President Donald Trump has weighed in on the Canadianelection, repeating his claim that Canada should become a U.S. state after his tariffs and threats of annexation were a central issue in the federal campaign.
"Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America," Trumpposted on social media.
Canada was an early target of Trump's trade war and has been the subject of a long list of complaints coming from the White House about everything from defence spending to trade deficits.
The president posted on social media Monday that Canadacould become a 51st state without "an artificially drawn line from many years ago."
"Look how beautiful this land mass would be. Free access with NO BORDER. ALL POSITIVES WITH NO NEGATIVES. IT WAS MEANT TO BE!" Trump's post said.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre have both condemned Trump's comments about Canadian sovereignty while making the case that their party is in the best position to lead the country through this tumultuous time in the relationship with Canada's largest trading partner.
Poilievre responded to Trump's comment with a post on social media calling for the president to "stay out of our election." The Conservative leader said "the only people who will decide the future of Canada are Canadians at the ballot box."
Trump slapped Canada with economywide tariffs last month, only to partially pause the levies a few days later for imports compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade, called CUSMA.
Canada has also been impacted by Trump's tariffs onautomobiles, steel and aluminum. Among the president's growing list of planned duties is also lumber and copper.
Monday's vote will decide which party will negotiate with the president as he looks to upend CUSMA, the continental trade pact signed under the first Trump administration. Many experts say Trump is undermining his own deal by hitting America's closest neighbours with tariffs.
Polling shows very little support from Americans for a U.S. takeover of Canada. When asked on Sunday whether the Trump administration had taken any steps towards annexation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "no," adding that Trump believes Canada would be better as a U.S. state.
Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press, Rubio said "we'll deal with the new leadership of Canada."
"There are many things we work with cooperatively on Canadaon, but we actually don’t like the way they treated us when it comes to trade," he said.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Evan Vucci
