Trump's apparent joke about Canada becoming 51st state draws range of reaction in B.C.
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Revelations about a cheeky comment during a dinner meeting at president-elect Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort between Trump and Prime Justin Minister Trudeau last week are creating waves.
Revelations about a cheeky comment during a dinner meeting at president-elect Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort between Trump and Prime Justin Minister Trudeau last week are creating waves.
Fox News reported, citing anonymous sources, that Trump joked to Trudeau that if a 25 per cent tariff would kill Canada’s economy, meaning it can’t survive without “ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion” a year, then maybe Canada should become the 51st state.
The joke generated a buzz in Ottawa Tuesday. Some, including Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc, who was also at the dinner, downplayed the joke.
“The president was telling jokes; the president was teasing us,” said Leblanc Tuesday. “It was of course, on that issue, in no way a serious comment,” he said.
But the humour is not landing well on some British Columbian ears.
B.C. Conservative Finance critic, Peter Milobar, weighed in Tuesday. “Obviously, a very serious situation as it relates to the B.C. economy and how reliant we are on our exports,” he said.
B.C.’s minister of state for trade, Rick Glumac, tried his hand at comedy in response Tuesday.
