Canadian team told Trump's tariffs unavoidable right now, but solutions on the table in surprise Mar-a-Lago meeting

During a surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago, representatives of the federal government were told U.S. tariffs from the incoming Donald Trump administration cannot be avoided in the immediacy - as Trump voraciously believes in the effectiveness of tariffs - but solutions in the longer term are on the table particularly if the border is secured, two government sources who were at the meeting tell CTV News.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Trump and members of his team on Friday evening in West Palm Beach, Fla., where sources say border security and trade were discussed.

The meeting comes just days after Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports unless Canada addresses his border concerns, which include illegal border crossings and drug trafficking.

According to sources, Trump and his team conveyed that they plan to balance their federal budget through tariffs, and then strike exemption side deals on a country-by-country basis.

The nearly three-hour dinner was also described to CTV News by two people who attended as positive and wide-ranging. Other topics discussed included fentanyl, NATO, Ukraine, energy, China and next year's G7 summit in Canada.

Leaving his hotel on Saturday morning, Trudeau briefly spoke to the media, saying he had an "excellent conversation" with Trump. The prime minister returned to Canada late Saturday morning.

Then-U.S. president Donald Trump meets with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Winfield House, Dec. 3, 2019, in London. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc accompanied Trudeau on the trip, along with the prime minister's chief of staff Katie Telford and deputy chief of staff Brian Clow.

After arriving back to Ottawa on Saturday, Leblanc spoke to reporters and called the meeting “an interesting, positive dinner.”

Trump later commented on the dinner in a post to Truth Social Saturday afternoon, describing it as "productive."

Trump also said he spoke to Trudeau about the importance of tackling the "drug epidemic."

"Prime Minister Trudeau has made a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation of U.S. Families," Trump wrote.

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On the American side, president-elect Trump was joined by his nominee for Interior Secretary North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and his wife, Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick and his wife, as well as National Security Advisor nominee Rep. Mike Waltz and his wife. Pennsylvania senator-elect Dave McCormick and his wife Dina Powell were also in attendance.

Sources tell CTV News that Friday’s dinner was also a social opportunity to determine who to connect with within Trump’s incoming administration.

In a press conference earlier Friday, Trudeau said Trump's tariff threat needs to be taken seriously.

"One of the things that is really important to understand is that, you know, Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out," Trudeau said. "There's no question about it."

Trudeau also said he looked forward to having "lots of great conversations with president-elect Trump as we move forward on standing up for good jobs on both sides of the borders."

Friday’s dinner at Mar-a-Lago is Trudeau’s second conversation with Trump in less than a week. Hours after Trump’s tariff threat on Monday night, Trudeau spoke directly to him on the phone, describing it as a “good call.”

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"We obviously talked about laying out the facts, talking about how the intense and effective connections between our two countries flow back and forth. We talked about some of the challenges that we can work on together," Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday.

During that call, sources tell CTV News that Trudeau pointed out how the number of migrants who cross from Canada to the U.S. is a small fraction compared to those who cross from Mexico.

Premiers, meanwhile, are collectively urging the federal government to strengthen the border following an urgently requested meeting with Trudeau on Wednesday.

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The federal government has since pledged additional investments will be made at the border, but specific details or a timeline have yet to be provided.

According to sources, Trump expressed he does not support relying on drones or technology as enforcement and would like to see manned aircraft and more officers on the ground before making any decisions.

In a social media post on X, Ontario Premier Doug Ford wrote "I’m glad (Trudeau) was able to meet with the president-elect to learn more about his concerns," but reiterated his call for a clear plan on border security.

Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said it was "telling" that oil and gas pipelines were discussed at the Mar-a-Lago meeting.

On X, Smith used the discussion as chance to reaffirm her call for the federal government to "scrap the Canadian oil and gas production cap and work with Alberta and all provinces to secure the border from illegal drugs and illegal migrants, and critically, to commence work on additional pipeline infrastructure between Canada and the United States."

With files from CTV News’ Vassy Kapelos, Jeremie Charron and Mike Le Couteur