Minister LeBlanc Says He No Longer Views Trump’s 51st State Talk as a ‘Joke’

Then-Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc (C), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (R), and Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly participate in a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Oct. 14, 2024. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

He saw it as good-natured banter when it first landed, but now Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc is not laughing about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s repeated talk of the U.S. merging with Canada.

“I think he has gone much further than the idea of a joke,” LeBlanc said in French when speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Jan. 8 before the Liberal caucus meeting.

LeBlanc was at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Nov. 29, 2024, when the incoming president first remarked on making Canada the “51st” U.S. state with “governor” Justin Trudeau at the helm.

The meeting came shortly after Trump threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods over border security concerns. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly told Trump that such punitive measures would kill the Canadian economy. Trump responded that if Canada couldn’t survive with a $100 billion trade surplus with the United States it should perhaps join with its southern neighbour, according to Fox News.

Asked about the comment after the meeting, LeBlanc said Trump was only joking, as there was “cheerful banter” between him and Trudeau.

Since then, variations of Trump’s comment about making Canada part of the U.S. have become a regular fixture, whether through social media posts or press conferences.

In the latest charge on Jan. 7, Trump said he could use “economic force” to merge Canada with the United States.

“Canada and the United States, that would really be something,” Trump said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. “You get rid of that artificially-drawn [border] line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security.”

In reaction, LeBlanc said Trump’s approach is becoming “completely counterproductive.”

“It’s a way for him to sow confusion, to agitate people for no reason,” the minister said before the Liberal caucus meeting. “We fully understand [merging] will never happen. What needs to happen is joint work around border security, on immigration, on the economy.”

Trudeau also reacted to Trump’s latest comment on Jan. 7, saying there “isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.”

Border Plan

LeBlanc first went to Mar-a-Lago last November as the minister of public safety. He was put in charge of drawing up a plan to bolster security at the border, details of which were released in mid-December. The plan includes $1.3 billion in spending to purchase surveillance and detection equipment, and proposes establishing a cross-border task force to crack down on drug trafficking.

LeBlanc returned to Mar-a-Lago in the last week of December to discuss the border plan, this time as finance minister after replacing Chrystia Freeland in the role, and accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.

Joly told reporters before the caucus meeting that Trump needs to be taken “very seriously.”

“I never take his threats lightly. At the same time, we can’t take the bait, and I think also that we’re extremely strong as a country,” she said.

Newly appointed Public Safety Minister David McGuinty would not say whether the plan to stave off Trump’s tariff threat has been rejected by the incoming U.S. administration. Trump repeated his threat to impose “very serious” and “substantial” tariffs on Canada on Jan. 7.

McGuinty said the work around upgrading border security is ongoing, with the RCMP commissioner travelling to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 10. The minister also said he plans to visit in two weeks.

“I want to go down there with hands full to show the progress that we’re making,” he said before the caucus meeting.

The Liberal government will have its hands full with Trump’s inauguration coming on Jan. 20 and an internal leadership race after Trudeau announced his intention to step down.

LeBlanc, who was seen as viable contender to replace Trudeau, said he will not be running for the top spot. The minister said he instead wants to focus on the tariff threat.

McGuinty, a longtime MP who received his first cabinet post in a Dec. 20 shuffle, also said he has no intention of running for leadership. “Out of the question,” he said when asked by reporters.

Joly said she is still reflecting on whether to run or not, having to weigh the cost on her family.