A “positive and productive” visit for Ministers Joly and LeBlanc to Mar-a-Lago

The Minister of Finance, Dominic LeBlanc, and the head of Canadian diplomacy, Mélanie Joly, are in Florida for meetings with several American officials with the aim of promoting Canada’s new border plan to the American president’s transition team Donald Trump.

The two officials “had a positive and productive meeting at Mar-a-Lago,” Mr. LeBlanc’s spokesperson, Jean-Sébastien Comeau, told -.

They notably spoke with Howard Lutnick, who was appointed by Mr. Trump to lead the Commerce Department and the trade and tariff strategy of the next administration.

The two ministers also met with Doug Burgum, the North Dakota governor chosen to lead the Interior Department. Mr. Burgum will also head a recently created National Energy Council, whose mission will be to overseeing the path to U.S. energy dominance.

The two ministers presented the measures included in Canada’s border plan and reiterated their shared commitment to strengthening border security and fighting the harm of fentanyl in order to save Canadian and American lives.

During their conversations, MM. Lutnick and Burgum noted the updates provided by both ministers and agreed to convey the information to President Trumpsaid Mr. Comeau again.

Ministers agreed to continue discussions in the coming weeks.

Ms. Joly must also meet Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, close to Mr. Trump.

The two ministers’ visit to Palm Beach comes about a month before Mr. Trump’s inauguration as president of the United States. The latter has threatened to impose a new 25% import tariff on Canada and Mexico as soon as he takes office due to concerns about a trade imbalance as well as alleged drug and migration problems at the borders.

The broad outlines of the Canadian border plan were made public on December 17. This $1.3 billion plan includes the creation of a new air intelligence task force responsible for monitoring the border 24 hours a day as well as efforts that will be deployed using technology and canine teams to detect drugs in shipments leaving Canada.

During their meetings, the ministers drew on discussions that took place last month when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mr. LeBlanc met Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, added Mr. Comeau. The president-elect had then just made his first threat of customs tariffs.

It was during this November 29 dinner that Donald Trump also raised for the first time the idea of ​​Canada becoming the 51st American state, a comment that Mr. LeBlanc described as a joke on several occasions.

Donald Trump, however, has often repeated this joke in various social media posts, including in his Christmas Day message, when he said Canadians would pay less taxes and have better military protection. they became Americans.

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He took to calling Justin Trudeau the governor of Canada instead of prime minister.

The prime minister did not directly respond to the barbs, but on Thursday he posted a link to a six-minute YouTube video from 2010 in which American journalist Tom Brokaw explains Canada to Americans.

This video, originally released during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, explains the similarities between the two countries, including their immigration-based founding, trade relations, and the actions of the Canadian military during World War II and other modern conflicts.

In the long history of sovereign neighbors, there has never been a relationship as close, productive and peaceful as that between the United States and Canadaunderlines Mr. Brokaw in the video.

Justin Trudeau did not explain why he posted a link to the video, sharing it only with the words some information about Canada for Americans.

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In a conference presented on December 13 before the Council on International Relations of Montreal (CORIM), Ms. Joly affirmed that the Trudeau government was able to collaborate with the new administration American while being farm.

We must defend ourselvesshe said, affirming that her government had several tools to [sa] disposition […] to defend our jobs.

Reacting to the words of Mr. Trump who wants to make Canada the 51st American state, she indicates that she has said jokingly to Republican senators that the American city of Fort Lauderdale, in the state of Florida, where the private residence of the president-elect is located, could be the eleventh province of Canada.

With information from Hugo Lavallée and The Canadian Press.