Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested that President-elect Donald Trump’s remarks about Canada becoming America’s “51st state” is distracting the public from the harm that steep tariffs would have on U.

Justin Trudeau says Canada is ready to respond with counter-tariffs against the US if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his threat to begin a trade war in North America.

President-elect Donald Trump’s rhetoric around Canada becoming a 51st state is a distraction from the economic impact a trade war will have on American workers and businesses, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau charged Sunday.

Canada’s ambassador to Washington said Monday that Canada is prepared to buy more from the United States, in response to President-elect Donald Trump’s concerns about the US-Canada trade deficit.

Canada is drawing up plans for extensive tariffs against US products if Donald Trump follows through on his threat to put 25% levies on Canadian goods, according to people familiar with the matter.

President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to enact tariffs on Canadian goods, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that’s more of a threat than any possible annexation of the United States’ northern neighbors.

Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed on Sunday that he jokingly offered President-elect Donald Trump to trade Vermont or California in order for Canada to become the 51st state. Newsweek reached out to Trudeau's office and Trump's transition team for comment by email on Sunday afternoon.

Canada's outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned that the country would respond with retaliatory tariffs if US President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his plans to dramatically raise tariffs on imports.

Vancouver: Canada's outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday suggested that US President-elect Donald Trump's remarks about Canada becoming America's "51st state" has distracted attention from the harm that steep tariffs would inflict on US consumers.