LeBlanc, Joly to meet with incoming Trump administration officials in Florida

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Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly are in Florida to meet with officials from president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.

A statement from LeBlanc’s office says the duo travelled to Palm Beach, where they planned to use those talks to underscore “Canada’s efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking and illegal migration and the measures outlined in Canada’s Border Plan.”

Spokesman Jean-Sebastien Comeau says they will also emphasize the negative impacts of a potential 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods, both in Canada and the U.S.

Trump has threatened 25 per cent tariffs against Canada, prompting discussions at both the federal and provincial levels on the best way to deal with the incoming Trump government.

Since winning the presidential election in November, Trump has repeatedly referred to Canada as the “51st state” and to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “governor” of Canada.

Comeau says the ministers “look forward to building on the discussions that took place when the prime minister met with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month,” as well as a recent call the ministers held with Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan.