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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with all opposition leaders today before question period to brief them about his meeting with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.
Senior government sources tell CTV News the meeting will happen at 1 p.m. this afternoon and all opposition leaders will be in attendance.
The meeting comes four days after Trudeau met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, where the two spoke about a wide range of issues the incoming president would like to see addressed. Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs on Canada and the Mexico unless they halt the flow of illegal drugs and migrants over the border.
It was in that meeting — according to U.S. network Fox News — that Trump joked that if the tariffs debilitated the Canadian economy, perhaps Canada should become the country’s 51st state.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc also attended the three-hour “social evening” at Trump’s Florida estate, and told reporters on Parliament Hill Tuesday the comment was light-hearted.
“The president-(elect) was telling jokes, the president-(elect) was teasing us,” LeBlanc said before a cabinet meeting. “It was, of course, on that issue in no way a serious comment.”
LeBlanc says the evening touched on a wide range of issues, including trade and border security, adding it was very productive.
“The fact that there’s a warm, cordial relationship between the two leaders and the president-(elect) is able to joke like that for us was a positive thing,” LeBlanc said.
Other cabinet ministers also saw the comment as a joke. Asked what he thought about the reference to Canada becoming the 51st state, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said through a smile, “I’m proud to be Canadian.”
While underscoring how integrated the Canadian and American supply chains have become, Champagne also spoke about how significant the in-person meeting was.
“Prime Minister Trudeau was the first leader of the G7 to be hosted by president-(elect) Trump, I think that is really significant, that is a testament to the strategic nature of our relationship,” said Champagne. “I think it sends a big signal to the world that Canada is a strategic partner.”
In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play on Monday, LeBlanc said the federal government will “absolutely” be adding more Canadian Border Services Agency and RCMP “human resources” at the border.
The minister wouldn’t lay out a timeline for the additional resources, however, and insisted the work has been ongoing for months. The new measures are not to appease Trump, he also said.
When it comes to increased border security measures, LeBlanc said last week he’s been working with the RCMP and border services about “acquiring new technologies,” including drones and helicopters.
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