Rubio says G7 won t discuss US takeover of Canada

SHANNON, Ireland - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 12 said the issue of how the United States is going to “take over Canada” will not be discussed at a gathering of G-7 foreign ministers due to take place in Canada on March 13.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven major democracies – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States – will meet at the river resort of La Malbaie, Quebec on March 12-14 for the first time since President Donald Trump returned to power in January.

When asked by reporters about Mr Trumps comments on making Canada the 51st US state, Mr Rubio instead talked about the areas of cooperation between the United States and Canada including defence of North American airspace and Ukraine.

“We’re going to be focused in the G-7 on all of those things. That’s what the meeting is about. It is not a meeting about how we’re going to take over Canada,” he said.

US ties with Canada have soured following Mr Trump’s repeated comments about Washington’s northern neighbor being its 51st US state and the Republican president referring to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as its “governor”.

The two neighbours are also locked in a trade war. Mr Trump increased tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada, accusing the country of failing to do enough to stem the flow of the deadly fentanyl opioid and its precursor chemicals into the US and also as he moves to reorder global trade norms in favour of the United States.

Mr Rubio said Mr Trump was not singling out any country but trying to help develop a domestic industrial capability as the current situation threatened US national security in the long run.

The top US diplomat said despite