After Free Trade
Far from collapsing Canada's economy, Trump's attacks may strengthen it
Back in the mists of time, when Justin Trudeau was prime minister, he told then president-elect Donald Trump over a November 29th dinner at Mar-a-Lago that 25 percent US tariffs on Canadian goods would cause our economy to collapse.
On December 3, Trump responded with this:
Since then, Trump has spoken or posted publicly about Canada as the 51st state every month, starting with this, after Chrystia Freeland resigned:
Two days later he posted this:
On January 7, 2025, Trump posted this:
Minister Dominic Leblanc tried to passed the Mar-a-Lago remark off as a joke – “entertaining and funny” banter over dinner. Trump apparently made plenty of ‘51st state’ and ‘governor Trudeau’ jibes during his first term, but never in public.
After Trump was inaugurated for a second time in February, Trudeau and Carney took the barbs more seriously. They both said, using a variety of formulations, that Trump’s aim was to weaken Canada so he could take it over.
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