Washington DC - Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told an audience in Washington, DC that he is concerned about the US and Canada's "fracturing" relationship and wants things to improve.

"One thing that [Canada and the US] are focused on is illegal activity," Mullin said during a fireside chat at an event for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a political think tank, on Wednesday.

"The biggest concern we see is what's happening on our southern border being pushed up to our northern border because of the pressure we're putting on the cartels," he said.

"Their business models still exist. The demand still exists, and so they start pushing and looking for other areas."

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Mullin made it clear that concerns around border security are one of the key sources of tension between Canada and the US, alongside a series of major trade disputes.

He voiced concern that the "fracturing" relationship between the two countries needs to be restored if they want to maintain security across North America.

"Our biggest priority now is to have great partnerships with our friends to the north, to be able to actively stop it before it grows to the point that it is in Mexico," he said.

"When push comes to shove, you know, we may disagree on stuff, but they need us, and we need them," Mullin explained. "We've got to figure it out because we're not going anywhere, and they're not going anywhere."

The Canadian-US relationship is experiencing a particularly turbulent time, as President Donald Trump repeatedly draws into question the future of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Trump has also launched numerous damaging tariffs against the US' northern neighbor, particularly targeting Canada's steel, aluminum, and auto industries.

Tensions have reached such a height that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney last week delayed the opening of a new bridge between the US and Canada over "unresolved issues."

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Gary Anandasangaree, Canada's Minister of Public Safety, was sitting across from Mullin during the event and voiced agreement with many of the things the secretary said.

"What differences we have are negligible compared to what we have in common and the work that we're doing together," Anandasangaree said. "If there are irritations, we need to just work through them."