The meeting took place after Trump announced that he plans on slapping a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc met U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Nov. 29.
While no official statements about the meeting were issued on Nov. 29, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather commented on the meeting.
“Strong interpersonal relationships are key to managing the incredibly important Canada/US relationship,” Housefather said on social media platform X on Nov. 29. “I am glad to see [Trudeau and Leblanc] meeting with President Trump tonight.”
The meeting took place after Trump recently announced that he plans on slapping a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico unless the two countries stop illegal border crossings and the flow of illicit drugs such as fentanyl into the United States.
Trudeau said earlier on Nov. 29 that he is going to resolve the tariff issue by talking with Trump.
“We’re going to work together to meet some of the concerns,” Trudeau said in a press conference in Prince Edward Island.
“But ultimately it is through lots of real constructive conversations with President Trump that I am going to have, that will keep us moving forward on the right track for all Canadians.”
Concern in Canada
A day after Trump announced the new tariffs on Nov. 25, Trudeau said he had a “good call” with the president-elect, and that the two talked about “how the intense and effective connections between our two countries flow back and forth.”
Trudeau met with Canadian premiers on the issue on Nov. 27.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the premiers and the prime minister discussed the need for unity, as well as securing the border.
“We agreed that illegal drugs, especially opioids, are a scourge for both of our countries, and that we need to continue to work hard to ensure our border is safe and secure, and to really crack down on illegal drugs,” she said.
Canadian exports to the United States totaled C$593 billion in 2023 ($423 billion), while U.S. exports to Canada totaled C$484 billion ($345 billion).
By Omid Ghoreishi
