‘This is never going to happen. Canada is not for sale and will never be for sale,’ he stressed.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney asked U.S. President Donald Trump to stop referring to Canada as the 51st state.

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Carney and Trump held their first face-to-face meeting in Washington, D.C., to begin negotiations aimed at eliminating tariffs imposed by the United States and establishing a new bilateral relationship.

In the Oval Office of the White House, Trump stated that Canada would receive “impressive benefits” such as “lower taxes” or a “free military” if it joined the United States.

Later, during a press conference held at the Canadian Embassy, Carney revealed that he discussed those kinds of remarks with the U.S. president when they met in private.

“President Trump has made his views on that matter clear for quite some time now… I have also been clear—both in the Oval Office and from the beginning—on behalf of Canadians: this is never going to happen. Canada is not for sale and will never be for sale,” Carney asserted.

When asked about Trump’s response, Carney simply said that the Republican politician “agreed” with what he said and that Trump fully understands the two neighbors are now “negotiating as two sovereign nations.”

The Canadian leader also described the White House meeting as “the end of the beginning of a process in which the U.S. and Canada will redefine their relationship by working together. The question now is how do we cooperate in the future? How can we build an economic and security relationship based on mutual respect?”

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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