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Canada – US Relations: 1) (Updated) Ford pitches Trump on grand energy plan in effort to avoid tariffs; 2) No ‘snowball’s chance in hell’ of Canada becoming 51st state: Trudeau; 3)No ‘snowball’s chance in hell’ of Canada becoming 51st state (original); 4) (Updated) Ontario launches border-strengthening operation as Trump tariff threat looms

1) (Updated) Ford pitches Trump on grand energy plan in effort to avoid tariffs

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Allison Jones and Liam Casey, Jan. 8, 2025.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pitching U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on a vision to supply the two nations with energy, as he positions himself as the country’s protector amid a “lack of leadership” in Ottawa in the face of American tariff threats.

Ford wants to see the province’s grid expanded to allow more energy to be sent to the U.S.

The premier is trumpeting Ontario’s nuclear energy expertise to build more large and small modular nuclear reactors in partnership with the U.S.

“It won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight, but we owe it to workers in Ontario, across Canada and the U.S. to act now,” Ford said.

“Many of these initiatives will require the federal government to step up to ensure that energy, trade, and security policies serve the best interests of Canadians and Americans alike.”

Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods on his first day in office on Jan. 20 unless Canada tightens border security, with an emphasis on fentanyl trafficking and illegal crossings.

Trump said on Tuesday the U.S. does not need anything from Canada and spoke about using “economic force” to annex the country to become the 51st state.

Ford said the country “will never be for sale.” The premier has been making the rounds on U.S. news channels, touting the benefits of the two countries working together.

The country’s premiers are set to to meet virtually later Wednesday to discuss Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation and Parliament’s prorogation, the tariff threat and a premiers’ trip to Washington, D.C. in February.

“Moving forward, there’s a lack of leadership right now at the federal government, and someone has to stand up for Ontario, someone has to stand up for Canada, and I want to congratulate all the premiers because they’re doing the exact same thing as what I’m doing in their jurisdictions,” Ford said.

He also dismissed Trump’s talk of annexing Canada.

“Let’s stop wasting time and ridiculous ideas about merging and instead focus on efforts on restoring the pride of made in Canada and made in the U.S.A,” he said.

Ford has previously threatened to cut off energy the province sells to four states should the tariffs be implemented, but said he does not want to do that.

This is the latest pitch from Ford in response to the tariff threats, after announcing a plan on Tuesday to beef up patrols along the 14 border crossings in Ontario.

2) (Update) No ‘snowball’s chance in hell’ of Canada becoming 51st state: Trudeau

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Kelly Geraldine Malone, January 7, 2025

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clapped back Tuesday at Donald Trump’s escalating claims that Canada would be better off if it became the 51st state, and has called for an in-person meeting with premiers in Ottawa next week to address this country’s relationship with the United States.

Trudeau and the premiers have met virtually twice since November to negotiate a response to Trump’s threat to slap Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent import tariffs the day he takes office. That threat is now imminent, with inauguration day less than two weeks away and Trump insisting Tuesday in a news conference that he will follow through with the tariffs.

The Prime Minister’s Office said late Tuesday Trudeau and premiers will meet in person Wednesday in Ottawa, days before that would happen.

Trump on Tuesday also repeated his insistence that Canada should join the U.S. While he suggested he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, saying they were vital to American security, he did not go that far with Canada. Instead he said he would rely on “economic force” to merge the two countries.

“You get rid of that artificially drawn line and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security,” Trump said, referring to the border between Canada and the U.S.

“And don’t forget, we basically protect Canada.”

Trudeau, who has until now not directly commented on Trump’s repeated and escalating comments about annexing Canada, appeared to have had enough.

“There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States,” Trudeau said in a statement posted to social media.

“Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partners.”

Trump first quipped about Canada becoming the 51st state in November, when the prime minister and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc dined with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago in Florida to discuss his tariff threats.

LeBlanc has repeatedly dismissed the idea as “a joke” but the government is not laughing now.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly posted on X that his comments “show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country.”

The Liberal party posted a map of North America on X labelling the United States and Canada as “Not the United States,” with the caption: “For anyone who may be confused.”

In an apparent response, Trump posted two maps on Truth Social: one labelling both countries together as “United States,” and the other with the two countries covered in stars and stripes.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told Trump to “cut the crap.”

“Your attacks will hurt jobs on both sides of the border,” Singh posted on X. “You come for Canadians’ jobs, Americans will pay a price.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did not mention Trump by name but said “Canada will never be the 51st state. Period.” In a post on X, Poilievre said Canada is an independent country and the United States’ best friend.

In a wide-ranging news conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the president-elect said he will impose “substantial” tariffs on Canada and Mexico when he returns to the White House in less than two weeks.

Trump said previously he’ll slap 25 per cent duties on imports from America’s closest neighbours unless they stop the flow of illegal drugs and migrants across the border.

Trudeau and LeBlanc made a quick trip to Florida late last year to discuss the threat. A few weeks later, LeBlanc announced a series of measures to beef up border security with a $1.3-billion package. Trump has indicated he still intends to proceed with his tariff plan.

