Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper has weighed in on President-elect Donald Trump’s rhetoric of Canada becoming the 51st state, calling it wrong.
Harper, who was the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015, made the comments while on The Standpoint with Gabe Groismann.
He had plenty to say when asked about Trump’s talk of Canada becoming the 51st US state, something the incoming president first floated late last year and has repeatedly brought up since.
When asked about the comments, Harper mentioned that Canadians desire to be strong and beside the United States whenever we can be; however, that is hinged on people believing that the US is a friend, not that the US wants to conquer or annex Canada.
“I think most Canadians hope that Mr. Trump is joking. I don’t think the American people are hostile to Canada or want to see Canada conquered or, as Mr. Trump said, forced economically to join the US,” Harper said.
“We want to be a partner; we are a partner; we’re a friend and an ally, but we are an independent sovereign nation and where Mr. Trump is wrong. There’s almost nobody in Canada who wants to change that. We have our own culture, our own history; we’re very proud of it. We’re very proud of our relationship with the United States, but we are Canadian, not American, and we want to be friends, not annexed.”
In addition to the talk of Canada becoming the 51st US state, Harper also weighed in on the threat of tariffs being brought on by the incoming Trump administration, saying he did find the action surprising.
“I understand that you know Donald Trump may want some changes in trade arrangements, but I must admit to being shocked by some of the things he has said; they are just not so,” before Harper pointed to what he viewed as trade inaccuracies made by Trump, like the sale of dairy into the US.
“We don’t actually sell any dairy into the US, or sell almost none, so that’s not true. I kind of just don’t understand; there’s many things that he is saying. I’m going to tell you right now — drugs, guns, crime — most of those things flow north, not south. A lot more flows into Canada from the United States that flows out of it.”
Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, January 20, in Washington, DC.