Justin Trudeau announced this Monday that he will step down as prime minister and the leadership of his party. However, the political focus shifted in a matter of hours to the United States. Donald Trump has been declaring for weeks that Canada should be the 51st State of the American Union if it fails to meet his demands regarding border security. This Tuesday, in a press conference at his mansion in Mar-a-Lago (Florida), he insisted on his expansionist plans focused on Greenland and Panama, in which he does not rule out military or economic pressures. But he also once again referred to Canadian territory, which united the political class of the neighboring country against his threats.
The Republican magnate, who will return to the White House on January 20, responded to a reporter’s question regarding whether he contemplated military intervention for the annexation of Canada. Trump dismissed this idea, but stressed that he could use “economic force” to get rid of the border. “It would be much better for national security,” he commented, adding that “the United States spends hundreds of billions of dollars” annually to protect the borders between the two countries, noting that Canada receives such protection as a US subsidy.
A few hours later, the Canadian Government launched its first criticism through Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Joly stated from his X account that Trump’s comments “show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country. Our economy is strong. Our people are strong. We will never back down from threats.” Justin Trudeau also responded on social media to the threats from the next American president. “There is never the remotest possibility that Canada will become part of the United States. “Workers and communities in our two countries benefit from us being each other’s largest trade and security partners,” wrote the premiere Canadian.
Opposition forces joined the chorus of criticism against Trump. Jagmeet Singh, leader of the social democratic New Democratic Party, said: “Enough of this nonsense, Donald. No Canadian wants to join you. We are proud to be Canadian. Proud of how we help each other and defend our nation. “Your attacks will hurt jobs on both sides of the border.”
Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party, indicated for his part: “We are a great independent country. We spent billions of dollars and lost hundreds of lives to help the American people fight Al Qaeda on 9/11.
We supply billions of dollars of high-quality, fully reliable energy to the United States, well below market prices. “We buy hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American products.” However, Poilievre did not miss the opportunity to criticize the Trudeau Executive. “Our weak and pathetic Liberal government has failed to make these obvious points,” he said, adding that he will fight for Canada when he becomes prime minister. The conservative leader enjoys a considerable advantage in the polls ahead of the next elections.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues his threats to impose 25% tariffs on Canadians and Mexicans if they do not strengthen security on their borders with the United States. Ottawa announced on December 17 a plan worth some US$900 million to increase border security. Likewise, Justin Trudeau will hold a meeting with the provincial premiers on January 15 to continue discussing the relationship with Washington. The ties with the neighboring country are extremely worrying due to Trump’s attacks; also due to the political crisis in which the Trudeau Government is immersed.
