Canada ‘not going to respond or react to everything’ Trump posts: Carney

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that Canada will not respond to every social media post by US President Donald Trump while stressing the need to continue working with his administration despite renewed remarks about Canada becoming America’s “51st state.”

Asked about Trump’s latest comments and a social media repost by US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra of a post by Trump sharing a news link regarding Canada’s economy in which he added “51st state,” Carney said Ottawa remains focused on maintaining its relationship with Washington.

“The president is an exceptionally active user of social media, the media,” Carney told reporters during a news conference in Longueuil, Quebec.

“It’s only gone up in recent months, and we’re not going to respond or react to everything that he posts,” he added.

Carney also dismissed suggestions that Canada should ask the US ambassador to leave over the repost.

“The short answer is no to the second part of your question, and it’s an administration that we have to work with,” he told a reporter.

Highlighting the close ties between the two countries, Carney said: “It’s our biggest trading relationship, it’s our biggest security relationship, many other relationships, and we work with that administration.”

“We take the administration as it is and are working together in a number of areas,” he noted.

Carney said Canadian officials continue to engage with their US counterparts on key issues, including trade.

“I’ll just underscore that Minister (of Internal Trade Dominic) LeBlanc and Madame (Janice) Charette, our negotiator in chief, they are in Washington today working with the US administration, discussing our trading relationship,” he said.