Defence Minister Bill Blair said U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state is “concerning” but that it doesn’t pose a “real threat.”
“I do not believe that that represents a real threat to us,” Blair told reporters in Brussels on Feb. 12. Blair is in the Belgian capital to attend meetings of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and NATO.
“Certainly we’re concerned about those remarks,” Blair added, while saying Canada’s allies have been assured “we’re prepared to sand up for our country.”
Trump has repeatedly said since being elected in November 2024 that Canada should become part of the United States. While he said he wouldn’t use military force to absorb Canada, he mentioned using “economic force.”…