Trudeau calls idea of banning Trump from Canada ’irresponsible’

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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rejected NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s call for the federal government to bar U.S. President Donald Trump from coming to Canada for the G7 summit this June. 

At an event in Montreal Thursday, Trudeau said he sees the idea of banning Trump as an “irresponsible” approach to governance and relationships with other nations. 

“It’s easy for politicians these days to toss out easy and shocking things to say. We see a lot of it around the world these days. I’m not one of those Canadian politicians,” Trudeau said when asked about Singh’s comments. 

During a speech in Montreal on Wednesday, Singh said Trump should not be allowed into the country due to his threats against Canada’s sovereignty and his criminal convictions. 

“We need to ban Donald Trump from attending the G7 summit. Donald Trump should not be welcome here,” Singh said. 

“Why would we invite someone who has threatened our very democracy, our very sovereignty? Why would we invite someone who has threatened our economic well-being?” 

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While Trudeau did not mention Singh specifically in his comments, he was responding to a journalist’s question about the NDP leader’s remarks. 

In a media statement, Singh said appeasement doesn’t work and the G7 should be a chance for nations to “work together to resist Trump.” 

“The G7 should be focused on mutually-beneficial economic cooperation between nations. Mr. Trump has been very clear his goal is economic dominance through threats, trade wars and making Canada the 51st state,” he said. 

As this year’s president of the G7 group of the world’s most advanced economies, Canada will host the annual G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta. in June. 

An Alberta man’s petition asking Ottawa to bar Trump from entering the country for the meeting has garnered tens of thousands of signatures. 

On Thursday, during a meeting before a press conference, Trump accepted an invitation offered by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on behalf of King Charles to make a second state visit to the U.K. 

“This is really special, this has never happened before. This is unprecedented,” said Starmer. 

Ahead of Starmer’s meeting with Trump in Washington D.C., Conservative U.K. MP and former minister Simon Hoare urged the prime minister to call out Trump’s “childish nonsense.” 

“Whilst Ukraine will clearly dominate, will the prime minister undertake to raise with President Trump that Canada is a valued, respected and much-loved member of both NATO and our Commonwealth?” he said. 

Starmer responded by saying the U.K. and Canada are close allies “with a partnership based on a shared history and a shared set of values and a determination to be an active force for good in the world.”