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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has responded to Donald Trump’s threat to use “economic power” to take Canada out of the US by saying there is not a “snow chance in hell” that the two will join.
President-elect Trump in recent weeks has repeatedly asked Canada to become the 51st country in the US.
“You remove the line, and you look at what it looks like, and it would be good for national security,” Trump said at a press conference at his Florida home in Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.
“Canada and the United States, that would be something else.”
Trump repeated his threat to impose “significant” tariffs on Canadian goods unless the country took steps to increase security on the US border it shares.
The ongoing tariff threat comes at a time of political turmoil in Canada.
On Monday, the vulnerable Trudeau announced his resignation, although he will remain prime minister until the ruling Liberals choose a new leader, which is expected by the end of March.
Canada’s parliament has been adjourned – or adjourned – until March 24 to allow time for the contest.
Economists have warned that if Trump goes ahead with the tariffs after they are implemented on January 20, they could hurt the Canadian economy.
About C$3.6bn ($2.5bn) worth of goods and services will cross the border every day in 2023, according to Canadian government figures.
The Trudeau government has said it is considering imposing a border if Trump follows through on the threat.
The Prime Minister also said at X on Tuesday: “Workers and communities in all our countries benefit from being partners in trade and security.”
During his lengthy press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump reiterated his concerns about drugs crossing the Mexican-Canadian border into the US.
Like Canada, Mexico faces a 25% risk.
The amount of fentanyl caught on the US-Canada border is much lower than the southern border, according to US data.
Canada has pledged to implement new border security measures, including strengthening patrols and adding a “military force” to fight international terrorism.
Trump said on Tuesday he was not considering using the military to make Canada part of the United States, but he expressed concern about using his neighbor’s military equipment.
“They have a very small army. They rely on our soldiers. Everything is fine, but, you know, they have to pay. 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 by Nato members.
Its defense budget currently stands at C$27bn ($19.8bn, £15.5bn), although the Trudeau government has pledged to increase spending to around C$50bn by 2030.
British Prime Minister David Eby told a press conference on Tuesday that a number of Canadian ministers will soon travel to Washington DC to encourage the people they can afford.
On Monday, Doug Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province of Ontario, said Trudeau should spend his remaining weeks in office working with provinces to counter Trump’s threat.
“Ministers are running this country,” he told BBC News in an interview.
Ontario is heavily dependent on trade with the US. The province is at the heart of Canada’s most integrated automotive industry, with trade between Ontario and the US expected to reach C$493bn ($350bn) in 2023.
“My message is let’s work together, let’s build a strong business relationship – don’t weaken it,” Ford said.
The Prime Minister warned that “we will retaliate strongly” if the Trump administration follows through, highlighting the economic ties between the two countries, including energy.
The US depends on “Ontario for their electricity. We turn on electricity to a million and a half homes and businesses in the US,” he said.
At a press conference earlier this week, Ford pushed back on 51 comments from the Trump administration.
“I’ll make him a counter offer. How about we buy Alaska and throw in Minneapolis and Minnesota at the same time?” Ford said.
