Canada Tells Trump 'I Don't Get Mad, I Get Even' as It Pulls Critical Minerals Talks
Key Takeaways
- •Canada will no longer discuss sharing its critical minerals as an asset with the United States, according to Politico.
- •Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said Canada could instead use its electricity domestically to build new mines and processing facilities.
- •The North Coast Transmission Line, expected online by 2032, is projected to double electricity capacity in British Columbia and power new critical mineral mines near the Alaskan border.
- •Trump claimed he could halt trade with Canada and wipe out 95 percent of its trade, a claim challenged by fact-checkers.
- •Canada is a top global producer of critical minerals including potash, uranium, nickel and rare earths, which the U.S. sees as a bulwark against Chinese market dominance.
Canada has hit back at President Donald Trump amid his escalating threats over trade deficits, according to a new report.
Canada will no longer discuss sharing its critical minerals as an asset with the United States, Politico reported Saturday.
"I don't get mad," Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson reportedly said. "I get even."
Hodgson, borrowing a line from the frat-house comedy classic "Animal House," was referring to the North Coast Transmission Line, which is slated to go live by 2032 and is expected to double electricity capacity in British Columbia, according to the report.
The transmission line will power new critical mineral mines near the Alaskan border — a point Hodgson was reportedly quick to emphasize. Canada is among the world's top producers of several critical minerals, including potash, uranium, nickel and rare earths, materials that feed into batteries, electronics and defense supply chains.
"Nothing would make me happier than just saying, 'You know what, we're going to use all our electricity here,'" he said. "We're going to build new mines, new processing facilities."
The remarks come as Trump has intensified his threats against Canada, claiming Friday that he could cut off trade entirely and cause the country's economy to collapse.
"Canada would be in a heap of trouble," Trump said. "If I say, 'We're not going to trade,' that means 95 percent of their trade gets wiped out."
The claim drew multiple fact checks from critics, who argued that Trump misunderstands trade deficits and noted, for example, that Mexico does not supply the United States with Hot Tamales, a candy produced in Pennsylvania.
Politico flagged a similar misrepresentation, reporting: "Although Trump keeps insisting otherwise, the U.S. relies heavily on Canadian resources. Washington views Canada's stockpiles as a bulwark against Chinese dominance of the global market in critical minerals essential to defense, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and virtually every piece of tech." The standoff leaves open the question of whether Washington and Ottawa can restart critical-minerals cooperation while tariff rhetoric continues on both sides of the border.
