'Sometimes it does take a threat': Canada’s Conservative leader puts Trump on notice

The leader of Canada's Conservative Party has drawn a line in the sand for Donald Trump that, if he wins his country's next federal election, he has no intention of entertaining a plan for Canada to become part of the U.S.

According to a report from Politico, Pierre Poilievre gave a rousing speech in Ottawa on Saturday where he told a crowd, "Let me be clear: We will never be the 51st state. We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country,"

As Politico's Mickey Djuric reported, "Poilievre, who has appealed to Canadians by tackling complex issues with pithy slogans, used a Flag Day rally to reset his campaign in response to tariff threats that have scrambled the political landscape."

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In his speech, he declared, "We are slow to anger and quick to forgive. But never confuse our kindness for weakness. We are mild-mannered and made of steel," before adding, "Sometimes it does take a threat to remind us what we have, what we could lose and what we could become."

As the Politico report noted, Poilievre made it clear that Trump needs to "Work with Canada, or lose it as a friend."

“Carry out the unprovoked attack on our economy and your consumers will pay more and your workers will make less,” he told the crowd. “Gas prices will skyrocket. You will turn a loyal friend into a resentful neighbor, forced to match tariff with tariff and to seek friends elsewhere. Both our economies will weaken, leaving less money for defense and security and our enemies will grow stronger.”

He then. warned, "Simply put, we can no longer depend on the Americans alone for our trade. We can no longer think of them as our backup defense. These threats, my friends, are a wakeup call.”

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