Trump Questions US-Canada Border Treaty Amid Tariff War, Sparks Diplomatic Tension

Washington DC [US], March 9, 2025: In a heated exchange amid the ongoing tariff war, US President Donald Trump reportedly told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he does not believe in the long-standing border demarcation treaty between the two nations and wants to revise the boundary, according to a report by The New York Times.

Citing four anonymous sources with firsthand knowledge of the conversation, the report stated that during an early February call, Trump challenged the 1908 border treaty and expressed dissatisfaction with shared water agreements between the two countries. He also aired grievances over trade, including Canada’s protected dairy sector, American banking challenges in Canada, and consumption taxes he claims unfairly inflate the cost of US goods.

The tension escalated when Trudeau, in a press conference, strongly rebuked Trump’s justification for new tariffs on Canada. “The excuse that he’s giving for these tariffs today of fentanyl is completely bogus, completely unjustified, completely false,” Trudeau said in Ottawa. “What he wants is to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that’ll make it easier to annex us,” he added.

The US president has reportedly been exploring the possibility of abandoning multiple treaties governing trade, water-sharing agreements, and even military cooperation. He allegedly raised the idea of ejecting Canada from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which also includes Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. Trump also suggested scrapping agreements regulating the shared management of the Great Lakes and hinted at reviewing North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) operations.

US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick reinforced Trump’s stance during a discussion with Canada’s finance minister, Dominic LeBlanc, reportedly stating that the US-Canada relationship is bound by treaties that are “easy to abandon.” However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed suggestions that military cooperation would be scrapped.

Despite reassurances from some US officials, Canadian politicians and citizens remain deeply concerned. Many see Trump’s aggressive stance as a shift in US-Canada relations, signaling an unpredictable and potentially strained future.