Trudeau says Trump -threat against Annex Canada ‘is a real thing’

Canada’s outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has told a group of business leaders that he believes President Donald Trump may be serious about annexing his country.

Trudeau suggested that Trump have floated the idea of ​​taking over Canada and making it the “51st state” because he wants to access the country’s critical minerals.

“Mr. Trump is in mind that the easiest way to do it is to absorb our country, and that’s a real thing,” the prime minister said.

His comments were made behind closed doors at a Canada-Usa’s financial summit in Toronto, but was partially caught by a microphone and was reported by several Canadian media.

The summit attended more than 100 business leaders and public political experts and hosted the Canadian government’s newly created advisory advice on the links between Canada and the United States.

Trudeau’s comments come after Trump threatened Canada with a 25% duty on all its exports to the United States, with the exception of energy exports that would be taxed at a lower rate of 10%.

The tariffs were to be introduced earlier this week, but Trump awarded Canada – as well as Mexico, who had been threatened with similar tariffs – a last moment postponement for 30 days in exchange for more efforts to strengthen security at their shared borders.

Trump had repeatedly suggested, both in positions on his social media platform truth social and in remarks to journalists that Canada could instead become a US state to avoid tariffs. He has also referred to the country’s prime minister as “Governor Trudeau”.

“What I would like to see – Canada become our 51. State,” Trump said earlier this week in the Oval Office when asked what concessions Canada could offer.

Trump first mentioned the idea of ​​absorbing Canada at a dinner with Trudeau in December, shortly after he first threatened customs. At that time, Canadian officials rejected it as a joke.

But Trudeau’s comments on Friday suggest a shift in how Canada can perceive Trump’s remarks.

An IPSOS vote made in January shows that the majority of Canadians (80%) are against their country to become part of the United States and would never vote ‘yes’ in any referendum on the issue.

Such a movement would also require approval of both congress for the United States and would need a supermajority of 60 votes to get through the Senate.

In Canada, Trump’s threats have caused nationwide anxiety. About three -quarters of Canadian exports are sold to the United States, and steep tariffs on these goods could deeply damage Canada’s economy and risk thousands of job losses.

Some provincial politicians have launched “buying local” campaigns to encourage Canadians to spend their money at home instead of the United States. Some Canadians have canceled trips to the south of the border in protest.

But officials have also tried to push closer to the United States in the wake of the tariffs and said Canada was open to establishing a Canada-US alliance on energy and critical minerals.

Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who has been in Washington DC this week to meet his American colleagues, said closer cooperation would be a “win-win” for both countries.

At Friday’s summit, Trudeau said Canada faced the possibility of “a more challenging, long -term political situation with the United States” and must find ways to strengthen his own finances and trade ties in the coming years.