Canadian ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae criticized President Trump over his recent comments and actions regarding Canada, saying the country deserves to be “treated with respect.”
Rae joined Fox News’s Bret Baier for “Special Report” on Monday, just days after the president signed an executive order that imposed a 25 percent tariff on Canada. Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later came to an agreement to hold the tariffs for a month, but the trade war and its impact on the countries has caused much concern across the country.
“The concern that I think all Canadians have, it’s not a personal thing about President Trump, the concern we have is that we don’t want any administration making and taking decisions that are going to create insecurity, uncertainty and real collapses in the market … in a way that’s quite arbitrary,” Rae said.
Rae said Canadian officials are looking to have a “reasonable and sensible” discussion about how to move forward.
Trump’s order also impacts Mexico and China. The president has defended the tariffs as a means to encourage U.S. trading partners to help stop the flow of migrants and fentanyl across the southern and northern borders.
In remarks from the Oval Office on Monday, Trump doubled down on his proposal that Canada join the United States as the 51st state of the U.S. The comment has drawn sharp criticism from Canadian officials, who state the country is sovereign and has no plans to merge with the U.S.
“We’re not the 51st state. We’re a sovereign, independent country,” Rae said. “Our leader deserves to be treated with respect and we deserve to be treated with respect, and that’s the way we want to proceed
