US President-elect Donald Trump’s joke during a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Canada should become the 51st US state against tariffs was “in no way a serious comment” said Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
In a surprise visit, Trudeau flew to Florida on Friday, where he met and dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate. The meeting came just days after Trump threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian goods entering the United States unless Canada increases border security.
Details of their discussion remain scarce, but Trump said it was a “very productive meeting” and Trudeau called it a “great conversation.”
On Mondays, Fox News, citing anonymous sourcesreported that Trump suggested to Trudeau that if tariffs would kill the Canadian economy, then perhaps it should become the 51st state.
LeBlanc, who was also at the dinner, was asked about those reports Tuesday.
“We were at a three-hour social evening at the president’s residence in Florida on a long American Thanksgiving weekend,” he told reporters before a cabinet meeting in Ottawa.
“The conversation was going to be happy. The president told jokes. The president was kidding us. Of course, this is not a serious comment on this issue.
“We had a discussion about trade issues, about border security that was very productive, but the fact that there is a warm and cordial relationship between the two leaders and that the president can joke like that was something positive for us.”
Other ministers in Trudeau’s cabinet also downplayed Trump’s comments.
Tourism Minister Soraya Martínez Ferrada said: “I don’t think he doesn’t take Canada seriously. “I think so and that’s why they invited Trudeau to have dinner with them.”
“Now I think we’ll probably have difficult conversations, but I think they’ll be good conversations,” Ferrada told reporters.
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Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the meeting indicates how much importance Trump places on the Canada-U.S. relationship and that any other suggestion is “silly talk,” which undermines the collective work of the former. ministers and Trudeau “to provide a unified solution and strong voice in the context of the next Trump administration.”
When asked about Trump’s 51st comment, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne responded: “I’m proud to be Canadian.”
Champagne said the fact that Trudeau is the first G7 leader to be welcomed by the incoming U.S. president is “really significant” and is a testament to the strategic nature of the relationship between the two neighbors.
“When President-elect Trump invites Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau as the first leader to go to Mar-a-Lago, I think it sends a great signal to the world that Canada is a strategic partner.”
Justice Minister Arif Virani said there are inherent challenges in the relationship with any US administration, but the important thing is that Canada has a “working relationship” with Trump and it goes back more than eight years, he said.
“I think the fact that we have that continuity and that experience working with the Trump administration, working to defend Canada’s interests, is what we will continue to do, and I think this dinner that they had on Friday night is just one example. “
Trudeau and opposition leaders meet
Trump’s announcement last week, promising to impose a 25 percent tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico once he takes office, has raised concerns among political leaders and different sectors in Canada who would feel its impact.
Trudeau, who said Friday that Trump’s tariff threat should be taken seriously, met with opposition leaders in his office in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the matter.
After the meeting, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters that a tariff on Canadian goods would be as damaging to the United States as it would be to Canada.
“I told the prime minister that, of course, at every opportunity I will make those arguments and defend Canada on behalf of all Canadians to put Canada first, which is what we all need to do,” Poilievre said.
He also said he had demanded that Trudeau “fix the mess he’s made at the border” and “reverse job-destroying tax increases.”
“Trump’s tariffs would cause damage, but Trudeau’s taxes are already causing that damage,” he said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he stressed to Trudeau that Trump’s threat must be taken seriously and that border security is an area where the government can act “immediately.”
He said he called for hiring more Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) agents and expanding the CBSA’s mandate to include the entire border, rather than just official crossings.
“It’s not just about making sure we avoid trade tariffs that could directly hurt us, but it’s also in our best interest to do so,” he said, pointing to illegal firearms and drugs coming into Canada from the United States.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said parts of the plan to confront Trump’s threat are exactly what his party had long asked for, including more resources at the border.
“We don’t have the details of the numbers, but we know the intent, which alone is the start of something good, but we’ll see what it contains when it’s made public.”
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said Trudeau told opposition leaders to make arguments against imposing tariffs on Canadian goods to his contacts in the United States “with any position of authority (and) political influence.”
He also said leaders were urged not to amplify “lies” and attacks against Canada by the Trump administration and other U.S. officials.
“We defend Canada, we are Canadians,” he said. “All members of Parliament, regardless of party, should be united on this.”
When asked about Trump’s 51st state comment, May said it was not raised during the closed-door meeting.
“It’s not funny, by the way,” he added.
– with files from The Canadian Press
