Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has hit back at Donald Trump’s threat to use “economic force” to absorb Canada into the U.S., saying there’s not a “snowball’s chance in hell” that it will join them.
On Tuesday, President-elect Trump repeated his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods if the country does not take steps to increase security at the US’s shared border.
Trump has repeatedly called out Canada in recent weeks for becoming America’s 51st state.
Get rid of that artificially drawn line and see what that looks like, and that would also be much better for national security, Trump said.
“Canada and the United States, that would really be something,” he said at a news conference at his Mar-a Lago, Florida, residence.
The ongoing threat of tariffs comes at a politically challenging time for Canada.
On Monday, a beleaguered Trudeau announced he was resigning, although he will remain as prime minister until the ruling Liberals elect a new leader, which is expected sometime before the end of March.
Canada’s parliament has been adjourned – or suspended – until March 24 to allow time for the leadership race.
Economists warn that if Trump continues to impose tariffs after he is inaugurated on January 20, it would significantly hurt the Canadian economy.
Almost C$3.6 billion ($2.5 billion) worth of goods and services crossed the border in 2023, according to Canadian government data.
Trudeau’s government has said it is considering retaliating if Trump follows through on the threat.
The prime minister also said on X that: “Workers and communities in both of our countries benefit from being each other’s largest trading and security partners.”
On Tuesday, Trump reiterated his concerns about drugs crossing the Mexican and Canadian borders into the US.
Like Canada, Mexico faces the threat of 25% tariffs.
The amount of fentanyl seized at the US-Canada border is significantly less than at the southern border, according to US data.
Canada has pledged to implement a series of sweeping new security measures along the border, including increased surveillance and the addition of a joint “strike force” to fight transnational organized crime.
On Tuesday, Trump said he was not considering using military force to make Canada part of the United States, but expressed concern about its neighbor’s military spending.
“They have a very small military. They rely on our military. That’s all well and good, but, you know, they have to pay for it. It’s very unfair,” he said.
Canada has been under pressure to increase its military spending as it continues to fall short of the target set for NATO members.
Its defense budget currently stands at C$27 billion ($19.8 billion, £15.5 billion), although the Trudeau government has pledged to increase spending to nearly C$50 billion by 2030.
On Monday, Doug Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province of Ontario, said Trudeau must spend his remaining weeks in office working with the provinces to address Trump’s threat.
“The prime ministers are running the country right now,” he said.
Ontario relies heavily on trade with the US. The province is at the heart of Canada’s highly integrated automotive industry, with trade between Ontario and the U.S. estimated at more than C$493 billion ($350 billion) in 2023.
“My message is to work together, to build a stronger trade relationship – not to weaken it,” he said.
The prime minister warned “we will retaliate fiercely” if the Trump administration continues, and highlighted the close economic ties between the two nations, including those in energy.
The U.S. relies “on Ontario for its electricity. We keep the lights on in a million and a half homes and businesses in the U.S.,” he said.
At a press conference earlier this week, Ford also dismissed Trump’s comments about the 51st state.
“I’ll make him a counteroffer. How about we buy Alaska and throw in Minneapolis and Minnesota at the same time?” Ford said.
