Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with opposition party leaders in Ottawa on Tuesday to update them on what was discussed during his Thanksgiving dinner. Donald Trump.
He received at his office for about an hour the leader of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, the leader of the New Democratic Party, Jagmeet Singh, as well as the leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May . No precise plan was sent to them, nor details on exactly how Canada intends to strengthen the protection of its border with the United States.
“The Americans are watching us now. I’m going to give Mr. LeBlanc some time to give us the details. I am not going to make it a partisan battle,” indicated the Bloc leader, Yves-François Blanchet, at the end of the meeting.
According to his Green Party counterpart, Elizabeth May, the Prime Minister asked them to avoid falling into the trap of division in the face of Donald Trump. “He said [que] it would help if, in the next few weeks or [prochains] month, we avoided amplifying the messages and language that the Trump government uses to attack Canada. »
For his part, Mr. Poilievre took advantage of the meeting to repeat the grievances he expresses daily during question period. “I asked Justin Trudeau to reverse the tax increases,” he told journalists. Jagmeet Singh followed him by complaining about the behavior of his conservative opponent, whom he accuses of acting in an equally partisan manner behind closed doors.
The Minister of Public Safety, Dominic LeBlanc, was also invited to President-elect Donald Trump’s table last Friday, in what he described as a “social evening.” The dinner was not documented in minutes, and no one took notes. Among lighter topics of discussion, there was talk of strengthening surveillance of the border between the two countries. A precise plan on border numbers is promised for the coming weeks.
Canada like 51e État
The next occupant of the White House made a joke during dinner last Friday by launching the idea of Canada becoming the 51ste American state in order to avoid the imposition of customs tariffs. “There were definitely moments of jokes. The president told jokes. The Prime Minister responded,” Minister LeBlanc said Tuesday morning.
The Fox News network reported Monday evening, on the basis of sources it does not name, that the president-elect would have proposed to Justin Trudeau to make Canada a new American state, and thus to exchange his title of prime minister for that of of governor.
When asked if Canada was a joke in Mr. Trump’s eyes, Minister LeBlanc replied that these comments were taken entirely out of context. “The president was teasing us. This was, of course, by no means a serious comment. » The Bloc leader agrees with this interpretation. He perceives this as a “joke” and adds that “we should not make a diplomatic story out of it”.
“Oh Canada! » sent Mr. Trump on his social network late Tuesday afternoon, a clear reference to this story. He illustrated his publication with an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself on the summit of a Rocky Mountain mountain where a Canadian flag is planted.
Criticized in Ottawa
Not all opposition parties applauded Justin Trudeau upon his return to the country. As of Sunday, Pierre Poilievre said he was saddened “to see the weakness of Justin Trudeau, again”, who would not have made any gains for Canada during dinner. He added a layer on Tuesday by accusing the Canadian Prime Minister in the House of having “given great gifts” to President Trump, in particular by creating a “bureaucracy that prevents natural resource projects”.
“Last week, the Prime Minister had the opportunity to meet him [Donald Trump]but apart from a nice little photo, he came back empty-handed,” also lamented the deputy leader of the New Democratic Party, Alexandre Boulerice, during Monday’s question period.
For his part, Yves-François Blanchet wrote on his social networks over the weekend that he “cannot blame the Prime Minister for going to meet the President-elect of the United States” in this context of tensions commercial. The leader of the Bloc Québécois, however, finds that Justin Trudeau reacted “a little late”.
Donald Trump sent a worrying signal last Monday to his two closest neighbors, Canada and Mexico, by saying he was ready to impose new tariffs of 25% on all imports from the United States. This threat was not lifted during Mr. Trudeau’s visit, although the future American president said he was satisfied to see Canada taking his requests seriously, he wrote on his Truth Social network after the encounter.
