Staff Reports
Two high-ranking Canadian Cabinet ministers are jetting off to Palm Beach, presumably to practice their golf swings while discussing border security and trade with the incoming Trump administration. With Donald Trump brandishing threats of tariffs on all Canadian products like a piñata at a birthday party, it seems Canada is trying to secure its economic future before the first swing of the golf club.
Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly are set to meet with Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, discussing Canada’s plans to secure its borders in a desperate attempt to stave off those pesky tariffs. It’s almost a comedy sketch in the making: two Canadian officials in sunny Florida, plotting against tariffs while trying to convince their larger-than-life neighbor that Canada isn’t the enemy. With the image of Prime Minister Trudeau as the “governor of the 51st state” still fresh in everyone’s minds, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Canadian ministers head to Palm Beach for talks with incoming Trump administration https://t.co/vgakxnIJcd
— Boston 25 News (@boston25) December 27, 2024
LeBlanc has suggested that discussions will aim to tackle Canada’s approach to fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration, while showcasing their grand scheme known as Canada’s Border Plan. Meanwhile, as they point out the tragic irony that most fentanyl in the U.S. is produced by Mexican drug cartels, you can almost hear the eye-rolling coming from the American side of the border. Yet, LeBlanc is resolutely optimistic, having recently spoken with American officials ahead of this high-stakes trip, even if they know they’re walking into a minefield of confusion.
The Canadians are armed with figures that make anyone question whether they’ll ever win an argument when it comes to trade. With Canadian-backed energy exports making up a good chunk of those $75 billion worth of goods sold to the U.S., one might think the economic equation should balance out nicely. The sheer volume of cross-border transactions, nearly $3.6 billion worth daily, makes it clear that Canada is deeply intertwined with the U.S. economy—whether they’re keen on admitting it or not. Still, this didn’t stop Trump from accusing their trade surplus with the U.S. as a “subsidy,” much to the bemusement of every economist in the room.
In the comedy of errors that is immigration, the numbers tell a different story. While the U.S. Border Patrol had to deal with a staggering 1.53 million encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Canadian border barely registered a blip on the radar with only 23,721 encounters. It’s almost cute to think that Canada would be blamed for illegal immigration when the real show is happening south of the Rio Grande, where the real chaos reigns. And while the Canadians are busy discussing their border plan, the staggering 43 pounds of fentanyl seized at their border last fiscal year pales in comparison to the 21,100 pounds confiscated from Mexican traffickers.
So as these Canadian ministers prepare to engage in what could only be described as a diplomatic game of dodgeball with tariffs and trade, one can only hope they have a solid plan—because from where this writer stands, it seems they may need more than a few friendly chats by the pool to save their economy from becoming just another one of Trump’s negotiating trophies.
