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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took part in a virtual meeting of the Canada-U.S. relations cabinet committee on Friday, as people inside and outside the Liberal caucus call for him to resign as leader.
The committee, which was reinstated after Donald Trump was elected in November, is gathering as his Jan. 20 inauguration quickly approaches.
Trump promised to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports unless both countries meet his demand to beef up security at the American border.
He’s also been taunting Trudeau on social media, suggesting Canada should become the 51st U.S. state and calling Trudeau its governor, while arguing that the U.S. subsidizes Canada through its trade relationship.
A spokesperson from the Prime Minister’s Office said Trudeau is not an official member of the U.S.-Canada relations committee, but his attendance underscores the importance of the committee’s work in protecting Canadian interests.
Its membership and leadership were shuffled after the cabinet shuffle that followed Chrystia Freeland’s resignation from cabinet. Public Safety Minister David McGuinty is now a member of the committee, with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc replacing Freeland as chair.
Trudeau and LeBlanc travelled to Florida on Nov. 30 to meet with Trump, and several top cabinet ministers met with the Trump team last Friday.
On Friday morning, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May took aim at the incoming Trump administration, emphasizing that Canada will never become the 51st state.
“Honestly, President Trump, get used to it,” May said at a press conference that she said she hoped would be viewed as antagonistic to the Trump administration.
“We love our country. And it’s a country. It’s a nation. And we do not aspire to be (the) 51st state. So let’s not hear it anymore. If it was a joke, it was never funny, and it ends now.”
May said while she doubts her comments will be seen by Trump, she thinks many Canadians want to hear the country’s leaders be more explicit in dismission the ongoing narrative of Canada joining the United States.
May referenced a newspaper column earlier this week by former Liberal MP Clifford Lincoln as such an example.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also dismissed the notion before the holidays.
On Friday afternoon, Trudeau went to the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa and signed a book of condolences for former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who died at the age of 100 on Dec. 29. He did not speak to media at the event and has no other public events on his itinerary for Friday.
Trudeau continues to face pressure to step down as Liberal leader after Freeland’s decision to quit as finance minister last month.
Before the holiday break, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told The Canadian Press that Trudeau was taking time to reflect on his future.
Trudeau himself has not spoken about Freeland’s resignation or his future since Dec. 16. His last public statement was on Dec. 20 following a meeting of his recently shuffled cabinet, when he talked about the U.S. tariff threat.
On Friday, Liberal MP Ben Carr joined the calls for new party leadership.
“I do not arrive at this decision easily, nor do I make it happily. Far from it,” Carr said in an open letter to his constituents in the riding of Winnipeg South Centre.
“It is the culmination of daily conversations with constituents, supporters, mentors, friends and colleagues over a prolonged period, out of which has emerged a clear belief that it is time for change.”
The questions about his leadership of the party come as opposition parties are moving to oust the Liberal government from power altogether.
The Conservatives plan to bring forward a non-confidence motion at a House of Commons committee next week, which could potentially trigger an election if it succeeds in a vote in the House. That vote could come as early as Jan. 30.
Both the Bloc Québécois and NDP have said they are in favour of bringing down the minority Liberal government.
Julien Newman, a former NDP staffer under leader Tom Mulcair, is circulating a petition among NDP supporters calling for Singh to vote down the government before Feb. 25, the day Singh qualifies for his MP pension. The Conservatives have been attacking the NDP for supporting the Liberals, accusing Singh of wanting to wait until he’s pension-eligible before triggering an election.
Newman said his petition has more than 1,000 signatures so far and he’s looking for an MP to present it in the House of Commons.
On Dec. 20, Singh said the NDP would bring forward a non-confidence motion at its earliest opportunity no matter who leads the Liberal party.
However, when May was asked Friday if she thinks an election should be called as soon as possible to get a new mandate to deal with the incoming Trump administration, she said she doesn’t think Canadians should go to the polls so soon.
“What happens with an election is that there’s only a caretaker role for whatever government is in place, during the time that the Trump White House is forming,” May said.
“Do we function best as a country in dealing with a newly inaugurated President Trump if we’re in the midst of an election? Probably not.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2025.
— With files from Nick Murray
David Baxter, The Canadian Press
