Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated that Canada has no intention of becoming the 51st state of the USA.
– That will not happen – he said.
Speaking with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki on MSNBC’s “Inside” on Sunday, Trudeau discussed President-elect Donald Trump’s repeated comments that Canada could become part of the US.
“I know as a successful negotiator he likes to keep people off balance. The 51st state, that’s not going to happen,” he said.
The prime minister, who is facing rising unpopularity in polls ahead of a national election, has announced he will step down in March after his Liberal Party elects a new leader.
Trump recently upped the ante with repeated comments about annexing Canada.
“Get rid of that artificially drawn line and see what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security,” Trump said Tuesday at a news conference at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.
“Canada and the United States, that would really be something.”
He even went so far as to refer to the prime minister as “Governor Trudeau,” a position usually held by US heads of state.
But on television Sunday, Trudeau said he wasn’t paying attention to the jabs.
“I try to focus on essential things, not on people who choose my nicknames. I think, if I was so thin-skinned, I probably wouldn’t have lasted that long in politics.”
One of the big reasons Canada won’t join America, Trudeau said, is simple: Canadians don’t want it.
When trying to define their national identity, Trudeau said Canadians are likely to say “we’re not Americans,” among other things.
Earlier this week, Trudeau put it more bluntly, saying there was “not a snowball’s chance in hell” of the two countries becoming one.
Trudeau said what worries him is the impact of the tariffs on Canadians and Americans. Tensions between Trump and Canada have been simmering since the president was elected announced his plan impose tariffs of 25% on goods coming from Canada.
The move would have a significant impact on the Canadian economy and could lead to retaliatory tariffs.
“Canadians are incredibly proud to be Canadian, but people are talking about that now, not the impact of the 25 percent tariffs,” Trudeau said. “No American wants to pay 25 percent more for electricity or oil and gas coming from Canada.”
Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced on social media that she met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence over the weekend to discuss the importance of the US-Canada energy partnership. Alberta is a major exporter of oil and gas.
