Will Canada be represented at Donald Trump’s inauguration?

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers a statement after meeting with the National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons in Washington, U.S., January 9, 2025. / REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Notwithstanding recent visits of federal ministers, political delegations, and premiers of the provinces to Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the question of whether Canada would be represented at Donald Trump’s coronation on January 20 continues to elude an answer.

Going by the media reports, there is no indication of the US President-elect Donald Trump soliciting the presence of any of the political bigwigs of Canada or Mexico, the two immediate neighbours that he has threatened with extra 25 percent tariffs over the contagious issue of cross border smuggling of both drugs and illegal aliens.

No official word has been said about whether or not the White House has extended any special invite to Ottawa’s Parliament Hill. The silence of the minority Liberal government caught in its political turmoil is understandable.

Justin Trudeau, who has already announced his decision to quit the leadership, was in the United States some days ago to attend the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. During his two-day visit to Washington, he also met some US business leaders and gave an interview to a news channel.

This was his second visit to the US since November, when he, accompanied by some of his Cabinet members and other officials visited US President-elect Donald Trump at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida, where he was embarrassed when his host mocked for the first time saying Canada would better become 51st state of the United States and Justin Trudeau its governor. It took more than six weeks for the outgoing Canadian PM to issue a rejoinder to the repeated mocks of Donald Trump.

Since the process to elect Justin Trudeau’s successor has already started, the country and the rest of the world have to wait till March 9 to know who will be the next Prime Minister of Canada.

When Donald Trump assumes office for his second term in the Oval Office of the White House, Canada will still be under the command of a Prime Minister who has remained a subject of continuous mocking by Trump.

Some senior Canadian ministers, including Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly, and the new Finance Minister, Dominic LeBlanc, also made trips to the US in recent days as they still maintain a role in responding to the tariffs. They have maintained that they will not join the leadership race.

The recent statement of Donald Trump that it was not dependent upon Canada for any of its requirements aggravated the situation. Canada retaliated by quoting recent bilateral trade figures between the two nations.

Traditionally, the coronation ceremony of the President is treated as a “domestic” event with little or no participation of heads of friendly nations. But recently, invites were sent to some select heads of state. This time some heads, including those of Argentina and Italy besides China, were stated to be on the official invite list. 

From the Canadian side, the most talked about visit was with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. She visited Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on January 11 and his golf club the following day.

Smith, who appears with Trump and Canadian entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” investor Kevin O'Leary in photos she posted on social media from the visit on Jan. 12, said she talked about the importance of the Canadian energy sector to the United States.

“We had a friendly and constructive conversation during which I emphasized the mutual importance of the US-Canadian energy relationship, and specifically, how hundreds of thousands of American jobs are supported by energy exports from Alberta,” she said.

She said she also met with “key allies” of the incoming Trump administration during her visit, adding that she was “encouraged to hear their support for a strong energy and security relationship with Canada.”

Smith said that both countries need to maintain their independence while strengthening their partnership. Trump has said on different occasions that he wishes for Canada to become part of the United States, and that he may use “economic force” to merge Canada with his country.

“The United States and Canada are both proud and independent nations with one of the most important security alliances on earth and the largest economic partnership in history,” Smith said. “We need to preserve our independence while we grow this critical partnership for the benefit of Canadians and Americans for generations to come.”

After giving a miss to the President’s inauguration, a delegation of Canadian premiers will visit Washington on February 12 to discuss the issue of trade.

In response to the tariffs, Ottawa has announced a $1.3 billion plan to strengthen border security, which includes creating special task forces, and deploying more helicopters and drones and other tools. Finance Minister and former Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who still maintains a role in responding to the tariffs, has said he will not join the leadership race to focus on his role, as has Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.