Ex-Trump adviser says Canada in 'difficult position' amid tariff threat, Trudeau resignation

In the face of a potential tariff war, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton says “Canada is in a difficult position” in part due to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation and a looming general election.

“(Canada does not) have an election until later in the year. The Liberal Party has to pick a new leader,” Bolton said in an interview with CTV’s Power Play on Thursday. “Trump doesn't like Chrystia Freeland either. That could help her get elected, I suppose, but nonetheless, there's the potential of an election and a change of government. So, this is not going to be pleasant.”

Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods imported into the U.S if Canada doesn’t take action to address the flow of illegal drugs and migrants over the shared border. Senior government sources tell CTV News that the federal government is preparing a list of American products to target in retaliation, which could include U.S. steel products and Florida orange juice.

Likelihood of tariffs being imposed 'very substantial'

Bolton served as National Security Advisor from 2018-2019 during Trump’s first term as president.

In a previous interview with CTV last month, Bolton said Trudeau would have to “kiss the ring” to achieve smoother bilateral relations with Trump.

Asked by host Vassy Kapelos whether that approach is still worth pursuing, Bolton said Trump “doesn’t like Justin Trudeau” and “thinks he’s a Twinkie.”

“I wish I could be more optimistic, but Trump is on a path to put tariffs in place,” Bolton said, adding “nobody yet has figured out a way to talk him out of it.”

When asked about the likelihood of tariffs being imposed, Bolton said “it’s very substantial.”

“I think it's a mistake to listen to what Trump says and assume that there's a logical connection between the reasons that he says he wants to do something and what he actually has in mind,” Bolton said.

In response to Trump’s threat and concerns over border security, Canada has announced a $1.3-billion border plan. But so far, Canada has received no assurances from the incoming Trump administration that tariffs can be avoided.

Bolton also added that Trump “doesn’t understand how tariffs work.”

“I've been in the room when it's been explained to him, and he doesn't understand it, but he likes tariffs,” Bolton said.

Bolton on 51st state threat: 'I wouldn't take him seriously'

On Tuesday, Trump escalated his ongoing desire to make Canada a 51st state, saying he would use “economic force” to annex the country.

"You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security… We basically protect Canada,” Trump said during a wide-ranging press conference at Mar-a-Lago.

When asked by Kapelos how Canada should interpret those comments, Bolton said “I wouldn’t take them seriously.”

“I think he's still trolling Canada. I think he doesn't like Justin Trudeau. He hasn't liked him since the Charlevoix G7 meeting, so he enjoys poking fun at him as Trudeau political career ends, calling him Governor Trudeau in the 51st state,” Bolton said.

Hours after Trump’s comments on Tuesday, Trudeau posted to X, saying “there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”

In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday, Trudeau went further, saying “that’s not going to happen.”

Trudeau also said he believes Trump’s persistent references to Canadian sovereignty are designed to distract from tariff talks.

"What I think is happening in this is President Trump, who's a very skillful negotiator, is getting people to be somewhat distracted by that conversation," Trudeau told Tapper, adding that "25 per cent tariffs on oil and gas, and electricity, and steel and aluminum, and lumber and concrete, and everything the American consumers buy from Canada is suddenly going to get a lot more expensive if he moves forward on these tariffs."

With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyk and Rachel Aiello