Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned on Friday that Donald Trump’s idea to make Canada the 51st American state is motivated by Canada’s resources and should be taken seriously.
President Trump wants to “absorb our country," Trudeau was quoted as saying by multiple Canadian media outlets. He was speaking privately to business and labour leaders at an economic summit organised in Toronto in response to the US threat to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods.
“I suggest that not only does the Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have but that may be even why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state,” Trudeau said.
“They’re very aware of our resources, of what we have, and they very much want to be able to benefit from those,” the Canadian Prime Minister added, "But Mr. Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country. And it is a real thing.”
In recent months, Trump has repeatedly mentioned the possibility of the US and Canada merging. He has threatened to use “economic force” to annex the USA's northern neighbour, an ally whose defence the USA “subsidises,” according to Trump.
US tariffs were set to take effect on Tuesday, but Trump granted Canada a 30-day reprieve.
He justified the tariffs as a way to force Canada to combat fentanyl trafficking, a powerful opioid causing a severe health crisis in the US, and to address illegal immigration into the US. Trump also complained about the US trade deficit with Canada.
Trudeau said on Friday that Ottawa would continue to work to address Trump’s concerns about fentanyl and clandestine border crossings, even though Canada contributes little to these issues.
