US-Canada merger won’t be discussed at G7 meeting

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the story of the United States, which is acquiring Canada, when they met in Quebec later this year, was not a topic of discussion.

When asked about President Trump's push for Canada to become the 51st state, Rubio brushed the concept off and suggested that more serious topics, such as ending the Russian-Ukraine war, will be prioritized at Foreign Ministers' meeting on Thursday.

“That's not something to discuss in the G7, not on a trip here,” Rubio told reporters. “They are host countries, and there are many other things we work together.”

“We will protect North America through Norad and the continental airspace together, so let alone the issues of Ukraine and other commonalities. So we're going to focus the G7 on all of those things,” he continued. “That's what the meeting is about. It's not a meeting about how to take over Canada.”

The G7 Conference brings together diplomats from Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, the US and the UK. They will meet in Chalebois, Quebec from March 12th to 14th. This is the first gathering of a group of seven diplomats since Trump returned to his oval office in January.

The president has doubled his proposal to fuse the US and Canada since resignation Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom Trump has continuously called “governor,” announced his resignation earlier this year. However, the idea has been strongly rejected by Canadian officials and residents.

North American neighbours also seem to be in the midst of a trade war. A 25% tariff on Trump's steel and aluminum imports came into effect Wednesday, and after the Ontario government imposed electricity charges on three US dollars, he threatened to collect an additional 25% tax on Canadian imports of metals.

Ottawa is expected to respond to retaliatory tariffs at $20.7 billion.

Trump previously said tariffs on Canada and Mexico are partly a response to the allegations that two countries failed to curb the influx of fentanyl and other drugs across the border. He also argues that taxes will help rebuild Washington's manufacturing industry.

Rubio defended Trump's decision to implement tariffs on steel and aluminum not only on Ottawa and Mexico City, but also on other worlds, claiming that the United States is being unfairly treated in previous trade transactions that directly threaten national security.

“If you don't have steel and aluminum, you can't build warships, you can't build planes, you can't build them, you can't build them, you don't have an industrial economy,” he told reporters. “There are things we have to be able to protect, there are many unfair trade practices. Many countries are subsidizing industry and are at a loss as they are many countries to subsidize industry so they can gain global market share.”

“On the other hand, our industry is trying to compete fairly. That's why we can't produce aluminum because we don't have steel plants,” Rubio added. “And that really poses a threat to our national security in the long run.”