The leader of the Conservative Party in Canada pushed back on President Donald Trump’s agenda for the United States’s northern neighbor, saying Canada will “never be the 51st state” and warning that tariffs will begin a resentful trade war.
Speaking on Saturday at a Flag Day rally in Ottawa, Pierre Poilievre, a favorite among conservative Americans, reiterated opposition to the president’s suggestion that Canada could be annexed.
“Let me be clear, we will never be the 51st state,” Poilievre said.
“We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country,” Poilievre added, to roaring applause.
Poilievre, who has led the Conservative Party for more than two years, is running to replace outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He has long been favored to win the country’s upcoming federal election as Canadians grow tired of the Liberal Party’s leadership, while an economic crisis looms.
Poilievre’s platform has gained momentum since Trump began threatening to slap sweeping 25 percent tariffs on Canada, including on steel and aluminum, and floated the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state.
At first, the president’s suggestion that Canada join the U.S. appeared to be a joke – mocking the U.S.’s northern neighbor and undermining it’s strength as an independent country. But more recently, Trump has said he is serious about his suggestion.
Despite the U.S. and Canada sharing a border, being each other’s closest allies and largest trading partners, Poilievre has not taken kindly to Trump’s bullying and offered a harsh rebuke of his suggestions.
“Never confuse our kindness for weakness,” Poilievre warned the U.S. president during his speech, saying “retaliation” would only be the first step, should Trump follow through with his promise to impose tariffs.
Poilievre said he would issue retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. which would begin a trade war. He warned that it would damage the U.S.–Canada relationship and make it easier for adversaries to launch attacks.
He said Canada was the United States’s “closest friend” and “greatest ally” and reminded Americans that Canada went to war for its neighbor after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
“As Winston Churchhill said though, ‘You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing, after exhausting all other possibilities’,” Poilievre said to laughter.
