Trudeau Meeting With Trump in Florida

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks through the lobby of the Delta Hotel by Marriott in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 29, 2024. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc are meeting U.S. President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Nov. 29.

While no official statements about the meeting have been issued so far, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather commented on the meeting.

“Strong interpersonal relationships are key to managing the incredibly important Canada/US relationship,” Housefather said on  social media platform X on Nov. 29. “I am glad to see [Trudeau and Leblanc] meeting with President Trump tonight.”

The meeting comes as Trump recently announced he plans on slapping a 25 percent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico unless the two countries stop illegal border-crossings and the flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl into the United States.

Trudeau said earlier on Nov. 29 that he is going to resolve the tariff issue by talking with Trump.

“We’re going to work together to meet some of the concerns,” Trudeau said in a press conference in Prince Edward Island.

“But ultimately it is through lots of real constructive conversations with President Trump that I am going to have, that will keep us moving forward on the right track for all Canadians.”

Trump said on Nov. 27 that in a phone call he had with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, she agreed to prevent illegal immigrants from going to the U.S. southern border.

“She has agreed to stop Migration through Mexico, and into the United States, effectively closing our Southern Border,” Trump wrote on social media.

Sheinbaum said in her own statement on Nov. 27 that she had “an excellent conversation with President Donald Trump” and that she told him that migrant caravans aren’t going to the U.S. border because Mexico is taking steps to address the situation.

Concern in Canada

A day after Trump announced the new tariffs on Nov. 25, Trudeau said he had a “good call” with the president-elect, and that the two talked about “how the intense and effective connections between our two countries flow back and forth.”

Trudeau met with Canadian premiers on the issue on Nov. 27.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the premiers and the prime minister discussed the need for unified action, as well as securing the border.

“We agreed that illegal drugs, especially opioids are a scourge for both of our countries, and that we need to continue to work hard to ensure our border is safe and secure, and to really crack down on illegal drugs,” she said.

Canadian exports to the United States totalled C$593 billion in 2023, while U.S. exports to Canada totalled C$484 billion.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province’s auto industry would be severely impacted by the tariffs, has urged swift action on border security and asked Ottawa to be more proactive to avoid the “economic chaos” that the tariffs would bring.

Other premiers have also called for more action, including Quebec Premier François Legault, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith whose wants to ensure her province’s energy exports wouldn’t be subject to tariffs.

Jacob Burg, Noé Chartier, Matthew Horwood, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

This is a developing story, updates will follow.