[By Guancha Observer Wang Yi] With only a few days left before the Canadian election, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his stance on Canada's sovereignty. On April 23rd local time, he stated that without the United States, Canada "would not exist."

"Frankly speaking, as a state, it operates very well. As a country—just think about it—the things they do as a nation, 95% of them are bought from us and then sold back to us," Trump said during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office at the White House. "If Canada does not trade with us, as Prime Minister Trudeau told me, Canada will not exist," he added.

Trump had previously threatened on multiple occasions to make "Canada the 51st state of the United States" and affectionately referred to former Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau as the "Governor of the State of Canada." However, after his phone call with new Canadian Prime Minister Carney on March 28th, Trump did not mention this topic again.

On April 23rd local time, Trump answered questions from reporters at the White House. Video screenshot.

When asked on the 23rd whether he would raise tariffs on Canadian goods, Trump replied, "At some point, tariffs may be increased." The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation noted that it was unclear how extensive the range of goods Trump mentioned for tariff imposition might be, but most of his comments focused on the automotive industry.

"I really don't want Canadian cars, so when I impose tariffs on Canada, they have to pay 25%, but for cars, this number may increase," Trump said. "When we impose tariffs, what we're saying is, 'With all due respect, we don't need your cars,'" he continued, "we don't need their oil, we don't need their timber, and we don't need their cars."

The Associated Press (AP) analysis on the 23rd indicated that although Trump stated he was not currently considering increasing car tariffs, he hinted that import taxes on cars from Canada might rise.

Since April 3rd, the 25% tariff on all imported cars has taken effect in the United States, but some products that comply with the "United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement" (USMCA) have been exempted. Following this, Canada was the first to implement countermeasures. On the same day, Carney announced that a 25% tariff would be imposed on all American-imported vehicles not covered by the USMCA.

Carney Video screenshot.

In response to Trump's tariffs, Canada is working to reduce domestic interprovincial trade barriers. Previously, Carney stated, "What we can give ourselves is far more than what Donald Trump can take away from us," adding, "We can have a unified economy, which is within our control." He set a goal to achieve free trade among Canada's ten provinces and three territories by July 1st.

The AP reported that as the Canadian election approaches on April 28th, Carney is telling Canadian voters that eliminating domestic trade barriers benefits them. The report stated that Trump's trade war and his threat to turn Canada into the 51st state of the United States infuriated Canadians, leading to a surge in Canadian nationalism and an increase in support for the Liberal Party.

Although Trump stated at the White House on the 23rd that he "was not suitable to intervene in their election," BBC analysis pointed out that the Canadian election, triggered by Trudeau's resignation, later changed the campaign landscape due to unprecedented intervention by Trump. In the face of threats from the neighboring country, Canadians abandoned small parties such as the Bloc Québécois, New Democratic Party, and Green Party, supporting either the Liberals or Conservatives. Carney is attempting to portray himself as the leader most capable of helping Canada weather the crisis, while Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre is positioning himself as a transformative candidate who can fulfill the "Canadian promise."

Even the Conservatives, who once hoped for a return to old U.S.-Canada relations, have hardened their stance against the U.S. Poilievre criticized the U.S. as "unreliable" and promised Canadians, "We will no longer depend on the U.S., Canada will rebuild completely. We will rebuild the economy and establish new overseas trading partners, sending our goods to friends across the oceans."

On the 23rd, the Conservatives unveiled a plan to build a "fortress" to withstand the trade war.

However, in this election, the Economist predicted on the 23rd that Carney is erasing the gap in the Liberal Party's approval ratings caused by public dissatisfaction with Trudeau, leveraging his image as "Captain Canada," Trump's top opponent. It is expected that there is an 86% probability that he will win a parliamentary majority.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Guancha Observer and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496725274193707547/

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