Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a private meeting with Canadian business leaders that he does not consider Donald Trump's statements about turning Canada into the "51st state of the United States" to be a joke. This was reported by UNN with reference to Bloomberg and the Toronto Star.
Details
It is noted that on Friday, February 07, Justin Trudeau spoke to dozens of business leaders and politicians who gathered in Toronto to discuss how Canada can diversify trade with the United States, given Trump's tariff threats.
According to Bloomberg , Trudeau's words were confirmed by a senior government official who wished to remain anonymous because the meeting was held behind closed doors.
They (the US - Ed.) know very well about our resources, about what we have, and they really want to be able to use them. But what Trump means is that one of the easiest ways to do that is to take over our country. And that's a real thing
Other political leaders in Canada are also taking Trump's annexation claims seriously. British Columbia Premier David Eby said on Monday that Trump is deliberately pursuing a strategy to destroy the Canadian economy in order to force the country to become the 51st state. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh also believes that the threat to Canada's sovereignty is real.
Canada is rich in nearly three dozen critical minerals that are essential for modern technologies such as cell phones, batteries for electric vehicles, and defense programs.
Recall
In his Christmas tweets, Trump expressed his intentions for US control over Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal. He proposed that Canada become the 51st US state and criticized the current management of the Panama Canal.