Trump mused about that meeting with Trudeau during Tuesday’s news conference and claimed repeatedly that Canada is subsidized by the U.S. He said the U.S. doesn’t need Canadian imports like milk, lumber and automobiles.

The president-elect also criticized Canada’s level of military funding and said he told hockey legend Wayne Gretzky to run for prime minister.

Matthew Lebo, a specialist in U.S. politics at Western University in London, Ont., said he doesn’t think Trump will infringe on Canada’s sovereignty by somehow forcing the two countries to merge. But the president-elect’s comments show an unwillingness to understand the bilateral relationship, he added.

“Canada should be incredibly nervous that our economic health is in the hands of somebody who doesn’t understand how things work,” he said.

Canada is in a particularly difficult diplomatic situation after Trudeau announced Monday that he will resign his post as soon as a new Liberal leader is chosen, Lebo said.

The date for a Liberal leadership race hasn’t been set. Trudeau also prorogued Parliament until March 24 and a federal election will take place later this year.

Earlier Tuesday, Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer said Trudeau had been “weak” in dealing with subsequent U.S. administrations. Singh challenged anyone running for prime minister to commit to retaliatory tariffs if Trump acts on his promises.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has warned he will retaliate if Trump follows through, suggesting the province could cut energy exports to the U.S. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said her province would not impose retaliatory tariffs on oil and gas.

In a statement late Tuesday afternoon, Smith did not directly address Trump’s latest threatening comments but reiterated that Canada buys more products and services from the U.S. than any other country.

“Canada is a strong, independent nation with the ninth largest economy in the world, and our southern neighbour benefits from this economic strength,” she said.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said Tuesday that the burden of confronting the tariff threat has now fallen to the premiers. He said he and his counterparts from across Canada will travel to Washington in an effort to convince the president-elect to back away from the tariff plan.

“It makes no sense to punish both Americans and Canadians to address that issue,” he said. “We can do it together.”

— With files from David Baxter and Kyle Duggan in Ottawa, Brenna Owen in Vancouver and The Associated Press.

3) No ‘snowball’s chance in hell’ of Canada becoming 51st state: Trudeau

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Kelly Geraldine Malone, January 7, 2025

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there “isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States” after president-elect Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to use “economic force” to compel Canada to join with the U.S. 

Trudeau posted on social media that workers and communities in both countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner.

In his first news conference since the certification of his election win, Trump escalated recent rhetoric around making Canada the 51st state by musing about getting rid of the international border through “economic force.”

Shortly after his election win in November Trump threatened to slam a 25 per cent import tariff on all goods from Canada and Mexico.

Trudeau travelled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida days later to try and counter that threat but Trump today says he’s still going ahead with the plan.

The president-elect also criticized Canada’s military spending and trade with the U.S.

4) (Updated) Ontario launches border-strengthening operation as Trump tariff threat looms

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press,

By Liam Casey, January 7, 2025

Ontario will beef up security along its border with the United States as part of its response to tariff threats from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday.

The move, dubbed Operation Deterrence, will see some 200 Ontario Provincial Police officers focused on boosting border security. The OPP has been increasing patrols along the vast border using airplanes, helicopters drones, boats and patrol vehicles.

“Ontario has been calling on the federal government to step up and address safety and security concerns at the border,” Ford said in a statement.

“We need to see words turned into visible action. In the meantime, Ontario is stepping up with Operation Deterrence to crack down on illegal border crossings and illegal guns and drugs.”

Ford said a “more co-ordinated, Team Canada approach that includes more boots on the ground” is the only way to address the problem. 

Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods on his first day in office on Jan. 20 unless Canada tightens border security, with an emphasis on fentanyl trafficking and illegal crossings. 

The province said its operation, which it describes as a “preparedness and planning framework,” will target activities outside of the 14 official border crossings staffed by federal border agents.

“In partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Operation Deterrence activity will be enhanced through the use of the emergency response team, front-line officers and additional specialty resources, including canine units, commercial motor vehicle inspections and criminal investigators,” it said.

Ontario officials took part in a joint planning and readiness exercise with federal authorities on Friday to promote co-ordination at the border, the province said. 

The federal government announced a series of measures following Trump’s election victory in the fall to better secure the border with a $1.3-billion package, in response to the threat. Trump has not said if he will pause the tariffs.

Ontario has not received any new money from the federal government on the new border measures.

Alberta announced last month it would create a new sheriff unit to patrol the Canada-U.S. border. The unit will be supported by about 50 armed sheriffs, 10 cold weather surveillance drones and four drug detection dogs. It is expected to be operational shortly, Premier Danielle Smith said.

Manitoba has also announced plans to beef up its border, with conservation officers helping out with surveillance, Premier Wab Kinew said last month.

The country’s premiers plan to hold a call Wednesday to discuss Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation and Parliament’s prorogation, the tariff threat and a premiers’ trip to Washington, D.C., in February, Ford’s office said.

Patricia Dent

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