A 30-second commercial playing up the close ties between Canada and the United States will air on Washington's NBC affiliate dozens of times during the upcoming Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The organization behind the ad is the Canadian American Business Council.

A spokesperson says their research shows that while there's enormous goodwill towards Canada in the United States -- there's very little understanding of the importance of the relationship.

Maryscott Greenwood is executive director of the council.

She says the more people in D.C., who understand the magnitude of the commercial trade as well as volume of energy coming from Canada, the better their policies are from a Canada-United States perspective.

Just last week, both governments announced Canada would be exempted from the protectionist Buy American provisions in U.S. President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package.

The ad is aimed at American policymakers, energy and trade officials and "media elites."

Greenwood says the commercial focuses on friendship, mutual respect for the environment and jobs.