Trump responds to Trudeau suggesting Canada merge with U.S.

[mjbou]

Trump responds to Trudeau resignation by suggesting Canada merge with U.S.

Trump is set to take office, slap tariffs on Canada while Trudeau remains 'lame duck' PM

Mike Crawley · CBC News · Posted: Jan 06, 2025 11:00 AM PST | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he is resigning as Liberal leader and stepping down as prime minister once a replacement is chosen. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation as Liberal leader comes just two weeks before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president while threatening to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from Canada on Day 1.

Trudeau said he will stay on as prime minister until his successor is chosen, creating the prospect that Canada will have a lame duck head of government just as its biggest trading partner hits its exports with steep tariffs.

Trudeau's resignation leaves Canada and its economy vulnerable to whatever Trump plans to impose, says Xavier Delgado, senior program associate with the Wilson Center's Canada Institute in Washington, D.C.

"It's a remarkable time for the prime minister to be announcing that he's stepping down," said Delgado in an interview Monday with CBC News. "Within the context of Canada-U.S. relations, it really does not make a lot of sense."

Trump reacted to Trudeau's resignation with a post on his Truth Social platform.

"Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. Justin Trudeau knew this, and resigned," Trump said in the post. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dined with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump in December. Trump described the meeting as 'very productive' on his social media platform, Truth Social. (@JustinTrudeau/X)

"If Canada merged with the U.S.," Trump continued, "there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!"

Trudeau cites need to 'stand up for Canadians'

Trudeau's decision to step down is bringing questions about how the government will handle any negotiations with the Trump administration.

• Trudeau says he's not the right choice to run in the next election, promises to resign as PM

"In announcing that he's resigning, Trudeau effectively becomes a lame duck prime minister," Delgado said. "He does not really have a mandate, given the fact that folks down here in Washington know that he's not going to be around much longer." 

WATCH | Canadian comedian Scott Thompson says Trudeau should troll Trump back:

Canada's political drama with the U.S. continues to capture attention, with Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state becoming one of Donald Trump's favourite taunts. Comedian and Kids in the Hall alumnus Scott Thompson discusses how he thinks Justin Trudeau should have responded.

Should Trudeau troll Trump back? Kids in the Hall alumnus Scott Thompson says yes | Canada Tonight

During his news conference outside Rideau Cottage, Trudeau was asked how the government can protect Canada from the tariff threat if key cabinet ministers are absorbed in a leadership race.

"The government and the cabinet will still be very much focused on doing the job Canadians elected us to do in 2021, which is fight for their interests, stand up for their well-being and make sure that Canadians ... are protected and strong," Trudeau said.

• Read Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation speech in full

"I can assure you that the tools and the need to stand up for Canadians, to protect Canadians in their interests and continue to fight for the economy, is something everyone in this government will be singularly focused on."

Trudeau did not directly answer a question about whether the Liberal leadership contestants would be required to quit their post during the race.

Several top cabinet ministers working on the Canada-U.S. file — including Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc — are considered leadership contenders.

The pair travelled to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in late December to meet with two of the president-elect's cabinet picks and brief them on Ottawa's plan for improving border security, for which Trump has asked, if Canada hopes to avoid crushing tariffs.

WATCH | Trump tells Wayne Gretzky to run for Canadian PM: 

Donald Trump urges Wayne Gretzky to run for prime minister

11 days ago

Duration4:24

U.S. president-elect Donald Trump claimed on social media that he urged hockey icon Wayne Gretzky to run for prime minister during a Christmas visit. It’s Trump’s latest comment on Canadian politics, following quips about Canada becoming the U.S.’s 51st state and meeting 'Governor' Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau's resignation "could not have come at a worse time for U.S.-Canada relations," said Laura Dawson, executive director of Future Borders Coalition, an organization made of business leaders in both countries.  

"The government is in this caretaker mode," Dawson said in an interview with CBC News. "The relationship [with the U.S.] just can't afford to be put on hold like that. "

Dawson says she's not sure whether Trudeau's resignation puts Trump in a stronger negotiating position on tariffs, but says it does mean Canada now lacks the capacity to respond quick and nimbly to any new issues that Trump raises.   

"Who's driving this bus?" she asked. "There's no leadership."  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Crawley

Senior reporter

Mike Crawley covers health for CBC News. He began his career as a newspaper reporter in B.C., filed stories from 19 countries in Africa as a freelance journalist, then joined the CBC in 2005. Mike was born and raised in Saint John, N.B.

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With files from Katie Simpson

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