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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has again stated that Canada has no intention of becoming the 51st state of the United States.
“It’s not going to happen,” he said.
Speaking to 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 United States.
“I know as a successful negotiator, he likes to throw people off balance. The 51st state, that’s not going to happen,” he said.
The prime minister, who has faced rising unpopularity in opinion polls ahead of a national election, announced he would step down in March after his Liberal Party elects a new leader.
Trump has recently upped the ante, repeatedly talking about annexing Canada.
“Get rid of that man-made line and look at what it looks like, and it’s going to be a lot better for national security,” Trump said at a press conference at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on Tuesday.
“Canada and the United States, that would really be something.”
He even went so far as to refer to the prime minister as “Governor Trudeau,” a position typically held by US state leaders.
But on television Sunday, Trudeau said he was oblivious to the jabs.
“I tend to focus on the bottom line rather than what people choose to call me nicknames. I mean, if I was that skinny, I probably wouldn’t have lasted this long in politics.”
Trudeau said one of the main reasons Canada won’t join America is simple: Canadians don’t want it.
When trying to define his national identity, Trudeau said Canadians are likely to say “we’re not Americans,” among other things.
Earlier this week, Trudeau was more blunt, saying there was not a chance in hell that the two countries would become one.
Trudeau said he was concerned about the impact of the tariffs on Canadians and Americans. Tensions between Trump and Canada have been simmering since the president was elected announced his plan impose 25 percent tariffs on goods from Canada.
The move would have a significant impact on the Canadian economy and could lead to retaliatory tariffs.
“Canadians are incredibly proud to be Canadian, but people are talking about that now, not the impact of the 25 per cent tariffs,” Trudeau said. “No American wants to pay 25% more for electricity or oil and gas coming 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 the US-Canada energy partnership. Alberta is a major exporter of oil and gas.
