A joke reportedly made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state to face tariffs is “in no way a serious comment,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said.
In a surprise visit, Trudeau headed to Florida on Friday, where he met Trump and had dinner with him at his home in Mar-a-Lago. The meeting came just days after Trump threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian products coming into the United States unless Canada strengthens border security.
Details of their discussion remain scarce, but Trump said it was a “very productive meeting” and Trudeau called it an “excellent conversation.”
on monday, Fox News citing anonymous sourcesShe reported that Trump suggested to Trudeau that if tariffs were going to kill the Canadian economy, perhaps it should become the 51st state.
LeBlanc, who was also present at the dinner, was asked about those reports on Tuesday.
“We were at a three-hour social evening at the president’s residence in Florida over the long American Thanksgiving weekend,” he told reporters before a Cabinet meeting in Ottawa.
“The conversation was going to be light. The president was telling jokes. The president was teasing us. Of course, there was no serious comment on the matter in any way.
He added: “We had a discussion on trade and border security issues and it was very productive, but the fact that there was a warm and friendly relationship between the two leaders and the president was able to joke in this way for us was positive.”
Other ministers in Trudeau’s government also downplayed Trump’s public comments.
“I don’t think he doesn’t take Canada seriously,” Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada said. “I think he does and that’s why he invited Trudeau to have dinner with them.”
“Now, I think we will probably have difficult talks, but I think they will be good talks,” Ferrada told reporters.
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Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the meeting indicates how much importance Trump places on the Canada-U.S. relationship and any other proposal is “ridiculous rhetoric” that undermines the collective work of the prime ministers and Trudeau “to provide a unified and coherent solution.” A powerful voice in the context of the incoming Trump administration.
When asked about Trump’s 51st statement, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne replied: “I’m proud to be Canadian.”
Champagne said the fact that Trudeau is the first G7 leader to be hosted by the next US president is “really significant” and attests to the strategic nature of the relationship between the two neighbours.
“When President-elect Trump invites Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau as the first leader to go to Mar-a-Lago, I think that sends a big signal to the world that Canada is a strategic partner.”
Justice Minister Arif Virani said there are inherent challenges in the relationship with any US administration, but what is important is that Canada has a “working relationship” with Trump dating back more than eight years, he said.
“I think the fact that we have that continuity and we have that experience working with the Trump administration, working to defend Canada’s interests is what we will continue to do, and I think this dinner I had on Friday night is just an example.”
Trudeau meets with opposition leaders
Trump’s announcement last week, in which he pledged to impose 25% tariffs on all products coming from Canada and Mexico once he takes office, raised concerns among political leaders and various sectors in Canada who will feel its impact.
Trudeau, who said on Friday that Trump’s tariff threat should be taken seriously, met with opposition leaders in his office on Parliament Hill on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the matter.
After the meeting, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters that tariffs on Canadian goods would be just as harmful to the United States as they would be to Canada.
“I told the prime minister that, of course, I will make these arguments at every opportunity and we will make Canada’s case on behalf of all Canadians to put Canada first, which is what we all have to do,” Poilievre said.
He also said he called on Trudeau to “fix the disruption he caused at the border” and “repeal job-crushing tax increases.”
“Trump’s tariffs would do damage, but Trudeau’s taxes are already causing that damage,” he said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he assured Trudeau that Trump’s threat must be taken seriously, and that border security is an area where the government can act “immediately.”
He said he called for hiring more Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers and expanding the CBSA’s mandate to include the entire border, rather than just the official crossings.
“It’s not just about making sure we prevent trade tariffs that could directly hurt us, but it’s also in our interest to do that,” he said, referring to illegal firearms and drugs that come into Canada from the United States.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said parts of the plan to confront the Trump threat are exactly what his party has long demanded, including more resources at the border.
He added: “We do not have details in numbers, but we know the intention, and it in itself is the beginning of something good, but we will see what it contains when it is announced.”
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said Trudeau asked opposition leaders to make an argument against imposing tariffs on Canadian goods to their contacts in the United States “in any positions of political power and influence.”
She also said leaders were urged not to amplify “lies” and attacks against Canada from the Trump administration and other U.S. officials.
“We stand up for Canada, we are Canadians,” she said. “All MPs regardless of party must be united on this.”
In response to a question about Trump’s Comment No. 51, May said that it was not raised during the closed meeting.
“By the way, it’s not funny,” she added.
– With files from The Canadian Press
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