WASHINGTON – Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc sent a video of Canada’s border security efforts to the man U.S. President Donald Trump has chosen to oversee his tariff agenda — part of Canada’s pitch to avoid devastating duties that could come as soon as Saturday.
LeBlanc’s office confirmed the three-minute video was texted to Howard Lutnick Wednesday evening after the billionaire financier’s Senate hearing on his nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Lutnick told senators Wednesday that Trump’s threatened 25 per cent across-the-board duties would be an emergency measure to achieve border security — and could be followed by more tariffs in the future.
Leblanc met Lutnick at Mar-a-Lago late last year after he and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau travelled there for a dinner with Trump at the Florida resort a few days after the president made his initial tariff threat.
Leblanc’s office says the video was meant to provide context to an accompanying personal message.
LeBlanc’s outreach comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Immigration Minister Marc Miller are all in or travelling to Washington today and tomorrow for meetings with various senators and some of Trump’s team.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2025.
