Photo: AFP
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has dismissed a suggestion by US President-elect Donald Trump that he might use "economic force" to make Canada the 51st US state.
"There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States," he said in a post on X.
"Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other's biggest trading and security partner."
There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 7, 2025
Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner.
Trump, speaking in Mar-a-Lago, was asked if he was considering using military force to acquire Canada.
"No, economic force," he responded. "Because Canada and the United States, that would really be something."
Trump, who has long complained about Canada's trade surplus with the US, had earlier told reporters the border was an "artificially drawn line."
Trump has threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada, which sends 75 percent of all goods and services exports south of the border.
Earlier, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Trump's comments "show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country ... We will never back down in the face of threats."
- Reuters
