Canada’s Newly-Elected Finance Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Meet with US Aides to Discuss Tariffs
By Kanishka Singh
Washington: Canada’s new finance minister, Dominic LeBlanc, and foreign affairs minister, Melanie Joly, met with aides to US President-elect Donald Trump in Florida on Friday to discuss the risks of imposing new tariffs. The meeting comes as Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on imports from Canada unless the country reduces the flow of migrants and fentanyl into the United States.
The meeting was described as “positive and productive” by LeBlanc’s office, which said the two ministers highlighted the negative impacts that the imposition of 25% tariffs on Canadian goods would have on both countries. The meeting also focused on Canada’s efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration, and the ministers agreed to continue talks in the coming weeks.
Canada has pledged to invest C$1.3 billion over six years in border security, focusing on surveillance, intelligence, and technology. The meeting took place as Trump continues to criticize Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on social media.
Trudeau is under pressure to step down from his own party, which is expected to lose power early next year.