'There isn't a snowball's chance in hell' for US-Canada merge: Trudeau

HAMILTON, Canada

Outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday rejected US President-elect Donald Trump's controversial proposal for Canada to merge with the US.

"There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States," Trudeau wrote on X. "Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner."

Trudeau’s response came after Trump stirred controversy by proposing the merger, hours after the Canadian premier announced his resignation as the leader of Liberal Party and prime minister.

Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly described Trump’s comments as a "complete lack of understanding" of Canada’s strength and identity.

"President-elect Trump’s comments show a complete lack of understanding of what makes Canada a strong country," Joly wrote on X.

She reassured Canadians of their resilience.

"Our economy is strong. Our people are strong. We will never back down in the face of threats," she said.

Since his election victory in November, Trump has referred to Canada as the "51st state."

The US president-elect previously threatened to slap a 25% tariff on Canadian imports unless Canada takes steps to significantly reduce drugs and illegal immigrants crossing into the US. He similarly threatened Mexico with the tariffs.