OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised President-elect Donald Trump that Canada would toughen controls over the long undefended joint border, a senior Canadian official said on Sunday. Trudeau flew to Florida on Friday to have dinner with Trump, who has promised to slap tariffs on Canadian imports unless Ottawa prevents migrants and drugs from crossing the frontier.
Canada sends 75 percent of all goods and services exports to the United States and tariffs would badly hurt the economy.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who sat at the head table with Trudeau and Trump, said the two men discussed additional security measures Canada would be introducing.
“We’re going to look to procure, for example, additional drones, additional police helicopters, we’re going to redeploy personnel ... we believe that the border is secure,” he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
“It’s important, I think, to show Canadians and the Americans that we’re stepping up in a visible and muscular way, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” he added, promising more details in the days and weeks to come.
Canada, he said, would continue to make the case that tariffs would damage both nations, given how interconnected the two economies are.
“I’m confident that the Americans will understand that it’s not in their interest ... to proceed in this way,” he said, describing the dinner meeting as very warm and cordial.
Trump said on Saturday he discussed the border, trade and energy in a “very productive” meeting with Trudeau.
The friendly nature of the dinner contrasts with previous exchanges between the two men.
Trump called Trudeau “a far left lunatic” in 2022 for requiring truck drivers crossing the border to be vaccinated against COVID. In June 2018, Trump walked out of a G7 summit in Quebec and blasted Trudeau for being “very dishonest and weak.”
At the end of the dinner, LeBlanc said, Trump walked Trudeau to his car and said “Keep in touch. Call me anytime. Talk soon.”
![]()
Trudeau promised Trump tougher border controls, says top Canada official
Short Url
https://arab.news/bnchd
Trudeau promised Trump tougher border controls, says top Canada official
- Trump said on Saturday he discussed the border, trade and energy in a “very productive” meeting with Trudeau
UN seeks emergency funding to support cyclone-hit Sri Lanka
COLOMBO: The United Nations called on international donors on Thursday to help provide crucial assistance to Sri Lanka, grappling with the aftermath of deadly Cyclone Ditwah.
The devastating storm, which hit the island nation late last month, killed at least 639 people and affected more than 2 million others — about 10 percent of the population — causing extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges, industries and agriculture.
Some 200 people are still missing.
The UN’s top envoy to the country, Marc-Andre Franche, announced plans for a $35.3-million emergency fund which he said was needed to feed and cater to the basic needs of 658,000 people who have been worst affected.
The fund excludes reconstruction of damaged infrastructure or personal property and focuses solely on immediate basic needs.
Franche said $9.5 million had already been secured, with the European Union, Switzerland, Britain and the United States among the donors pledging funds.
The United Nations urged member states and other donors to help raise the remaining $25.8 million for the daunting recovery and reconstruction effort.
The natural disaster, which President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described as the most challenging for his country, struck as Sri Lanka was emerging from its worst economic crisis.
It defaulted on its $46-billion external debt in April 2022, and secured a $2.9-billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in early 2023, having only stabilized the economy earlier this year.
“The disaster is hitting the country at a moment when around 25 percent of Sri Lankans still live in poverty,” Franche told reporters in Colombo.
Ongoing monsoon rains continue to pose a hazard with continued landslide warnings, the UN said.
The devastating storm, which hit the island nation late last month, killed at least 639 people and affected more than 2 million others — about 10 percent of the population — causing extensive damage to homes, roads, bridges, industries and agriculture.
Some 200 people are still missing.
The UN’s top envoy to the country, Marc-Andre Franche, announced plans for a $35.3-million emergency fund which he said was needed to feed and cater to the basic needs of 658,000 people who have been worst affected.
The fund excludes reconstruction of damaged infrastructure or personal property and focuses solely on immediate basic needs.
Franche said $9.5 million had already been secured, with the European Union, Switzerland, Britain and the United States among the donors pledging funds.
The United Nations urged member states and other donors to help raise the remaining $25.8 million for the daunting recovery and reconstruction effort.
The natural disaster, which President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described as the most challenging for his country, struck as Sri Lanka was emerging from its worst economic crisis.
It defaulted on its $46-billion external debt in April 2022, and secured a $2.9-billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in early 2023, having only stabilized the economy earlier this year.
“The disaster is hitting the country at a moment when around 25 percent of Sri Lankans still live in poverty,” Franche told reporters in Colombo.
Ongoing monsoon rains continue to pose a hazard with continued landslide warnings, the UN said.
Latest updates
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.