Opposition leaders talk unity following Trudeau meeting about Trump, minister calls 51st state comment 'teasing'

The prime minister’s emergency meeting with opposition leaders on Tuesday appears to have bolstered a more united front against U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

The meeting comes four days after Trudeau met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, where the two spoke about a wide range of issues the incoming president would like to see addressed. Trump has threatened significant tariffs on Canada and the Mexico unless they halt the flow of illegal drugs and migrants over the border.

“We discussed the possibility of unfair and unjustified American tariffs,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told reporters on Parliament Hill following the meeting, which was framed as a briefing about Trudeau’s surprise trip to Florida last week to speak with Trump.

“I made the point that these kinds of actions, were they able to go ahead, would be damaging to the United States, just as they would be to Canada,” he added. “It should be obvious and easy to make these arguments to the Americans, because they would be doing enormous damage to their own economy if they were first to stop importing vital Canadian goods that serve their consumers and provide inputs to their industries.”

Poilievre also said he will “make Canada’s case” to the Americans, highlighting the importance of putting “Canada first.”

Poilievre, however, also laid blame for many of the issues, of which Trump has raised concerns, at Trudeau’s feet. He pointed specifically to border security, the immigration system, and called on the prime minister to “reverse the job-crushing tax increases.”

Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May were all in attendance. Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc were also in the room, representing the federal government.

May called the meeting “cordial,” and highlighted that the prime minister conveyed to the opposition leaders the importance of not spreading false information, because it “sticks there forever.”

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“We were reminded, please do not say things that aren't true,” she said. “Don't play into Trump's narrative.”

May also said the “cordial personal relationship” between Trudeau and Trump “comes through,” explaining that the prime minister highlighted during the meeting his experience with the former president, including the communications the two have had in the last several months.

Singh, meanwhile, told reporters he “impressed upon the prime minister” that Trump’s threats should be taken seriously, and there needs to be an “all-hands-on-deck approach.”

He also took aim at Poilievre, claiming the Conservative leader “was still trying to score political points” during the meeting.

“That, to me, was disappointing, even though there's no cameras there,” Singh said. “I don't know who he is posturing for.”

May echoed those criticisms, saying the meeting “really wasn't the room to be starting to argue about carbon taxes,” and adding Poilievre was communicating “clearly a different tone” from the other party leaders.

“We're trying to pull together as Team Canada, but I guess Mr. Poilievre can't help himself from trying to say in a private meeting, the things that he objects to about government policy,” she said.

Freeland also discussed the meeting during a press conference on Tuesday.

“It is really important for us to be strong, smart and united, and it's really important for us to take care not to negotiate against ourselves, and I'm confident we can do that,” she said.

When asked whether her comments were in reference to Poilievre, Freeland answered that she “didn’t mention any specific leader in (her) remarks.”

“Canada can achieve a really positive outcome,” she added. “But that's not going to happen by accident.”

Canada the 51st state?

It was during the meeting with Trump on Friday — according to U.S. network Fox News — that the incoming president joked that if the tariffs debilitated the Canadian economy, perhaps Canada should become the country’s 51st state.

LeBlanc also attended the three-hour “social evening” at Trump’s Florida estate, and told reporters on Parliament Hill Tuesday the comment was light-hearted.

“The president-(elect) was telling jokes, the president-(elect) was teasing us,” LeBlanc said before a cabinet meeting. “It was, of course, on that issue in no way a serious comment.”

LeBlanc says the evening touched on a wide range of issues, including trade and border security, adding it was very productive.

“The fact that there's a warm, cordial relationship between the two leaders and the president-(elect) is able to joke like that for us was a positive thing,” LeBlanc said.

Trump later posted what appears to be an artificially generated image depicting him standing on a mountaintop with a large Canadian flag next to him.

Other cabinet ministers also saw the comment as a joke. Asked what he thought about the reference to Canada becoming the 51st state, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne said through a smile, “I’m proud to be Canadian.”

While underscoring how integrated the Canadian and American supply chains have become, Champagne also spoke about how significant the in-person meeting was.

“Prime Minister Trudeau was the first leader of the G7 to be hosted by president-(elect) Trump, I think that is really significant, that is a testament to the strategic nature of our relationship,” said Champagne. “I think it sends a big signal to the world that Canada is a strategic partner.”

In an interview on CTV News Channel’s Power Play on Monday, LeBlanc said the federal government will “absolutely” be adding more Canadian Border Services Agency and RCMP "human resources" at the border.

The minister wouldn’t lay out a timeline for the additional resources, however, and insisted the work has been ongoing for months. The new measures are not to appease Trump, he also said.

When it comes to increased border security measures, LeBlanc said last week he’s been working with the RCMP and border services about “acquiring new technologies,” including drones and helicopters.