Canadian politician slams Trump administration for comparing Canada to 51st state as an ‘act of war’

A member of Parliament from Canada criticized the Trump administration for its actions, calling it an “act of war” due to President Donald Trump repeatedly referring to Canada as the U.S.’ “51st state” and imposing tariffs on the nation. 

Canadian MP Charlie Angus, part of the liberal New Democratic Party, stated during an interview with the MeidasTouch Network that “you say that someone doesn’t have a right to have a country, that’s an act of war” in response to the situation.

Angus was reacting to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s earlier comments during his visit to Canada for the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, where Rubio was asked about Trump’s “51st state” remarks.

Rubio mentioned that the disagreement over Canada joining the U.S. economically was discussed during a meeting between Trump and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and that Trump began using the “51st state” label for Canada after his election win. 

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Rubio recounted the origin of the “51st state” rhetoric from the Trump–Trudeau meeting and emphasized Trump’s repeated argument for the economic benefits Canada would receive by joining the U.S.

Trudeau resigned as the prime minister in January, with Mark Carney taking over the role in March after being elected as the new leader of Canada’s Liberal Party.  

Angus mentioned in the interview that Canada’s boycott of U.S. products in response to the tariffs imposed by the U.S. would have a significant impact on the country.

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He continued by highlighting the negative effects of the tariffs imposed by Trump, including a 25% tax on imported goods from Canada, sparking boycotts of U.S. products. 

Canada’s Liberal Leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks after being elected as the new Liberal Party leader in Ottawa, Ontario, on March 9.  (Getty Images)

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Trump criticized Canada’s reliance on U.S. subsidies during an interview with Fox News, asserting that the country is subsidized by $200 billion annually. 

President Donald Trump speaks during a news briefing at the White House.  (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

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“Here’s my problem with Canada,” Trump said on Fox News. “Canada was meant to be the 51st state because we subsidize Canada by $200 billion a year. We don’t need their cars, we don’t need their lumber, we have a lot of lumber. … We don’t need their energy, we don’t need anything, we certainly don’t want their automobiles… millions of automobiles are sent in, I’d rather have them made in Michigan, I’d rather have them made in South Carolina.”

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.