Trump’s remarks on the annexation of Canada | Imperialism or impulsiveness?

(Ottawa) Donald Trump does not intend to use military force, but rather “economic force” to annex Canada. Should we take the president-elect’s threats seriously? The experts contacted by The Press differ in opinion on the matter.

The question was put directly to the president-elect of the United States on Tuesday during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence, less than two weeks before he is sworn in. Is he considering the use of military force to acquire Canada?

“No, an economic force, because Canada and the United States would really be something,” he replied to a journalist.

“If you get rid of that artificially drawn line and look at what it looks like, it would actually be much better for national security. Remember, we are essentially protecting Canada,” he added.

He then claimed that the United States spends “hundreds of billions of dollars” each year to protect the border between the two countries. He also went on a tirade against the trade deficit of the United States in relation to Canada, which in 2023 amounted to US 64 billion, or approximately CAN 90 billion, according to data from the American authorities.

“We are buying icebreakers and Canada wants to join us. […] We don’t need a partner. »

Earlier, Trump had not ruled out the use of force to annex the Panama Canal, a vital artery of global maritime transport, and the island of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. He said both were “very important to the economic security” of the United States.

“We need to wake up”

It’s time for Canada to take Donald Trump’s threats seriously and not as a joke, warns co-chair of the Expert Panel on Canada-U.S. Relations at Carleton University and the Canadian Institute of Global Affairs , Fen Hampson.

“I think his ambitions are not only economic, but also political,” said the international relations expert in an interview. He wants to get rid of Canada as a sovereign country. »

Mr. Hampson sees it as the resurgence of an imperialism from a past century.

“We need to take his economic threats seriously and stop simply brushing them aside,” he continues.

The president of the Observatory on the United States at the University of Quebec in Montreal, Charles-Philippe David, is more nuanced. Rather, he believes that we must stop reacting to each of the president-elect’s outbursts.

“Donald Trump is not capable of a rational plan, is not capable of setting out on a mission based on a well-established policy with well-considered objectives. He is impulsive, unpredictable compulsive. Personally, I think that we should not take that much seriousness to everything he says,” argues the founder of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair in Strategic and Diplomatic Studies.

“On the other hand, I would take very seriously the fact that our interest is not to submit to this American will. I think that perhaps, yes, we need to invest more in our defense, we need to see better at our border, we need to explore other economic avenues. »

Mr. David cites, for example, an editorial from the most recent issue of the magazine The Economist, which suggests Canada’s entry into the European Union.

Trudeau responds

First considered as a joke following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to Mar-a-Lago last November, the American president’s comments sparked an outcry in Ottawa on Tuesday.

“Never, ever, Canada [ne] will be part of the United States, Mr. Trudeau replied on X. The workers and communities of our two countries benefit from being each other’s largest trading and security partner. »

“Canada will never be 51^e State. Period,” reiterated Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, while New Democratic Leader Jagmeet Singh asked Mr. Trump to stop his “bullshit.” The leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet, did not react.

These comments from 47^e President of the United States no longer makes Ontario Premier Doug Ford laugh. He did not hide his annoyance at a press briefing on Monday, shortly after yet another tweet from Trump about Canada.

“I’m going to make him a counterproposal,” he said. What if we bought Alaska and added Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?

“You know, it’s not realistic. I know he likes to make these comments and he likes to joke. I take this seriously. He may be joking, but under my watch, that will never happen. »

– With Agence France-Presse and the collaboration of Joël-Denis Bellavance, The Press