Canada tells G7 countries ‘nobody is safe from Trump’

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has warned world leaders that the United States, under President Donald Trump, is now a direct threat to its allies.

As Canada hosts the G7 foreign ministers in Charlevoix, Quebec, Joly plans to tell her counterparts from Europe and Britain to expect similar hostility from the Trump administration.

“If the U.S. can do this to us, their closest friend, then nobody is safe,” she told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The official G7 agenda includes Ukraine, the Middle East, Haiti, and Venezuela. But Joly is bringing up something else—Trump’s trade war and his threats against her nation’s sovereignty. The timing is no accident.

Trump just slapped a 25% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum, escalating tensions that have already been building. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who just left Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, after brokering a 30-day Russia-Ukraine truce, is expected to face questions when he lands in Canada.

Speaking from Ireland, Rubio tried to downplay the tension: “It is not a meeting about how we’re going to take over Canada.”

Trump escalates economic war on northern neighbor

The economic battle between Washington and Ottawa is getting worse. Trump has been pushing for Canada to join the U.S. as its 51st state, calling the U.S.-Canada border a fictional line. That isn’t sitting well with Canadians, who now see the U.S. as an enemy country.

On Wednesday, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Joly responded with a blistering speech in Ottawa, calling it economic coercion and an excuse to take control of Canada by force.

Canada immediately hit back with counter-tariffs on $20.7 billion worth of American goods. The retaliatory tariffs, starting Thursday, will affect computers, sports equipment, water heaters, and other U.S. exports worth CA$14.2 billion ($9.9 billion).

Joly is demanding answers from Rubio at the G7 summit and plans to apply “maximum pressure” to protect her country’s sovereignty.

“We have done nothing to justify Trump’s attacks on our country, on our economy, and our identity,” she said. “Canada is your best friend, best neighbor, and best ally.”

Trump, however, is doubling down. He insists the country up north should be part of the U.S. and has repeatedly called the border a “fake line drawn with a ruler.”

On Tuesday, he said, “When you take away that, and you look at that beautiful formation of Canada and the United States, there’s no place anywhere in the world that looks like that.”

Canada’s new Prime Minister prepares for showdown

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who officially takes office on Friday, says Canada won’t back down. Speaking at a steel factory in Hamilton, Ontario, he told reporters he’s open to meeting Trump but only if there is “respect for Canadian sovereignty.”

“I am ready to sit down with President Trump at the appropriate time under a position where there is respect for Canadian sovereignty and we are working for a common approach, a much more comprehensive approach for trade,” Carney said.

But the new Canadian leader isn’t just focused on trade. He’s also preparing for a broader fight over security and defense. Joly has been discussing closer military cooperation with European allies, including plans to expand joint military exercises and purchase more weapons to strengthen Canada’s defense posture.

Meanwhile, Rubio insists the U.S. is working “constructively” with its allies and expects to have “productive conversations” with other G7 leaders. But that does little to ease tensions as Canada moves forward with its aggressive trade retaliation.

Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spent the week packing up his office, while Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc helps lead the charge on countermeasures. As the new government prepares to take over, one thing is clear—Canada isn’t backing down from Trump’s threats.

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