EDITORIAL: The place where jokes go to die

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For a country that exports a large number of comedians to the U.S. collectively, it seems this nation is made up of thin-skinned scolds who take themselves too seriously.

Outrage ensued following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s dinner visit with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

There are reports that, in response to Trudeau saying 25% tariffs would kill the Canadian economy, Trump said if we can’t survive without ripping off the U.S. for $100 billion, we could become the “51st state.”

His detractors in this country have jumped on this as evidence of some sinister expansionist ambition by the incoming president.

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc was at the meeting. Asked about the comment, he insisted it was a friendly banter.

That explanation morphed into an accusation that Trump sees Canada as a joke.

“Not at all. Not at all,” LeBlanc assured reporters. “That was not the context at all. … The president was telling jokes. The president was teasing us. It was, of course on that issue, in no way a serious comment.”

It seems humourless Canucks never miss a chance to turn an off-the-cuff quip into an international incident. It’s a reminder of how, as president, Trump was mocked for offering to purchase Greenland from Denmark. That was not an idiotic suggestion at all. Greenland is strategically crucial and the U.S. has, since the mid-19th century, sought to buy it. If Trump wants to take over Canada, we can make the War of 1812 a best two out of three.

Trump followed up the dinner meeting with a cryptic post on his social media site, Truth Social. It showed a picture of him beside a Canadian flag, surveying a range of mountains. The peak he’s looking at is the Matterhorn, in the Swiss Alps, but it has a caption, “Oh, Canada!”

Conspiracy theorists on the left are losing their minds. To them, we say, “Relax.” We have six weeks to prepare for the invasion. All we have to do is beef up defence spending. With luck, the Americans will make a detour through Switzerland.

Yes, tariffs are serious business. But let’s get a grip. We wouldn’t want Trump slapping a 25% surcharge on fun imported from Canada.