards for executives to be thinking about is that things are going to get weird. Like, there are going to be weird issues like, there are going to be, you know, this person over here who has been involved in government in some way, is going to ask a question that makes no sense.”

Whether it’s getting a deal done in the U.S., or advancing a project in Canada, companies with big plans ought to be engaged in robust political due diligence, detailed scenario planning, comprehensive stakeholder mapping and tailored messaging for key audiences. They should also be actively managing their narratives and the talk that surround their activities. This is precisely the kind of work we are focused on at GrayPoint Communications Advisory, and it’s more relevant than ever.

I left the breakfast reminded that our job as communicators is not just to support a client’s initiative. We must also actively help shape its trajectory. In today’s environment, that means actively managing communications, paying attention to personalities and politics, and relentlessly pursuing clarity. And if we want to contribute to successful outcomes, we must be ready to lead with strategy and not just react with support.