Ontario premier jokes Canada should buy Minnesota, Alaska
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - In response to President-elect Donald Trump's comments that Canada should become part of the United States, Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested Canada should instead buy Minnesota and Alaska.
Trump offers to make Canada 51st state
What we know: Trump has threatened to impose an additional 25% tariff on Canadian goods when he's inaugurated on Jan. 20. And in the wake of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to resign, Trump again trolled Canada, calling it the 51st state — something he's said multiple times before about Canada. He's also suggested the United States should buy Greenland and Panama.
What they're saying: After Trump raised the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state again, Ford responded.
"You know something, to the president I’ll make him a counteroffer; How about if we buy Alaska and throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?" Ford said Monday in response to the looming tariff threats, CTV News Toronto reports.
Ford later told CNN he was joking.
Minnesota Border Welcome Monument Sign. (Photo by: Bernard Friel/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Digging deeper: Trump has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods if Canada and Mexico do not stem the flow of migrants and fentanyl from entering the U.S. — even though far fewer of each crosses into the U.S. from Canada than from Mexico, the Associated Press reported.
Ford previously said Trump's tariffs plan would be a "disaster" that would hurt the U.S. stock markets. He also said tariffs wouldn't work considering how integrated the U.S. and Canadian economies are.
By the numbers: Canada’s ambassador to Washington, Kirsten Hillman, has said the U.S. had a $75 billion trade deficit with Canada last year. But she noted a third of what Canada sells to the U.S. are energy exports and prices have been high, the Associated Press said. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada.