OTTAWA: Diplomatic tensions between the US and Canada after US President-elect Donald Trump made provocative comments concerning a potential merger between the US and Canada. But the idea has been vehemently rejected by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, sparking a war of words between the two North American leaders.
Trump suggested in a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida that Canada should become the 51st state of the US—and with “economic force.” I’ll see what that looks like; you get rid of that artificially drawn line, and it would be much, much better as far as national security goes, Trump said.
Shortly after, Trudeau reacted to Trump’s comments on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Canadian Prime Minister stated, ‘There is’n’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States. “The current relationship is mutually beneficial to workers and communities in both our countries because they are each other’s biggest trading and security partner,” he emphasised.
Trump’s controversial proposal isn’t entirely new. He floated the idea on Thursday after meeting Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago following his November election victory. Tensions between the two nations have further been stoked by Trump repeatedly referring to Trudeau as the ‘Governor’ of Canada.
His comments have already raised fears of economic retaliation. If Canada can’t meet US demands on issues like drug trafficking and immigration, he’s threatened to erect a 25% tariff on Canadian imports. But such a move would have serious repercussions for Canada’s economy, which depends heavily on trade with its southern neighbour.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly accused Trump of a ‘complete lack of understanding’ of Canada. “Our economy is strong. Our people are strong.’ So we would never back down in the face of threats,’ said Joly.
The spat comes days after Trudeau said he will step down as leader of his Liberal Party. Although he will remain as Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen, his tenure—the PM’s longest since 1997 following the election landslide all those years ago—is now coming to an end.
But as the situation has played out, many Canadians have brushed off Trump’s statements as jokes and others as an affront to their country’s sovereignty. The controversy has reignited a debate about Canada-US relations and what effect Trump’s return to the White House could have on those relations.