The outgoing Prime Minister in Canada, Justin Trudeau, told a group of business leaders that he believed President Donald Trump may be serious to include his country.
Trumpo suggested that Trump had put forward the idea of seizing Canada and making it “State 51” because he wants to reach critical minerals in the country.
“Mr. Trump is in mind that the easiest way to do this is to absorb our country and this is a real thing,” Prime Minister said.
His comments were made behind closed doors at the Canadian Economic Summit and the United States in Toronto, but were partially arrested by the microphone and were reported by many Canadian media.
The summit was attended by more than 100 business leaders and public policy experts, and it was hosted by the newly created Canadian government's advisory council for relations between Canada.
Trudo's comments come after Trump threatened Canada with a 25 % tariff on all its exports to the United States, with the exception of energy exports that will be imposed on a 10 % less than 10 %.
The definitions were supposed to be imposed earlier this week, but Trump gave Canada – as well as Mexico, which was threatened with similar definitions – at the last minute for 30 days for more efforts to enhance security on their common borders.
Trump has repeatedly suggested, both in jobs on the social media platform (Truth Social) and in notes for reporters, that Canada can become an American country instead to avoid definitions. He also referred to the country's prime minister as “Trudeau's Governor”.
“What I would like to see – Canada has become our fifty -first state,” Trump said earlier this week at the Oval Office, when he was asked about Canada's concessions.
Trump first mentioned the idea of absorbing Canada at a dinner with Trudeau in December, shortly after the threat of definitions. At that time, Canadian officials rejected it as a joke.
But Trudeau's comments on Friday indicate a shift in how Canada realizes Trump's statements.
IPSOS poll in January explains that the majority of Canadians (80 %) oppose that their country becomes part of the United States, and they will never vote “yes” in any referendum on this issue.
Such a move also requires the approval of the two congressional rooms in the United States, and you will need 60 votes of 60 votes to reach the Senate.
In Canada, Trump's threats caused anxiety at the country level. About three quarters of Canadian exports are sold to the United States, and the sharp tariffs on those commodities may hurt Canada's economy and risk thousands of jobs.
Some regional politicians launched “local purchase” campaigns to encourage Canadians to spend their money at home instead of the United States. Some Canadians canceled trips to the south of the border in protest.
But officials also tried to pay closer relations with the United States in the wake of the definitions, saying that Canada was open to the creation of the Canada Alliance in Energy and Critical Minerals.
Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkenson, who was in Washington, DC, said this week to meet his American counterparts, that close cooperation would be a “victory” for both countries.
At Friday's summit, Trudeau said that Canada is facing the possibility of “a more difficult and long -term political situation with the United States”, and you should find ways to enhance the economy and trade relations in the coming years.
