Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says it was “the right choice” for her not to attend the surprise dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Mar-a-Lago with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Friday night.
Freeland, who is the chair the revived cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations and led Canada’s NAFTA negotiations during Trump’s first term in office, made the comment when asked about her absence by reporters on Tuesday.
“That’s a question first and foremost for the prime minister, but look, I think it was the right choice,” Freeland said.
On Friday, Trudeau – along with Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and chief of staff Katie Telford, met with Trump and members of his incoming administration in response to Trump’s threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports unless Canada halts the flow of illegal drugs and migrants over the shared border.
Speaking …