Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says talk of Canada becoming the 51st state is a distraction from the more pressing threats of U.S. tariffs on Canada and their potential impact.
In an interview broadcast Sunday on MSNBC, he says Canada is ready to respond with retaliatory tariffs should President-elect Donald Trump follow through on his threat to impose blanket 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico when he takes office. measures. office next week.
Trump has also referred to Canada as the “51st state,” a notion that federal cabinet ministers initially interpreted as a joke but now appear to be taking more seriously.
Appearing on “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Trudeau said Canadians need to take Trump’s expansionist rhetoric seriously and that there is a certain amount of “flattery” in Trump seeing how great the country is.
“And I know that, as a successful negotiator, (Trump) likes to keep people a little off balance. In the 51st state, that’s not going to happen. It is simply a failure. Canadians are incredibly proud to be Canadians,” said Trudeau, who recorded the appearance while in the United States to attend former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Thursday.
“But now people are talking about that, instead of talking about, for example, what the impact would be of 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum coming into the United States, or on energy, whether it’s oil and gasoline or electricity. .”
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Trudeau said he was able to negotiate a mutually beneficial Canada-U.S. free trade deal with Trump the last time the two were in office, even though it was “difficult” due to Trump’s negotiating behavior.
“But we came to a good outcome that was beneficial to both of us,” Trudeau told Psaki, the former White House press secretary.
As for Trump calling Trudeau “governor,” Trudeau said, “I’ve been in politics for a very long time. I tend to focus on the substantial stuff, not on people choosing nicknames for me. I mean, if I were that wise, I probably wouldn’t last that long in politics.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made her own appeal to Trump this weekend, posting on social media that she spent time at his Mar-a-Lago residence and met with him and key allies in the incoming administration. .
Smith said the pair had a “friendly and constructive” conversation about the importance of the U.S.-Canada energy relationship and how Alberta’s exports support American jobs.
In a photo he shared online, Smith is seen standing next to Trump and Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary.
“On behalf of Albertans, I will continue to engage in constructive dialogue and diplomacy with the incoming administration and elected federal and state officials of both parties, and do everything I can to advance the interests of Alberta and Canada,” Smith wrote .
“We need to preserve our independence while growing this critical partnership for the benefit of Canadians and Americans for generations to come.”
