Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Canada’s premiers on Wednesday to discuss ways Ottawa is preparing to address U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s concerns about the Canada-U.S. border.
This is the second time Trudeau has met with premiers since Trump threatened to hit Canada with steep tariffs last month — and the first meeting since the prime minister’s dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
The president-elect said that on his first day back in office, he would impose 25 per cent tariffs on goods coming in from Canada and Mexico unless both countries stop what he called an “invasion” of drugs, “in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens” into the U.S.
A senior source with knowledge of the virtual meeting said the prime minister outlined ways the federal government is planning to address some of Trump’s concerns about the border.
Those measures include further restrictions on the chemical precursors that are used to make fentanyl and improving coordination between the RCMP and other police forces, the source said.
Trudeau’s government is considering spending hundreds of millions of dollars to protect the Canada-U.S. border — possibly even more than $1 billion — in an attempt to allay Trump’s concerns, sources have told CBC News and Radio-Canada.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was at the meeting with the premiers and the dinner with Trump, has said previously that the government is looking at buying additional equipment to tighten up the border, including helicopters and drones.
The plan was missing some details but was otherwise well received by the premiers, a provincial source told CBC News.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford — who is currently the chair of the Council of the Federation — told reporters after the meeting that what he heard during the meeting was a “good start.”
While the flow of migrants and illegal drugs over the northern border is a fraction of what crosses over from Mexico, Trump is still concerned about what’s coming from Canada — just as Canadian officials are alarmed by drugs and guns flowing north.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was among the small Canadian contingent that dined with President Trump in Mar-a-Lago last week, responds to questions from reporters about Trump saying Canada could become the 51st state. LeBlanc says it was in no way a serious comment.
If Trump follows through on his tariff threat, it could have a massive impact on the Canadian economy.
The U.S. imported $614.3 billion worth of goods from Canada in 2022, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative. More recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show that the U.S. imported about $435 billion in Canadian goods between January and September of this year.
A senior federal source has told CBC News that Ottawa is engaging with American businesses to make the case against tariffs to U.S. politicians.
Trump recently taunted Trudeau on social media, calling him the “governor” of the “great state” of Canada. He has said if the U.S. is going to have large trade deficits with Canada, it might as well join the United States. Trump also apparently joked with Trudeau about Canada becoming the 51st state if the country can’t handle his promised tariffs.
Trudeau has said Canada is readying some sort of response if Trump does go ahead with a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods destined for the U.S. Canada slapped retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. goods the last time Trump levied fees on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Premiers pitching their case to Americans
Multiple premiers have been on a charm offensive, meeting with governors and other politicians south of the border.
At least two of Canada’s premiers have appeared on U.S. network television to pitch their cases to an American audience.
Ford appeared on CNBC’s Power Lunch on Wednesday afternoon and argued that Trump’s proposed tariffs would hurt both Canadians and Americans.
“It’s hurting the American people. It’s hurting the Canadian people.Why the president [-elect] is doing this is beyond me,” Ford told host Kelly Evans. Ford added that he would be pressuring Trudeau to ensure Trump’s concerns about the border are addressed.
Ford has also made multiple appearances on Fox News in recent weeks and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has done an interview with Fox as well.
Ford’s government also launched a multimillion-dollar American ad campaign touting economic and cultural ties between the province and the U.S.