A Canadian government representative confirmed to the BBC that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President-elect Donald Trump conversed for roughly 10 minutes in what was characterized as a “good conversation,” with both leaders agreeing to stay in contact moving forward.
During the phone call, Trudeau highlighted that the number of migrants crossing the border from Canada remained much lower than those crossing from Mexico, according to the official.
In a public statement, Canadian ministers underscored their focus on the shared border, emphasizing that it remains their “highest priority.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc also took the opportunity to underline the significance of the US-Canada trade relationship.
They pointed out that 60% of the previous year’s US crude oil imports came from Canada.
Canada accounted for approximately $437 billion in US imports in 2022, making it the largest destination for US exports that same year, according to US trade statistics.
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Trump announced that a 25% tariff on goods from Canada would be imposed immediately upon his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
He described this move as a means to compel the other nations involved to strengthen their actions against illegal border crossings, particularly regarding people and drug trafficking, including fentanyl.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned that the proposed tariff would be “devastating to workers and jobs in both Canada and the US” He urged the Canadian government to “take the situation at our border seriously” and called for Trudeau to “call an urgent meeting with all premiers.”
Ford’s comments were echoed by the leaders of Quebec and British Columbia. Alberta’s Premier Daniella Smith, in a post on her official X account, acknowledged that Trump had “valid concerns related to illegal activities at our shared border.”
The Canadian American Business Council (CABC) strongly opposed the proposed tariff, stating that it would undermine the renegotiated North American trade agreement between Canada, the US, and Mexico.
The CABC added that the tariffs would “harm businesses on both sides of the border and erode the economic and geopolitical strength of North America.”
Other business voices called for calm, with the head of Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) remarking, “We’ve gamed out the possibilities that he lumps Canada and Mexico issues together, we’ve been there before. We are prepared and connected.”
Some have suggested that Trump’s proposed tariff hikes during his election campaign could simply be part of a negotiation strategy.
Scott Bessent, the US Treasury secretary nominee, stated in an interview with the Financial Times, “My general view is that at the end of the day, he’s a free trader. It’s escalate to de-escalate.”
Trump’s new border czar, Tom Homan, has referred to the northern border as an “extreme national security vulnerability,” alleging that Canada is being used as a pathway for individuals from nations deemed to sponsor terrorism to enter the US.
Despite illegal crossings from Canada being much fewer than those from Mexico, there appears to be an uptick in the number of unauthorized migrants.
Robert Garcia, a US border official in the northeast, reported last month that over 19,000 people from 97 countries were arrested in the past year, which was more than the “last 17 fiscal years combined.”
Experts have pointed out that the U.S.-Canada border is much longer and less fortified than the southern border, with similar criminal smuggling activity present.
A recent high-profile trial in Minnesota shed light on such smuggling operations.
Two men were found guilty of assisting an Indian family in crossing from Canada into the U.S. in January 2022, an operation that tragically led to the family’s death.
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