Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated that Canada has no intention of becoming the 51st state of the United States.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said.
Prime Minister Trudeau sat down with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki on MSNBC’s “Inside” on Sunday to discuss President-elect Donald Trump’s repeated comments that Canada could become part of the United States.
“I know as a successful negotiator he likes to keep people in balance, and that’s not going to happen in the 51st state,” he said.
The prime minister, who has become increasingly unpopular in opinion polls ahead of the general election, announced he would resign in March after his Liberal Party elects a new leader.
Trump has repeatedly spoken of Canadian annexation in recent days, raising its value.
“It would be much better for our national security if we got rid of these artificial lines and looked at what they looked like,” Trump said at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Tuesday.
“It’s going to be incredible for Canada and the United States.”
He even went so far as to call the prime minister, a position usually held by the leaders of each U.S. state, “Governor Trudeau.”
But on television Sunday, Trudeau said he wasn’t bothered by those jabs.
“I tend to focus on practical things rather than what people give me nicknames. I mean, if I were that thin-skinned, I probably wouldn’t last very long in politics.”
One of the biggest reasons Canada is not joining the United States is simple, Trudeau said. It’s just that Canadians don’t want it.
Trudeau said that when trying to define their national identity, Canadians are more likely to say, among other things, “We are not Americans.”
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Trudeau was more blunt, saying there was “no snowball’s chance” the two countries would become one.
Prime Minister Trudeau said his concern is the impact the tariffs will have on Canadians and Americans. Tensions between Trump and Canada have been rising since his election. announced his plans Implement a 25% tariff on goods coming from Canada.
This measure will have a significant impact on the Canadian economy and could lead to retaliatory tariffs.
“Canadians are incredibly proud to be Canadian, but now people are talking about that rather than the impact of the 25 per cent tariff,” Trudeau said. “No American wants to pay 25 per cent more for electricity or oil or gas coming from Canada.”
Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith posted on social media that she met with President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence last weekend and discussed the importance of the U.S.-Canada energy partnership. Alberta is a major oil and gas exporter.
