Canadian political leaders are strongly opposed to President-elect Donald Trump’s belief that America’s neighbor to the north should become the 51st U.S. state.
Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation this week, and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, who is hoping to become the country’s next prime minister, both released statements Tuesday thoroughly rejecting Trump’s musings about Canada joining the United States.
“Canada will never be the 51st state. Period. We are a great and independent country,” Poilievre said.
“We are the best friend to the U.S. We spent billions of dollars and hundreds of lives helping Americans retaliate against Al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks. We supply the U.S. with billions of dollars of high-quality and totally reliable energy well below market prices. We buy hundreds of billions of dollars of American goods,” he added.
Trump suggested at a press conference Tuesday that Canada could become the 51st U.S. state and said he would use “economic force” on Canada if necessary. He similarly refused to rule out the use of military force to annex Greenland and the Panama canal after recently floating the possibility of acquiring both territories.
The president-elect has already threatened to levy 25 percent tariffs on Canada because of its failure to assist with curtailing illegal immigration. Steep U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports could severely damage Canada’s economy and potentially exacerbate inflation in the U.S. if Canada retaliates accordingly.
Trudeau immediately dismissed Trump’s suggestion and said residents on both sides of the border benefit from free-flowing commerce.
“There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” Trudeau said on X.
“Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner.”
Trudeau resigned Monday as leader of Canada’s Liberal Party after feuding with Trump over trade policy and suffering a significant decline in polls leading up to the next Canadian elections. He will stay on as prime minster until the Liberals elect a new leader, which is likely to happen around the end of March.
Trudeau’s nine-year tenure has seen Canada grapple with economic stagnation and a growing fiscal deficit along with soaring housing costs and increased immigration. Poilievre has made unleashing economic growth and building more housing top priorities throughout his campaign to become prime minster.
Trump and Trudeau met in November after Trump’s tariff threat at Mar-a-Lago and the incoming president reportedly suggested that Canada become the 51st state. Last month, Trump mockingly called “Governor” Trudeau from the “great state” of Canada and said he looked forward to future discussions.