Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday hit back at US President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to use “economic force” to absorb Canada into the United States, saying there is no possibility of the countries merging.
“There is no chance that Canada will become part of the United States,” Mr. Trudeau wrote on Twitter (formally Twitter).
“Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s largest trading and security partner,” he said.
There is no possibility that Canada will become part of the United States.
Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s largest trading and security partner.
– Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 7 January 2025
Mr Trudeau’s reaction came after incoming US President Trump said he was willing to use “economic force” to merge Canada and the United States, just hours after the Canadian Prime Minister called on the Liberal Party leader And announced his resignation as Prime Minister.
“You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what it looks like, and it’s for national security,” he said, speaking at a news conference at his Florida home in Mar-a-Lago. “Will also be much better.”
“Canada and the United States, this will really be something,” Mr Trump said.
He also expressed concern over Canada’s military spending, saying, “They have a very small military. They rely on our military. That’s all right, but, you know, they have to pay for it. It’s very unfair. “
Since his election victory in November, Mr Trump has repeatedly touted Canada’s desire to become the “51st US state”.
Earlier, he had threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25 per cent on Canadian goods unless the North American country took adequate steps to increase security at the shared border and reduce the entry of drugs and illegal immigrants into the US.
In response, the Trudeau government has promised to impose tougher security measures at the US-Canada border, but has said it would consider retaliatory tariffs if Mr Trump follows through on his threats.
Canada and the US reportedly share a trade relationship worth one trillion dollars. According to Canadian government data, about C$3.6 billion ($2.5 billion) worth of goods and services crossed the border per day in 2023.
Experts believe that if Donald Trump acts on his threat after assuming the presidency on January 20, it could cause significant damage to the Canadian economy.
