Tariffs: Trudeau must ‘reassure’ Donald Trump with a plan, says Legault

Quebec Premier François Legault talks about the possibility of 25 per cent tariffs imposed by the United States at a press conference on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, at the Legislative Assembly in Quebec City. Legault is seen here with Quebec's Minister of the Economy and Innovation, Christine Frechette, left, and Quebec's Minister of Public Safety, François Bonnardel. (The Canadian Press /Jacques Boissinot)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must reassure US President-elect Donald Trump with a plan to secure the border between Canada and the United States, according to Premier François Legault.

"It's important to secure the borders in both directions. We don't want to have a new wave of immigrants, but it's also important that Mr Trudeau table a plan to reassure Mr Trump," said Legault in a brief press scrum at the National Assembly on Wednesday.

The Canadian political world has been in turmoil since Trump promised to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all products from Canada and Mexico.

"Mr Trump is telling us: 'I'm going to impose 25 per cent tariffs because I'm not satisfied with what Canada is doing at the borders.' We should quickly take that argument away from Mr Trump," added Legault.

On Tuesday, Legault described the US President's announcement as a "bombshell."

The premier was due to meet Trudeau and his provincial counterparts at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Upon leaving the meeting, Legault said he wanted to see action rather than speculation.

He said he had asked for a plan to be tabled to better secure the borders between Canada and the United States. The Quebec premier added that "this is not the time to play games about whether or not it is true that our borders are not secure."

In a message published later on X, he said that a detailed plan "would make it possible to limit illegal entries into Quebec and avoid Mr Trump's 25 per cent tariffs." He added that "we must all work together and recognise that illegal immigration poses challenges on both sides of the border."

‘Threats of deportation’

At the same time, the Quebec government continues to fear an increase in the number of asylum seekers from the US due to Trump's promises of mass deportations.

"These threats of deportation create insecurity. It makes more people want to flee to the north, which means to our country. We've seen it with the increase in the number of people trying to come to Canada," said Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge.

"The Americans have to manage their state, but they don't have to deport people to Canada. In any case, they don't have the right to do so under the safe third country agreement. People who have arrived in the United States must apply for asylum in the United States. The same applies to people arriving in Canada," he added.

On Wednesday morning, the Journal de Montréal reported a sudden increase in asylum applications at the Lacolle border crossing.

Public Security Minister François Bonnardel assured the paper that there were "no major irregular migratory flows at the border for the moment."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 27, 2024.