Florida, Jan 8 US President-elect Donald Trump has proposed the idea of using "economic force" to merge Canada and the United States, creating what he frequently describes as the "51st state."
He cited reasons such as military assistance provided by the US and trade deficits between the two nations to support his suggestion.
Addressing a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Tuesday, Trump said, "You get rid of that artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security."
"Canada and the United States, that would really be something. We've been good neighbours, but we can't do it forever," he added.
Emphasising the financial burden on the US, Trump said, "Don't forget, we basically protect Canada. But here's the problem with Canada. So many friends up there; I love the Canadian people. They're great, but we're spending hundreds of billions a year to protect it. We're spending hundreds of billions a year to take care of Canada. We lose in trade deficits."
Trump reiterated his plan to impose "substantial" tariffs on goods from both Canada and Mexico.
"Canada is subsidised to the tune of about $200 billion a year, plus other things. And they don't essentially have a military. They have a very small military. They rely on our military. It's all fine, but you know they gotta pay for that," he added.
In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump shared an edited image of Canada as part of the US, captioning it, "Oh Canada."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed the suggestion, responding firmly, "There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States. Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other's biggest trading and security partners."
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly also criticised Trump's remarks, accusing him of a "lack of understanding" about Canada. She stated that Canada would "never back down" from such threats.
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of a US-Canada "merger" since his presidential election victory in November. He has often referred to Trudeau as the "Governor" of the "Great State of Canada" in a mocking tone.
Previously, Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods unless Canada took significant steps to bolster border security and curb the influx of drugs and illegal immigrants into the US.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor