Joly tells Marco Rubio 'Canada's sovereignty is not up to debate, period'

Peter Zimonjic · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 8:47 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly wrapped up the G7 gathering successful Malbaie, Que., connected Friday with a stern connection for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: hands disconnected our country.  

"What I said to the caput is Canada's sovereignty is not up to debate, period," she said astatine the closing property league of the G7 overseas ministers meeting. 

"There's nary argument, there's nary speech astir it, there's nary request to speech astir it," she said. "You're here, you respect us, you respect our sovereignty, you're successful our country, you respect our people. Period."

Joly made the remarks a time aft U.S. President Donald Trump repeated his telephone for Canada to articulation the United States, saying his state does not request thing Canada has to sell. 

"Canada lone works arsenic a state," Trump said astatine the White House. "We don't request thing they have. As a authorities it would beryllium 1 of the large states … if you look astatine a representation they drew an artificial enactment close done it … a consecutive artificial enactment … makes nary sense."

WATCH | 'Canada's sovereignty is not up to debate. Period,' Joly to U.S. caput of state: 

Joly said her counterparts successful the G7 arrived successful Canada for the acme with the content that Trump's speech of Canada becoming the 51st authorities was thing to beryllium "taken successful a humorous way," but she rapidly acceptable them straight. 

"I said to them this is not a joke. Canadians are anxious. Canadians are arrogant radical and you are present successful a sovereign state and truthful so we don't expect this to beryllium adjacent discussed, oregon intelligibly not laughed at," she said. 

Joly said Canada was created "because we didn't privation to beryllium portion of the United States," but besides due to the fact that we wanted to beryllium person to each different than we are to the Americans. 

The aboriginal of Canadian trade

Looking forward, Joly said that successful bid to soften the stroke of tariffs being imposed connected Canada, the provinces request to "get escaped of interior commercialized barriers" to boost the travel of interprovincial trade.

"There are tons of opportunities successful Canada to beryllium capable to enactment amongst each other, to beryllium capable to beryllium person from 1 state to another," she said.

Joly besides said that Canada volition question to physique stronger trading relationships with countries different than the U.S. 

"Canada wants to foster caller partnerships successful the world, we privation to beryllium person to Europe, we privation to beryllium person to Britain," she said. "We request to diversify our economy."

On the contented of Ukraine, Joly said the G7 is agreed successful supporting a U.S.-backed ceasefire connection for the country, which has been endorsed by Kyiv and is present awaiting a effect from Russia.

In comments Friday morning, Joly said the planetary assemblage is intimately watching Moscow's reaction.

"Ultimately, the shot is present successful Russia's tribunal erstwhile it comes to Ukraine," she said.

Later connected Friday, Trump said determination is simply a "very bully chance" the warfare betwixt Russia and Ukraine tin extremity aft productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia connected Thursday.

"We had precise bully and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and determination is simply a precise bully accidental that this horrible, bloody warfare tin yet travel to an end," Trump said successful a Truth Social post.

Trump said he had requested that Putin spare the lives of "completely surrounded" Ukrainian troops successful Kursk, Russia.