Canada the 51st US state? Trudeau said ‘no’
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reiterated that Canada has no intention of becoming the 51st state of the United States.
“No,” he said.
Speaking to former White House press secretary Jane Passacki on MSNBC’s “Inside” on Sunday, Trudeau discussed repeated comments by President-elect Donald Trump that Canada could become part of the United States.
“As a successful negotiator, I know that he likes to keep people off balance. The 51st state, this will not happen,” he said.
Faced with unpopularity in the polls ahead of the national election, the Prime Minister announced that he would step down in March after his Liberal Party elects a new leader.
Trump has recently upped the ante with repeated comments about joining Canada.
“Take away that artificially drawn line, and see what it looks like, and it’s going to be a lot better for national security,” Trump said at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida home on Tuesday.
“Canada and the United States, that would really be something.”
He even went so far as to call the Prime Minister “Governor Trudeau.”
But on television on Sunday, Trudeau said he doesn’t pay for those jabs.
“I tend to focus on things, not what people choose nicknames for me. I mean, if I was that skinny, I wouldn’t have been in politics that long.”
One of the biggest reasons why Canada won’t join the US is simple: Canadians don’t want to.
As Trudeau tries to define their national identity, Canadians can say, among other things, “We’re not Americans.”
Earlier this week, Trudeau spoke more bluntly, saying there wasn’t a “snowball’s chance in hell” that the two countries would be united.
Trudeau said his concern is the impact of tariffs on Canadians and Americans. Since the president-elect, there has been tension between Trump and Canada He announced the plan To apply a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada.
The move would have a significant impact on the Canadian economy, and could result in retaliatory tariffs.
“Canadians are incredibly proud of being Canadian, but what people are talking about right now is the impact of a 25 percent tariff,” Trudeau said. “No American wants to pay 25 percent more for electricity or oil and gas from Canada.”
Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on social media that she discussed the importance of the US-Canada energy partnership with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home over the weekend. Alberta is a major oil and gas exporter.
