VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s comments Saturday that Canada should become the 51st state drew criticism and a patriotic outburst Saturday from a former Canadian prime minister who offered blunt advice to the next U.S. leader. quiver!”
Jean Chrétien, Canada’s prime minister from 1993 to 2003, has joined the ranks of officials from America’s northern neighbor who say Trump’s comments are no longer a joke and could undermine America’s closest ally.
Canada will never agree to become part of the United States, Chrétien wrote in an article published in The Globe and Mail newspaper, celebrating his 91st birthday.
He praised his country’s love for independence and said Trump’s comments amounted to “an unacceptable affront and an unprecedented threat” to Canadian sovereignty.
“To Donald Trump, shake your head from one old man to another!” Chrétien said. “What makes Canadians think they won’t make the mistake of giving up the best country in the world to join the United States?
Trump threw expansionist rhetoric not only at Canada but at other U.S. allies. It is argued that the borders of American power should be extended to Greenland, a Danish territory, and south to the Panama Canal.
While the reactions of many European leaders were assessed, Canadians did not hesitate.
“If you think threatening and insulting us will win us over, you don’t know anything about us,” Chrétien wrote in the article. “We may seem carefree and gentle. But make no mistake. We have strength and tenacity.”
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The United States imports approximately 60% of its crude oil from Canada, which is also the largest export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion ($2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border in Canada every day.
Canadian officials have been discussing with those in the new Trump administration about strengthening border security to avoid the 25% tariffs the president threatened to impose on all Canadian products.
When President Trump imposed higher tariffs during his first term, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs. Canada announced billions of dollars in new tariffs against the United States in 2018 in response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum.
