Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said Canada must stay united against a threat by Donald Trump to impose tariffs but two major provinces quickly called on him to address the U.S. President-elect's concerns.
Trudeau, who is due to meet the premiers of the 10 provinces on Wednesday to discuss U.S. relations, often notes his Liberal government has four years' experience of dealing with the first Trump administration.
Trump said on Monday he would impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico until they clamped down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and migrants crossing the border. Such a tariff would badly hit the economy of Canada, which sends 75% of all goods exports to the United States.
"This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of working on, and that's what we'll do," Trudeau told reporters. "One of the really important things is that we be all pulling together on this."
The premier of Ontario, the most populous province and the country's industrial heartland, said Trump had good reason to be worried about the security of the long shared frontier.
"Do we need to do a better job on our borders? 1,000 percent ... we do have to listen to the threat of too many illegals crossing the border," Doug Ford told reporters.
"We have to squash the illegal drugs, the illegal guns."
But Ford, who wants Trudeau to ditch the trilateral U.S.-Canada-Mexico trade deal in favor of a bilateral pact with the United States, also said any tariffs would hurt both countries.
Trump's comparison of Canada to Mexico when it came to threats to the United States was "the most insulting thing I have ever heard", he said.
In another early sign of strain, the premier of the oil-rich province of Alberta said late on Monday that Trump had valid concerns related to illegal activities at the shared border.
"We are calling on the federal government to work with the incoming administration to resolve these issues immediately, thereby avoiding any unnecessary tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S.," Danielle Smith said in a social media post.
"The vast majority of Alberta's energy exports to the U.S. are delivered through secure and safe pipelines which do not in any way contribute to these illegal activities at the border," said Smith, whose relations with Trudeau are icy.
Former Liberal finance minister John Manley called for calm, noting Trump had yet to take power.
"Don't set your hair on fire yet. We know Donald Trump is a bit of an entertainer," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "You need to stroke his ego and you need to enable him to have some wins."
A Chinese military official on Saturday rejected U.S. allegations about Beijing’s regional behavior, accusing Washington of destabilizing the Asia-Pacific region.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Indo-Pacific allies Saturday they won’t be left alone against growing military and economic pressure from China—but they must also boost their own defense efforts.
Iran said on Saturday that it has officially received a new nuclear deal proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump, delivered by Oman during a diplomatic visit to Tehran.
The US Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration can temporarily end legal protections for more than 500000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, exposing them to possible deportation.
The European Commission voiced strong regret over the United States’ decision to raise tariffs on imported steel to 50%, warning the move adds uncertainty to the global economy.
Authorities in Whatcom County, Washington, issued a warning Friday after a truck carrying honey bee hives overturned near the Canadian border, initially prompting fears that millions of bees had been released.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Washington next week to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
Landslides and flash floods caused by days of heavy monsoon rain have killed at least 22 people in India’s northeast, officials said.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Saturday that the border conflict with Thailand “must be resolved with patience and through legal and diplomatic channels.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke by phone with IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi, warning that any political actions against Iran at next week’s Board of Governors meeting would have consequences.
On May 28, the inauguration ceremony of Lachin International Airport was held.
A car drove into crowds of Liverpool fans celebrating the club’s Premier League title in the city centre on Monday evening, injuring dozens including 4 children. A 53-year-old man believed to be the driver was arrested at the scene.
EU ministers have greenlit a massive €150 billion defense investment fund—dubbed the Security Action for Europe (SAFE)—as the bloc ramps up its military readiness in response to Russia’s aggression and growing uncertainty over U.S. security guarantees.
Brazil’s economy is expected to have regained momentum in the first quarter of 2025, driven by a surge in household spending and private investment, according to a Reuters poll of economists conducted from May 21–26.
An international academic conference titled "Islamophobia: Exposing Prejudice and Destroying Stigma" has officially opened in the capital of Azerbaijan, bringing together global scholars, experts, and policymakers to address the rise and consequences of anti-Muslim discrimination.
Türkiye’s first floating natural gas production platform, Osman Gazi, reached Filyos Port in Zonguldak on May 31.
Authorities in Whatcom County, Washington, issued a warning Friday after a truck carrying honey bee hives overturned near the Canadian border, initially prompting fears that millions of bees had been released.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Washington next week to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
Landslides and flash floods caused by days of heavy monsoon rain have killed at least 22 people in India’s northeast, officials said.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Saturday that the border conflict with Thailand “must be resolved with patience and through legal and diplomatic channels.”
Authorities in Whatcom County, Washington, issued a warning Friday after a truck carrying honey bee hives overturned near the Canadian border, initially prompting fears that millions of bees had been released.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Washington next week to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.
Landslides and flash floods caused by days of heavy monsoon rain have killed at least 22 people in India’s northeast, officials said.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said Saturday that the border conflict with Thailand “must be resolved with patience and through legal and diplomatic channels.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi spoke by phone with IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi, warning that any political actions against Iran at next week’s Board of Governors meeting would have consequences.
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