Trump’s talk of making Canada aUS state is ‘a real thing’: Trudeau

 JustinTrudeauonFriday said President Donald Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st US State is “a real thing” and is linked to the country’s rich naturalresources, localmedia reported.Trudeau’s comments to business and labour leaders in a closeddoor session were mistakenly carried byaloudspeaker,Canada’spublicbroadcaster ‘CBC’ reported. “Mr. Trump has it in mind that the easiestway todoitisabsorbingourcountry and it is a real thing. In my conversations with him on…,” Trudeau said ofmakingCanada a US State before the microphone cut out, according to CBC. “They’re very aware of ourresources, of what we have and they very much want to be able to benefit from those,” Trudeau reportedly said. Trudeau’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a post on social platform X, Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, confirmed what Trudeau said. “Yes,Ican confirm thatTrudeau said his assessmentis that whatTrumpreally wants is not action on fentanyl or immigration or even the trade deficit, what he really wants is to either dominate Canada or take it outright,” McGown wrote. Trump has repeatedly suggested Canada would be better off if it agreed to become the 51st US State. In public comments Friday, Trudeau said Canada must think “tactically and strategically” on how to deal with Trump’s threats to impose hefty tariffs on all Canadian imports.