Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with President-elect Donald Trump Friday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, Canada’s CBC Information reported. The assembly comes within the wake of Trump’s menace to impose tariffs on items coming from Canada.
Trudeau will dine with Trump at Mar-a-largo Friday night time, in line with senior sources who spoke to CBC Information on situation they not be named because of the sensitivity of the journey. The sources mentioned the assembly was pushed for by Canadian officers, the Canadian broadcaster mentioned.
Trudeau’s aircraft landed at Palm Seashore Worldwide Airport at about 5:30 p.m. native time.
The assembly comes after Trudeau earlier Friday cautioned that if Trump follows via on this menace to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian merchandise, he could be elevating costs for Individuals and hurting American companies.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on merchandise from Canada and Mexico if the nations do not cease what he referred to as the circulate of medication and migrants throughout southern and northern borders. He mentioned he would impose a 25% tax on all merchandise getting into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as considered one of his first govt orders.
“You will need to perceive that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There isn’t any query about it,” Trudeau mentioned to reporters in Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada.
“Our accountability is to level out that he wouldn’t simply be harming Canadians, who work so effectively with america, however he would truly be elevating costs for Americans as effectively and hurting American trade and enterprise,” he added.
Trudeau mentioned Trump received elected as a result of he promised to deliver down the price of groceries however now he is speaking about including 25% to the price of all types of merchandise, together with potatoes from Prince Edward Island.
These tariffs might basically blow up the North American commerce pact that Trump’s workforce negotiated throughout his first time period. Trudeau famous they have been in a position to efficiently re-negotiate the deal, which he calls a “win-win” for each nations.
“We are able to work collectively as we did beforehand,” Trudeau mentioned.
Trump made the tariff menace Monday whereas railing towards an inflow of unlawful migrants, despite the fact that the numbers on the Canadian border pale compared to the southern border.
The U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests on the Mexican border in October alone — and 23,721 arrests on the Canadian one between October 2023 and September 2024.
Trump additionally railed about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, despite the fact that seizures from the Canadian border are few compared to the Mexican border. U.S. customs brokers seized 43 kilos of fentanyl on the Canadian border final fiscal yr, in contrast with 21,100 kilos on the Mexican border.
Canadian officers say lumping Canada in with Mexico is unfair however they’re able to make new investments in border safety.
“We’ll work collectively to satisfy among the issues,” Trudeau mentioned. “However finally it’s via a lot of actual constructive conversations with President Trump that I’m going to have, that may maintain us transferring ahead heading in the right direction for all Canadians.”
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mentioned Thursday she is assured that a tariff struggle with america shall be averted. Trump posted on social media that he had spoken along with her and he or she had agreed to cease unauthorized migration throughout the border into america.
When Trump imposed increased tariffs throughout his first time period in workplace, different nations responded with retaliatory tariffs of their very own. Canada, as an illustration, introduced billions of recent duties in 2018 towards the U.S. in a tit-for-tat response to new taxes on Canadian metal and aluminum.
Canada is the highest export vacation spot for 36 U.S. states. Almost $2.7 billion value of products and companies cross the border every day.
Canada can be the most important overseas provider of metal, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 vital minerals and metals that the Pentagon is raring for and investing in for nationwide safety.
