Albanese responds to Trump’s bizarre Canada proposal as Trudeau resigns
Anthony Albanese has reacted to Donald Trump’s claim that Canada should be a US state after Justin Trudeau quit amid pressure from the incoming US president.
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Anthony Albanese has refused to criticise Donald Trump’s bizarre claim that Canada should be a state of America, saying he will not provide a “running commentary” on the businessman’s second presidential stint.
President-elect Trump took to X to claim that if Canada merged with the US there would be “no tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be totally secure from the threat of Russian and Chinese ships”.
Mr Trump made the claim after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation, a move some suggest is linked to US plans to introduce 25 per cent tariffs on its neighbouring nation.
Mr Albanese refused to be drawn into debate on Mr Trump’s comments but said Australia’s relationship with the US was “positive”.
“I’ve had a positive discussion with President Trump, the incoming president of the United States, as well as being the former president, we were very constructive,” he said.
“We spoke about Australia’s relationship with the United States when it comes to the events of national security, but also in the economy, the United States has had a trade surplus with Australia since the Truman presidency, and therefore it is in the United States interest for us to continue to implement the Free Trade Agreement, which has the support on a bipartisan basis in the Australian Parliament.”
‘TIME FOR A RESET’: TRUDEAU STEPS DOWN
Earlier, Mr Trudeau resigned as Canada’s Prime Minister after facing what he called “internal battles” in his worst political crisis since becoming premier in 2015.
Mr Trudeau has also faced pressure from Mr Trump, who has threatened a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, and publicly belittled the Canadian leader.
The Liberal Leader said he would step down from the helm of the ruling party, but will stay on as prime minister until a new leader is selected.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister after the party selects its next leader through a robust … process,” the embattled premier said during a press conference on Monday local time.
He added that the Canadian parliament will be prorogued until March.
Mr Trudeau addressed reporters in Ottawa following a protracted political crisis that saw top Liberal allies urge him to quit.
“It’s time for a reset. It’s time for the temperature to come down. It’s time for a fresh start,” Mr Trudeau told reporters.
“Removing me from the equation as the leader … should also decrease the level of polarisation we’re seeing in Canadian politics,” he said.
Mr Trudeau said it was time to end the “contention” around his leadership, and for his party to focus on better serving Canadians and their interests, after selecting “the best person to carry the progressive liberal standard into the next election,” he said.
As Mr Trudeau ended the press conference a reporter yelled out, “Do you think now is an irresponsible time to resign? Why not earlier?” But the premier had already left.
It comes as Donald Trump marked Mr Trudeau’s resignation by doubling down on his unlikely proposal that the country should merge with the United States.
“If Canada merged with the US, there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them,” incoming president Mr Trump posted on social media.
“Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!” he added.
Mr Trudeau, 53, who will end his third term as Prime Minister as soon as his party puts forward a replacement, has led the Liberal Party since 2013 and is known for his progressive social and ambitious climate policies.
However, the tide has been steadily turning against him in recent months, coming to a head in when incoming Mr Trump threatened to impose tariffs of 25 per cent on all imported Canadian goods unless security is increased along their shared border.
Mr Trudeau flew to Florida in November for crisis talks with incoming US President Donald Trump and the pair met for dinner and what Mr Trump called a “very productive meeting”.
Mr Trump said they discussed fentanyl, illegal immigration and trade.
The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner and the two countries are heavily reliant on each other thanks to a free-trade agreement which has been in place since 1988.
More than US$2 billion (A$3.2 billion) in trade crosses the border each day, including more than 98 per cent of Canadian crude oil, which is exported directly to the US.
Economists say the new tariffs could devastate the Canadian economy.
“I made it very clear that the United States will no longer sit idly by as our Citizens become victims to the scourge of this Drug Epidemic, caused mainly by the Drug Cartels, and fentanyl pouring in from China,” Mr Trump wrote on social media after the meeting.
“Prime Minister Trudeau has made a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation.”
To add insult to political injury, Mr Trudeau’s cabinet was thrown into disarray with the abrupt departure of his finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, on December 16.
“The incoming administration in the United States is pursing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism,” Ms Freeland stated in her scathing letter of resignation.
“We need to take that threat extremely seriously.
“That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war. That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognise the gravity of the moment.”
Mr Trudeau and Ms Freeland were long-term political allies and it was widely believed he would step down following the bombshell announcement.
However, the Toronto Star reports he was talked into thinking it over during the Christmas break to avoid throwing the Canadian government into chaos.
The timing is critical, with Canadians set to go to the polls in the coming months.
Polls show the Liberal Party, which presently holds a minority government will lose badly to the rival Conservative Party in the next election, which will be held before October.
Canada is also experiencing a cost of living crisis, as well as a housing crisis.
The country is also battling an opioid crisis, which according to the Canadian Government has claimed more than 49,000 lives between January 2016 and June 2024.
“I don’t see a path forward to victory with Prime Minister Trudeau leading the party,” public policy expert Stevie O’Brien told Canada’s Global News.
“Whether or not he agrees with that I think is the big question and the silence since mid-December has been deafening.”
According to Reuters, Mr Trudeau has spoken with new Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc to see if he would be willing to step up as both party leader and prime minister.
Mr Trudeau has reportedly made it clear to his team that his priority is maintaining stability in the weeks before Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 2020.
Mr Trudeau is the son of Canada’s third-longest serving prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, who was in office for a total of 15 years and 164 days.
He worked as a French and maths teacher in Vancouver before launching a grassroots campaign to win his first Liberal Party seat in Montreal in 2008.
The Prime Minister has three children with ex-wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, from whom he separated in August 2023 after 18 years of marriage.
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Originally published as Albanese responds to Trump’s bizarre Canada proposal as Trudeau resigns