Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said it was “right” to not attend a surprise dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago on Friday night with US President-elect Donald Trump. “It was a choice,” he said.
Freeland, who chaired the cabinet committee that restored Canada-U.S. relations and led Canada’s NAFTA negotiations during President Trump’s first term, was asked about his absence from reporters on Tuesday. He commented:
“That’s a question for the prime minister more than anything, but look, I think it was the right choice,” Freeland said.
On Friday, Prime Minister Trudeau, along with Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Chief of Staff Katie Telford, countered President Trump’s threat to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports unless Canada halts the flow of imports. He then met with President Trump and members of the incoming administration. Illegal drugs and cross-border immigration.
Freeland reiterated in his speech Tuesday that the talks were “primarily about the border.”
“What was very clear from the prime minister’s conversations with the president beforehand and the president’s tweets is that Minister LeBlanc is the border minister,” Freeland said.
A senior administration official told CTV News that federal government representatives cannot immediately avoid U.S. tariffs because President Trump fervently believes in the effectiveness of the tariffs, but especially if He said he was told that long-term solutions were being considered in the case. Borders are secured.
In an interview with CTV Powerplay with Vassy Kapelos on Monday, LeBlanc described his dinner with President Trump as “heartfelt” and gave the Liberals “a better understanding of America’s concerns.” .
Back in 2018, President Trump criticized Canada’s tactics in free trade negotiations and belittled Freeland, who was then Minister of Foreign Affairs and Canada’s chief negotiator, saying, “We don’t really like their representatives.” said.
When asked by reporters in November why she was the right choice to lead bilateral relations again, Freeland did not directly answer.
“President Trump is obviously going to speak for himself, and I’m never going to put a word in his mouth,” Freeland said in November. “But in my experience, President Trump respects strength. He respects people and countries that are strong and clear about defending themselves and defending their national interests. That’s what I’ve always done. Yes, and I will continue to do so.”
With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyke
