Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting with President Trump at the White House Tuesday for the first time since taking office in March and pledging to stand firm against the U.S. president.
U.S.-Canada relations have been strained by Mr. Trump’s tariffs and his comments about making Canada the 51st state. Carney said in his victory speech that Canada’s previous relationship with the U.S., “based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation, is over.” He also said Canadians must “fundamentally reimagine our economy” in light of Mr. Trump’s tariff regime.
Ahead of the meeting, Carney told the BBC last week that Canada would only enter trade and security talks with the Trump administration “on our terms.” Carney, a member of the Liberal Party, was elected party leader in March and became the prime minister soon after.
A 25% import tariff on goods from Canada not covered by the USMCA trade agreement went into effect March 4. Mr. Trump said that tariff was to punish Canada for the entrance of fentanyl and migrants into the U.S. Last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border, while over 21,000 pounds of the drug was seized at the southern border. Canada retaliated against the U.S. with tariffs on many U.S. goods.
Over the weekend, Mr. Trump said he’d talk about making Canada the 51st state, although he said he doesn’t expect to use military force. “I don’t see it with Canada. I just don’t see it,” the president said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Carney said he won’t be discussing Canadian statehood with Mr. Trump. The prime minister also said Mr. Trump did not suggest Canada should become the 51st U.S. state in their most recent phone call.
“It’s always important to distinguish want from reality,” Carney said last week, adding, “What the Canadian people clearly have stated, virtually without exception, is this will never, never happen.”