washington
CNN
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that President-elect Donald Trump’s comments about making Canada the 51st U.S. state only distract from the consequences of Trump’s tariff threats.
Trudeau announced earlier this week that he would step down as prime minister once his party has chosen a successor, telling Tapper that Canada becoming a separate U.S. province “is not going to happen.”
“President Trump, who is a very skilled negotiator, is using that conversation to distract people from taking the 25% or so tariffs on oil, gas, electricity, steel, aluminum, wood and concrete out of the conversation. ,” Trudeau told CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper” in an interview from Washington.
President Trump promised in November to significantly increase tariffs on products from Mexico, Canada and China starting on his first day in office.
“On January 20th, in one of my first of many executive orders, I will impose a 25% tariff on Mexico and Canada on all products imported into the United States and their ridiculous opening of borders. I will sign all necessary documents,” Trump posted on his Truth page. social platform. “These tariffs will remain in effect until we stop drugs, especially fentanyl, and all illegal aliens from invading our country!”
The policy could significantly increase costs for U.S. businesses and consumers, a fact that Prime Minister Trudeau was quick to point out Thursday. Canada, Mexico, and China are the United States’ largest trading partners.
“If we go ahead with tariffs, everything that American consumers buy from Canada will suddenly become more expensive,” Trudeau said.
Prime Minister Trudeau said Canadians are “incredibly proud to be Canadian. One of the easiest ways we define ourselves is, ‘We’re not Americans.’ That’s what it means.
Prime Minister Trudeau told CNN on Thursday that he is in contact with California Governor Gavin Newsom about sending relief supplies to the deadly and destructive wildfires, adding that climate change is making these wildfires worse. I warned you that there was.
Prime Minister Trudeau said his country has provided California authorities with “a tremendous amount of equipment, which we have already received.”
Apocalyptic scenes are emerging across Los Angeles County, with deadly wildfires still largely uncontained. Evacuation orders affect approximately 180,000 people.
Canada has also experienced a series of wildfires in recent months. Dangerous wildfires broke out in Canada last year, burning tens of thousands of acres, forcing thousands of people to evacuate, damaging property, and worsening air quality.
Prime Minister Trudeau blamed the intensity and frequency of wildfires like these, which have affected Canada and California, on climate change.
“Unfortunately, in recent years we have seen the situation become much worse and we have seen wildfires increasingly invade urban areas. “This is a fire that requires us to train more municipal firefighters in a way that we’ve never done before,” Trudeau told CNN on Thursday.
“If we don’t get serious and find ways to reduce emissions and protect future generations, the situation we’re seeing now will only get worse in the coming decades,” Trudeau added. .
This story has been updated with additional developments.
