By Staff
January 7th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
Most of this article was originally published in the Toronto Star
In his first public statement since announcing his intent to step down as prime minister and Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau said Tuesday “there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell” that Canada would become the 51st American state, following U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s explosive comments that he would use “economic force” to lay claim to Canada.
“Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner,” Trudeau wrote in a post on X Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, the incoming president was asked whether he would consider using “military force” to annex Canada, given Trump’s refusal to rule out resorting to such measures to secure control of Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Artificially drawn line: really?
“No. Economic force, because Canada and the United States, that would really be something,” Trump said at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he recommitted to imposing steep tariffs on Canada and Mexico as part of his America-first agenda when he returns to the White House later this month.
“You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like … it would also be much better for national security.”
Trump went on to state that the U.S. spends “hundreds of billions” of dollars to “protect” and “take care of Canada,” clarifying that while the U.S. has “no right” to claim a sovereign nation, Canada should simply become an American state if it is receiving so much support from its southern neighbour.
Trump said he asked Trudeau, during the prime minister’s trip to Florida in late November, what would happen if the U.S. were to no longer “subsidize” Canada.
“I said, ‘What would happen if we didn’t do it?’ He said, ‘Canada would dissolve,’” Trump said.
“They send us hundreds of thousands of cars. They make a lot of money with that. They send us a lot of other things that we don’t need. We don’t need their milk. We got a lot of milk. We’ve got a lot of everything, and we don’t need any of it,” the president-elect added.
The Gazette asks:
Just how ignorant is this man? He doesn’t understand the Constitution he is sworn to protect. He doesn’t think he is subject to the decision of a jury and is now taking on Imperial airs – and he hasn’t even been sworn in. By the time he is sworn in he will have been found to be a convicted felon – on the 10th we will learn what the judge is going to hand out as a sentence. Let him run the country virtually from Alaska before Canada annexes that state from America.
It is truly unbelievable that America put a felon, rapist, racist, insurrectionist grifter and Russian asset in the WH.
It is more unbelievable how many – including here in Canada – are choosing to act as if it’s business as usual and are not rising up to rail against this assault on democracy and basic human decency. I saw some good strong and apt words from Trudeau yesterday actually – yes I know it’s easier now – as well as from the NDP’s Charlie Angus. Over to you Pierre. Over to you, big business and big media.
If you understand what “ keeping your powder dry” really means, look no further than to why Chrystia Freeland broke ranks with her boss. She knew that the days of wild spending were going to come home to roost sooner than later. Meanwhile the man (Jagmeet Singh) who could have pulled the plug on Trudeau threw gas on our economic woes. So here we are with a financially bare cupboard a lame duck government and an economic bully knocking at our sovereignty. And no one at the tiller for at least 5 months. Ouch
Thank you Stephen for describing accurately Trump’s plans for the U.S. and Canada. If he can’t simply bully other countries to agree with his plans for MAGA, then he’ll buy them! It’s a simple plan from an economic simpleton.
You can say what you like about Trump but, from his perspective, there is a maniacal genius in what he is doing. Moreover, his remarks about Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal, along with Elon Musk’s defaming of British PM Keir Starmer, and French President Macron, aren’t coincidental.
Trump hates Trudeau. He knew Trudeau headed a minority government, and he knew Trudeau and his government were weak and extremely unpopular. The social media posts and threats to impose tariffs were a way of instilling fear and intimidating an opponent, as well as undermining public support for a weakened government. It is a deliberate pressure tactic, and truth is, it has worked splendidly. Freeland is gone, Trudeau is going, and pretty soon the Liberal government will be gone.
People who understand negotiations know how to leverage pressure and intimidation outside of the bargaining table to their advantage. It is no different than what goes on during collective bargaining negotiations. For instance, management threatens to cut off retirees’ benefits if the union goes on strike. Or a union, working with labour councils, threatens to disrupt annual shareholders’ meetings, or boycott a particular product or service.
What is largely driving Trump’s agenda isn’t solely the border or illegal immigrants. It is the budget deficit which stands at $1.8 trillion. Tariffs, Trump believes, are a way of increasing revenue and reducing the deficit. However, while Trump may be a bully at the bargaining table, he clearly knows little about economics, and doesn’t comprehend the damage tariffs will do not only to the Canadian economy, but also, America’s. Not surprising perhaps that Trump has declared bankruptcy four times in his career.