Chethana Janith, Jadetimes Staff
C. Janith is a Jadetimes news reporter covering science and geopolitics.
US President-elect Donald Trump took a light-hearted swipe at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, referring to him as the "governor" of the "Great State of Canada."
In a social media post early Tuesday, Trump referenced a dinner the two had in late November at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The meeting came after Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods when he assumes office in January.
Trump's post expressed hope for continuing discussions on tariffs and trade, stating that the outcome of these talks would be "truly spectacular for all."
Canada, with a population of around 40 million, is one of the US's largest trading partners, with approximately 75% of its exports going to the US. The two nations also share closely integrated supply chains.
On Monday, Trudeau told the Halifax Chamber of Commerce that Canada would respond if the Trump administration moves forward with the tariff threat after his inauguration on January 20.
Trudeau mentioned that Canada is still determining the "right" response to the situation but pointed to retaliatory tariffs imposed by Ottawa during the first Trump administration's steel and aluminum levies.
“Our responses to the unfair steel and aluminum tariffs were what ended up lifting those tariffs last time,” Trudeau said.
Canada placed tariffs on both metals, as well as more than 250 US goods, including beer kegs, whiskey, and orange juice. These measures were designed to politically pressure the US and highlight the impact on cross-border trade.
Trudeau described those counter-measures as "carefully targeted" and "politically impactful to the president's party and colleagues," noting that they allowed Canada - economically smaller than the US, to "punch back in a way that was actually felt by Americans."
The president-elect has also threatened a similar blanket tariff against Mexico unless both countries secure their shared borders with the US.
US Border Patrol data on migrant encounters shows that the number of crossings at the US-Canada border is significantly lower than at the southern border, as is the amount of fentanyl seized.
Trudeau said that while he takes the potential economic impact of the tariff threat seriously, Canadians should not "freak out." He noted that the president-elect's strategy often involves "destabilizing a negotiating partner."
Trudeau is scheduled to meet with the leaders of Canada's provinces and territories again on Wednesday to discuss the approach for upcoming US negotiations.
Tuesday's "governor" comment is not the first time Trump has teased Canada. At the Mar-a-Lago dinner, Trump jokingly suggested that Canada should become the 51st US state. Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc, who accompanied Trudeau to the dinner, said the remark was "in no way a serious comment."
"The president was telling jokes, the president was teasing us," Leblanc told reporters earlier this month.
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