TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says President Donald Trump is not joking about Canada becoming the 51st state.
On a hot mic at a closed-door summit of business and labor leaders Friday, Trudeau called Trump’s desire to absorb Canada “a real thing.”
In remarks caught on tape by The Toronto Star, Trudeau suggested the president is keenly aware of Canada’s vast mineral resources. “I suggest that not only does the Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have but that may be even why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state,” Trudeau said.
Asked about those remarks later Friday, Transport and Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand sternly reinforced that a border separates the U.S. and Canada. “There will be no messing with the 49th parallel,” she said.
