In the wake of President Donald Trump’s US election victory, Canada’s political leaders and government ministers reacted by congratulating Trump and outlining Canada’s response to a second Trump administration.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Trump on his victory on X Wednesday morning, vowing to work with the new administration to create “opportunity, prosperity, and security for both nations.”
During a scrum at the House of Commons on Wednesday, he echoed the sentiment, saying he looks forward to working with the incoming Trump administration.
“The world is even more difficult and more complicated than it was four years ago, and I know there’s lots of work for us to do,” Trudeau said. “We’re going to make sure that this extraordinary friendship and alliance between Canada and the United States continues to be of real benefit to Canadians and people around the world.”
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre took Trump’s win as a signal that now more than ever, Canada needs to cut taxes to be competitive with Trump’s America and retain Canadian jobs.
“Yesterday’s result confirms we must cancel Trudeau’s plan to quadruple the carbon tax and hike other taxes, which would push hundreds of thousands more jobs south where President Trump will be cutting taxes even further,” Poilievre said on X. “We must axe taxes. Bring home our paycheques. Save our jobs. Stand up for Canada.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh claimed Canadians were “really afraid” of a Trump presidency.
“I think a lot of folks woke up today really worried, really afraid, and feeling crushed, and I want you to know that now is the time for us to come together to defend Canadian interests,” Singh said.
“It looks like Trump’s election will have serious impacts on Canadians. So we need to come together, all parties and all leaders, and put Canadian interests first. We have to prepare for the impacts of potential tariffs and what that would mean for our economy or manufacturing jobs in Canada.”
He also said that Trump’s presidency would hurt people in both the Middle East and Ukraine.
“I think about Ukraine and the Trump administration’s approach to Ukraine. I think about Gaza and the fact that if we saw an emboldened Netanyahu who was engaged in the campaign of violence and genocide against the people of Gaza,” Singh said before Question Period.
“Imagine what that’s going to be under a Trump administration with even further support to engage in that type of activity.”
No findings of Israel engaging in “genocide” have been proven by any international court.
“I’m deeply worried about what this (victory) means across the world, the threats to people’s lives and the instability that this could cause,” he said.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, on the other hand, wanted to ease the concerns of “anxious Canadians.”
“A lot of Canadians have been anxious this week. A lot of Canadians were anxious throughout the night, and I want to say with utter sincerity and conviction to Canadians that Canada will be absolutely fine,” she told reporters.
“We have a strong relationship with the United States. We have a strong relationship with President Trump and his team. Let’s remember that our trading relationship today is governed by the trade deal concluded by President Trump himself and his team.”
She noted that Canada is the US’s largest market and that its relationship with the US under a Trump presidency is not endangered.
“What is really important about our economic partnership, and I believe this is at the core of what is important for President Trump and his Team, is that our partnership is good for American workers,” Freeland said. “Canadian workers have high labour standards, high environmental standards.”
Bloc Quebecois leader Francois Blanchet congratulated Trump in his own way as well.
“It is customary to approach the mandate of a new head of state with optimistic congratulations. The President-elect of the United States has been able to read the hearts of many citizens and offer them the words that will have won them over to him,” he said on X.
“Let us now learn to collaborate as neighbours and friends designated by history, in particular on the issues of migration, trade, climate and security.”
Elizabeth May did not respond to True North’s requests for comment. However, she reposted a video on X Tuesday night that claimed Pennsylvania, a battleground state where Trump won, would vote for Harris if the trend of voters at the University of PA continued.
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