It’s good news that in the final hours before Canada was facing the devastating economic consequences of a full-scale tariff trade war launched against us by U.S. President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was able to announce a last-minute reprieve of “at least 30 days.”
What sealed the deal was Canada agreeing to additional measures to combat the illegal flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S., with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum given a similar reprieve by Trump, earlier in the day.
Mexico, where U.S, authorities seized 21,148 pounds of the deadly drug last year headed for the U.S., agreed to assign 10,000 soldiers to America’s northern border to combat the crisis.
Trudeau announced on ‘X’ that Canada, where 43 pounds of the drug was seized at America’s northern border last year, will assign “nearly 10,000 frontline personnel” to combatting illegal smuggling as part of its previously announced $1.3-billion border security plan, including the purchase of new helicopters and drones.
In addition, Canada will appoint a “Fentanyl Czar”, list Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations, ensure 24/7 border patrols and launch a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force with a $200-million budget to combat organized crime, fentanyl smuggling and money-laundering.
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That said it’s now clear that Trump intends to use the threat of tariffs in a bid to win future economic concessions from Canada, which he continued to describe on Monday as an unfair trader, repeating his argument once again that the best solution would be for Canada to become America’s 51st state.
Given this, it is outrageous — as Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday — that Parliament has been shut down by Trudeau through prorogation to avoid debating these issues.
Trudeau, a lame-duck PM who’s about to quit — with no credible mandate from the Canadian people to do so — will now be leading negotiations with Trump not just on trade and security matters, but on the future of Canada as a sovereign nation.
What Trudeau should be doing is calling an immediate election.
Of course, Trudeau and the Liberals are stalling because they fear losing a confidence motion and forfeiting power, a classic example of them putting their party’s interests ahead of the people of Canada.
Call an election now, prime minister.