Ottawa: In response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s warning to use “economic force” to incorporate Canada into the US, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that there is no chance of a country merging.
“There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” Mr. Trudeau published on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner,” he stated.
In addition to Prime Minister Trudeau’s statement, the Canadian foreign minister stated that the nation will “never back down” from Donald Trump’s threats.
Trump’s comments, according to Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, demonstrated “a complete lack of understanding” of Canada.
“We have a robust economy. We are a strong people. On the social networking site run by Trump ally Elon Musk, she declared, “We will never back down in the face of threats.”
Hours after the Canadian premier announced his resignation as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party, incoming US President Trump declared he was prepared to use “economic force” to unite Canada and the US. This prompted Canada’s response.
“You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security,” he remarked during a press conference held at his Florida Mar-a-Lago residence.
“Canada and the United States, that would really be something,” Trump stated.
“They have a very small military,” he added, voicing concerns over Canada’s military budget. They depend on our armed forces. It’s all right, but they have to pay for that, you know. It’s incredibly unjust.
In response to the question of whether he would use military force to subdue Canada, the new president responded, “no, economic force.”
Mr. Trump has made fun of Canada for becoming the “51st US state” on several occasions since he won the election in November.
In the past, he has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods unless the northern American nation made significant efforts to improve border security and lower the number of illegal immigrants and drugs entering the US.
The Trudeau administration has responded by vowing to enact stringent border security measures between the United States and Canada, but it has also stated that it may impose counter-tariffs if Mr. Trump carries out his threats.
According to reports, trade between the US and Canada is worth trillions of dollars. According to the Canadian government’s data, nearly C$3.6bn ($2.5bn) worth of goods and services crossed the border daily in 2023.
Experts believe if Donald Trump follows through with his threat after taking office on January 20, it could hurt Canada’s economy significantly.