Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said US President Donald Trump’s talk about absorbing Canada was “a real thing” and is linked to the country’s rich natural resources, a government source said.
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Trudeau made the remarks during a closed-door session of business and labour leaders on how best to respond to Trump’s threats of tariffs on Canadian imports.
His comments were first reported by the Toronto Star, which said they were mistakenly carried by a loudspeaker.
Trump has repeatedly suggested Canada would be better off if it agreed to become the 51st US state.
“They’re very aware of our resources, of what we have and they very much want to be able to benefit from those,” the Star quoted Trudeau as saying.
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“But Mr Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country. And it is a real thing.”
The government source confirmed that the Star’s account of the remarks was accurate.