By Canadian Press

Trudeau says Trump’s comments on 51st state ‘flattering’ but a ‘non-starter’

Jan 12, 2025 | 9:56 AM

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says talk of Canada becoming the 51st state is a distraction from more pressing threats of U.S tariffs on Canada and their likely impact.

In an interview that aired on MSNBC today, he says Canada is ready to respond with retaliatory tariffs should president-elect Donald Trump follow through with a threat to impose 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico when he takes office next week.

Trump has also referred to Canada as the “51st state,” a notion federal cabinet ministers initially played off as a joke but now appear to be taking more seriously.

Appearing on “Inside with Jen Psaki,” Trudeau says Canadians need to take Trump’s expansionist rhetoric seriously, and that there is a certain amount of “flattery” in Trump seeing how great the country is.

Still, Trudeau said the entire idea is a “non-starter,” and that Canadians are “incredibly proud” of being Canadian, and that his government is looking at ways to push back against potential tariffs.

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Trudeau said he was able to negotiate with Trump in a mutually-beneficial deal the last time each was in office, and that he highlighted the strength of the Canadian border at their meeting last month.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 12, 2025.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press

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Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the media after a meeting with Jay Timmons, president and CEO of The National Association of Manufacturers, in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jose Luis Magana

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