Canada’s premiers continued their charm offensive after meetings at the White House in Washington, D.C. this week, despite American officials saying no agreements about tariffs or sovereignty had been made.
The Council of the Federation, made up of the country’s 13 premiers and chaired by Ontario’s Doug Ford, was in the U.S. capital Wednesday to meet with congressional representatives and business leaders in hopes of influencing President Donald Trump to drop tariffs on Canadian goods.
Halfway through the day, the group received word that they had an opening with Trump's deputy chief of staff James Blair and director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, Sergio Gor.
The premiers described the meetings as constructive and positive, with Ford dodging questions about the content of the discussion.
“We listened, we communicated, and we look forward to further conversations,” he told reporters outside of the White House.
B.C. Premier David Eby said “frank conversations” were had, including one in which the premiers said Canada joining the United States as a state was a “non-starter.”
Following the meeting, Blair went on social media to reiterate that “we never agreed that Canada would not be the 51st state.”
He did, however, say he would take the comments to the president, and that the best way to understand Trump’s position “is to take what he says at face value.”
Eby responded by thanking Blair for the meeting before saying “we have a lot of shared goals and ground, but Canada will never be the 51st state.”
Thankful for the time & that we had the chance to listen to each other's concerns. In particular, I'm glad US officials heard directly from Premiers regarding tariff threats & the "51st state".
— David Eby (@Dave_Eby) February 13, 2025
We have a lot of shared goals & ground, but Canada will never be the 51st state. https://t.co/Bff0yzVJCq
Meanwhile, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew — who refused to provide reporters with a list of people he was meeting while in Washington — posted to social media saying that he met with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and head of the new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.
No further details have been provided as to this encounter — whether it was an official meeting or a handshake in the hallway.
Musk was in a news conference with the president in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon.
Kinew said that premiers were in Washington to listen and talk about how the two countries can work together.
“I think Canadians have seen that when we stick up for ourselves, great things happen. But at the same time, we’ve got to be patient and extend that warm and hearty handshake with our American relatives,” he said.
The Canadian government, as well as the country’s 13 premiers, have been clear that it will not be amalgamating with the United States, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying it’s “never going to happen.”
“There’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would ever be the 51st state," he said.
The U.S. is set to impose 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian goods next month, pending a deal between the two countries. Under the new executive orders, energy would be tariffed at 10 per cent while steel and aluminum would face levies of 50 per cent.
