Cabinet ministers say they must not overreact to Trump’s threats of annexation

Canada should not overreact to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s comments about annexing Canada, but should still take them seriously, several federal cabinet ministers said Wednesday.

The ministers were in Ottawa to meet with the Liberal caucus as it prepares for a leadership race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but many of them remain heavily focused on Trump’s escalated musings about making Canada the 51st state and his ongoing threat to slam tariffs on Canada as soon as he is sworn back into office.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada should not take Trump’s “bait” but should not back down in its efforts to counter the threats he is making.

“When president-elect Trump talks, we need to listen and we need to take him very seriously. I never take his threats lightly, but at the same time we can’t take the bait,” Joly said.

Joly is one of the Liberal ministers considering a run for the party’s leadership. She says that, as she considers whether to throw her hat in, she’s weighing her responsibilities as foreign affairs minister and the need to confront Trump’s threats.

Trump continued his taunts Wednesday by posting a map of Canada and the United States, with the American flag superimposed over both countries. Trump captioned it, “Oh Canada.”

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc ruled himself out of the running completely Wednesday, saying that responding to the 25 per cent tariff threat requires his full attention.

“I will be solely focused on the real economic threat that American tariffs represent to the Canadian economy and to Canadian workers. It’s a full-time job and I’m lucky to have it,” LeBlanc said. 

LeBlanc attended a dinner with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in November, part of the Trudeau government’s initial efforts to head off the tariff threat. After that dinner meeting, LeBlanc dismissed Trump’s crack about annexing Canada as a joke.

That’s not how the government sees it now. International Trade Minister Mary Ng said Wednesday that Trump is “not” joking about the U.S. somehow absorbing Canada.

“He’s not and we are taking it seriously and we will respond seriously as well,” she said. “But I have done a lot of work meeting Canadian businesses, American businesses, American legislators and they understand the importance of this relationship.”

Immigration Minister Marc Miller repeated an earlier comment comparing Trump’s rhetoric to an episode of the animated comedy South Park. He said he’ll only start to worry if Trump appoints Eric Cartman, a foul-mouthed 10-year-old from the show, to the joint chiefs of staff.

“It’s silly, it’s unbecoming of a president to say that, but we do have to take it seriously and we will continue to do that,” he said.

Miller is not seeking the Liberal leadership. He commended LeBlanc’s decision not to enter the race, saying he’s putting the country first.

“(LeBlanc’s) decision to stay on is an intellectually sound one, it’s an important one to keep stability in the country in a time where thousands of jobs could be at risk if Mr. Trump goes through on the imposition of tariffs. That will be our number 1 focus,” Miller said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with the premiers next Wednesday to talk about the looming tariff threat, just days before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pitching the incoming Trump administration on a new approach to energy exports. He said Wednesday he wants to see the province’s grid expanded to allow more energy to be sent to the U.S.

Ford appears to be positioning himself as the country’s protector in the face of what he called a “lack of leadership” in Ottawa in response to the tariff threat.

In a post on X, Quebec Premier François Legault said Trump’s comments on annexing Canada “must be taken seriously.”

“There is clearly no question of Canada becoming the 51st American state, but Mr. Trump will use every opportunity at his disposal to increase his balance of power,” Legault wrote in French. “All the more reason to keep a cool head and refuse to play the president-elect’s game.”

He said his responsibility is to protect Quebec’s economy from “the threat of tariffs that could cause significant damage.”

“Certainly we’d like to have less uncertainty in the federal government right now,” he added. “However, Quebec and the rest of Canada are not without the means to act.”

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said Wednesday that Trump has a history of making comments that start off as jokes but become policy.

“This is a strong and sovereign country, and it will always be a strong and sovereign country,” Furey said. “To have, unfortunately, our best friend … threaten our sovereignty is completely unacceptable.”

Two former U.S. ambassadors to Canada also weighed in on how Canada should respond to the annexation threat.

Gordon Giffin, who served under former U.S. president Bill Clinton, said Trump has “gone too far.”

“Unfortunately, the president-elect has become enamoured with the line and he is almost just reverting to it in an unconscious way,” he said.

Giffin said Canada should be calm and firm in its response.

“I think Canada and Canadian leaders ought to be dismissive of it,” he said. “I wouldn’t scowl and take offence. I would just be dismissive.”

Bruce Heyman served as U.S. ambassador to Canada under former president Barack Obama from 2014 to 2017. He also called on Canadian officials to keep their cool.

“I don’t think everybody should be overreacting to this at this moment,” Heyman said. “Don’t overreact to every press conference and look at the opportunity you have ahead of you and work that diplomatically.”