Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s premiers convened on Wednesday to address President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian imports unless Canada enhances its border security.
Trump said the tariff would remain in effect until illegal migrants and drugs like fentanyl stop pouring over the border.
“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” wrote Trump in his post to Truth Social.
Canada exported $439.6 billion worth of goods to the United States in 2023, accounting for 76% of the country’s total exports.
Some of Canada’s first ministers highlighted the issues discussed in the meeting.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that Trump’s concerns about illegal migrants and drug smuggling at the Canada-U.S. border were valid.
“I communicated this very clearly to the Prime Minister, and further indicated that Alberta will be acting urgently and decisively to patrol our own shared border with Montana, with more details to be announced soon in that regard,” said Smith. “I also expressed the need for the federal government to aggressively move up compliance with our country’s NATO obligations of a 2% of GDP spend on our military forces, which is yet another concrete way to solidify our economic and military alliance with the United States.”
She also used the meeting to discuss the importance of energy security and partnering with the United States, urging the Prime Minister to halt his planned production cap.
If the cap remains, Smith plans to invoke the Sovereignty Act to combat the cap.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said that most, if not all, of the premiers, highlighted the need for more border security to combat illegal drugs and migrants.
“I think all Canadians would be in favour of ensuring that our borders are secure. Thus, our nation is secure when it comes to people that are coming in illegally,” said Moe. “When it comes to the drugs that are coming in, and the scourge of drugs and the poison that we see in our communities today, it’s very, very different than it was when I was growing up.”
Moe suggested that the Liberals bring in the Canada Border Services Agency and military Coast Guard to secure the border. He said this could work towards the country hitting its 2% of GDP NATO spending requirement.
Some other premiers issued statements confirming they attended the meeting but were less clear in what specifics they requested from the Liberals and other premiers.
For example, Quebec Premier François Legault said that he asked the Liberals to provide a detailed plan on how they plan to improve border security.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also called on Trudeau to enhance border security despite calling the proposed tariff an “unjustified threat.”
Around six times more terrorists were apprehended between 2022 and 2024 at the Canada-U.S. border compared to the southern border the United States shares with Mexico.
Firstly, Poilievre called on Trudeau to cancel his quadrupling of the carbon tax. In fact, he further called on the prime minister to halt all tax increases.
The Conservative Leader joined Smith’s call to urge Trudeau to stop his energy emissions cap.
“The incoming American president says he wants to cut gas prices in half. Well, the only way to do it will be to import more clean Canadian energy. So the Prime Minister has to stop this assault on our biggest industry,” said Poilievre.
Poilievre also urged Trudeau to cancel his billion-dollar cut to the military.
Lastly, Poilievre pleaded with Trudeau to stop “his liberalization of drugs.”
“I don’t want to stop drug overdoses to please Donald Trump. I want to stop drug overdoses so that there’s not one more mother with her face buried in a pillow, sobbing that she just lost her kid,” said Poilievre. After 47,000 other Canadians have died —that’s more than we lost in the Second World War—a 200% annual increase in drug overdose deaths have resulted from Justin Trudeau’s radical liberalization of drugs.”
Trudeau confirmed that he met with the premiers.
“Our focus: Canadian jobs, securing the border, and building on our strong partnership with the United States,” he said.
