Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit back at Donald Trump's threat to use “economic power” to swallow Canada into the US, saying there was not a “snowball's chance in hell” of joining the two.
In recent weeks, President-elect Trump has repeatedly teased Canada about becoming the 51st US state.
“Get rid of that artificially drawn line and look at what that looks like, and that would also 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 really be something.
Trump repeated his threat to impose “significant” tariffs on Canadian goods unless the country takes steps to increase security at the common US border.
The continued tariff threat comes at a time of political challenges for Canada.
On Monday, the embattled Trudeau announced he was resigning, although he will remain as prime minister until the ruling Liberals elect a new leader, which is expected sometime before the end of March.
Canada's parliament was adjourned – or suspended – until March 24 to allow time for the leadership race.
Economists warn that if Trump continues to impose tariffs after he takes office on Jan. 20, it will significantly hurt Canada's economy.
Almost C$3.6 billion ($2.5 billion) worth of goods and services crossed the border every day in 2023, according to Canadian government data.
The Trudeau government has said it is considering retaliatory tariffs if Trump follows through on the threat.
The prime minister also told X on Tuesday that: “Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other's largest trade and security partner.”
During his lengthy press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trump reiterated concerns he has expressed about drug traffic across the Mexican and Canadian borders into the United States.
Like Canada, Mexico faces the threat of a 25% tariff.
The amount of fentanyl seized at the US-Canada border is significantly less than at the southern border, according to US data.
Canada has pledged to implement a range of sweeping new border security measures, including increased surveillance and the addition of a joint “strike force” to target transnational organized crime.
Trump said Tuesday he was not considering using military force to make Canada part of the United States, but expressed concern about its neighbor's military spending.
“They have a very small army. They rely on our army. That's fine, but, you know, they have to pay for it. It's very unfair,” he said.
Canada is under pressure to increase its military spending as it continues to fall short of the target set for NATO membership.
Its defense budget currently stands at C$27 billion ($19.8 billion, £15.5 billion), although the Trudeau government has promised to increase spending to almost C$50 billion by 2030.
British Columbia Premier David Ibe said at a news conference Tuesday that a number of Canadian provincial premiers will soon travel to Washington to lobby against the possible tariffs.
On Monday, Doug Ford, the leader of Canada's most populous province of Ontario, said Trudeau should spend his remaining weeks in office working with the provinces to respond to Trump's threat.
“Prime ministers are leading the country at the moment,” he said in an interview with BBC News.
Ontario relies heavily on trade with the US. The province is at the heart of Canada's highly integrated auto industry, with trade between Ontario and the U.S. expected to total more than C$493 billion ($350 billion) in 2023.
“My message is to work together, to build a stronger trade relationship – not to weaken it,” Ford said.
The prime minister warned that “we will hit back hard” if the Trump administration continued and highlighted the close economic ties between the two nations, including in energy.
The US relies “on Ontario for their electricity. We keep the lights on for a million and a half homes and businesses across the US,” he said.
At a news conference earlier this week, Ford also dismissed Trump's comments about the 51st state.
“I'll make him a counter offer. How about we buy Alaska and throw in Minneapolis and Minnesota at the same time?'' Ford said.