Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated that Canada has no intention of becoming the 51st state of the US.
“It won’t happen,” he said.
Speaking with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki on MSNBC’s “Inside” on Sunday, Trudeau discussed President-Elect Donald Trump’s repeated comments that Canada could become part of the US.
“I know as a successful negotiator, he likes to keep people unequal. In a country of 51, it will not happen,” he said.
The prime minister, who faced unpopularity in the polls ahead of the general election, announced he would step down in March after his Liberal Party nominated a new leader.
Trump has upped the ante recently with repeated comments about uniting Canada.
“You removed this line that was illegally drawn, and you look at what that looks like, and it would be much better for national security,” Trump said at a press conference at his Florida home in Mar-a Lago on Tuesday.
“Canada and the United States, that would be something.”
He even referred to the prime minister as “Governor Trudeau,” a title often held by American state leaders.
But on television on Sunday, Trudeau said he didn’t mind that.
“I tend to focus on tangible things, not on people who choose nicknames for me. I mean, if I had a lighter complexion, I probably wouldn’t have stayed that long in politics.”
One of the biggest reasons Canada won’t join the United States, Trudeau said, is simple: Canadians don’t want to.
When trying to define their nationality, Trudeau said Canadians might say “we’re not American”, among other things.
Earlier this week, Trudeau put it bluntly, saying there was “not a chance in hell” of the two countries becoming one.
Trudeau said his concern is the impact of the tax on Canadians and Americans. Tensions between Trump and Canada have been high since the president was elected he announced his plan applying 25% tariffs on goods from Canada.
This move will have a major impact on the Canadian economy, and could lead to retaliatory charges.
“Canadians are proud to be Canadian, but people are now talking about that rather than the impact of a 25 percent tax,” Trudeau said. “No American wants to pay 25 percent more for electricity or oil and gas from Canada.”
Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith posted on social media that she met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence over the weekend to discuss the importance of US-Canada energy cooperation. Alberta is a major exporter of oil and gas.
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