Freeland on Why She Didn’t Attend Trump Meeting: Ask Trudeau

Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc looks on as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland speaks to reporters following a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill on Nov. 26, 2024. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the prime minister has the answer as to why she did not participate in the meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Florida, but she nevertheless agrees with the decision.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc for the unannounced trip to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence on Nov. 29, along with Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. and his top political staffers.

When asked by reporters on Dec. 3 why she did not attend the meeting, Freeland said, “Well, that’s a question first and foremost for the prime minister.”

Freeland, who also serves as finance minister, was put in charge of a cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations almost immediately after Trump won the presidential election. During her tenure as minister of foreign affairs, Freeland played the lead role in the renegotiations of the NAFTA trade deal during Trump’s first term.

While Freeland said to ask Trudeau why she didn’t participate in the meeting with Trump, she also said “it was the right choice.”

“The meeting was principally about the border,” she said. “That is what was very clear from the conversation that the prime minister had with the president ahead of time, from the president’s tweet, and minister LeBlanc is the minister responsible for the border.”

Freeland gave an update on Canada-U.S. relations during a press conference on Dec. 3, but did not mention Trudeau’s meeting with Trump. Freeland discussed the Canada-U.S. cabinet committee meeting for the fifth time, and the first ministers’ meeting last week to discuss the tariff threat. She also mentioned Trudeau had briefed opposition party leaders on the border earlier that day.

“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,” Freeland said.

Trump Meeting

The table where Trudeau and LeBlanc sat at the Mar-a-Lago dinner included Trump’s cabinet picks to oversee national security and tariffs issues. Howard Lutnick (commerce), Mike Waltz (national security adviser), and Doug Burgum (interior) accompanied Trump at the table.

The meeting took place after Trump said on Nov. 25 he would impose 25 tariffs on Canada and Mexico if they don’t address illegal migration and drug smuggling at the border. The same day, Trudeau called Trump and asked for an in-person meeting, according to Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman.

After the dinner, Trump said he had a “very productive” meeting with Trudeau where illegal immigration, trade, energy, the arctic, and the “scourge” of the drug crisis were discussed.

“Prime Minister Trudeau has made a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation of U.S. Families,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

LeBlanc also described the meeting as “positive” and “productive” and said he exchanged phone numbers with Lutnick, Trump’s pick for secretary of commerce.

“Incoming secretary Lutnick texted me the next morning and wants to get together again in the next few weeks to continue the conversation around the border,” LeBlanc told CBC News on Dec. 1. “So that is very valuable, I think, in helping them understand the shared priorities that we have with their government.”

The meeting was described as positive by both sides, though neither made any policy announcements afterwards. LeBlanc told a House of Commons committee on Dec. 3 that a specific announcement on border measures, including on human resources and new equipment, will be made before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Purchases on new equipment, such as aerial surveillance platforms, are being expedited according to Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos. The minister said on Dec. 3 special authorities related to a “national emergency” are being used to fast-track purchases.

If Trump is not satisfied with Canada’s response and imposes tariffs, it could severely impact the economy. Canadians officials have been conveying that it would also negatively impact the U.S. given its imports of Canadian energy and the interlinked supply chains.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.