US President Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of absorbing Canada as the 51st state
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. © Dave Chan/Getty Images Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said US President Donald Trump’s remarks about Canada becoming the 51st US state are a “non-starter.” Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of absorbing Canada, reiterating last week his desire to make the country “our 51st state.” He told reporters he would “love” to see it happen but acknowledged that some people consider it a “long shot.” Speaking to reporters on Wednesday as he wrapped up his visit to Brussels, Trudeau called the idea of incorporating Canada into the US a “non-starter.” “There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada will ever be the 51st state,” he said. “It’s never going to happen, but we have to take seriously what the president is saying and fold that into our thinking as we continue to stand up for Canada.” Trudeau described Canadians’ response in recent weeks as “inspiring,” noting how they have changed their vacation plans, explored ways to “buy Canadian,” and supported local businesses. Last week, Trudeau was caught on a hot mike telling businesspeople that Trump is not joking when he talks about annexing Canada. The US wants to “benefit” from Canada’s natural resources and “Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country, and it is a real thing,” he warned.
The US president argued earlier this week that Canada would struggle to remain viable without receiving hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies from Washington, as well as military protection from the US. According to Trump, the solution is to join the US, which would result in “much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada – and no tariffs!” On Monday, Trump said he would impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to the US, including from Canada, effective in March. These tariffs would be stacked on top of 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods, which was imposed earlier this month. Trudeau said Canada does not want to be in a trade dispute with the US, but vowed to retaliate in a “calibrated but extremely strong way” if Trump follows through on his threats. In early February, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% on imports from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and drug trafficking. In response, Canada announced retaliatory tariffs of 25%, targeting a wide range of American-made goods. However, as the specter of a trade war loomed, Washington and Ottawa agreed to delay the implementation of the tariffs until March 4.
