Canada-U.S. relations: Trudeau, Carney on 51st state [Video]

OTTAWA –

Two senior members of the federal cabinet were in Florida Friday pushing Canada’s new $1.3 billion border plan with members of Donald Trump’s transition team, a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself appeared to finally push back at the president-elect over his social media posts about turning Canada into the 51st state.

Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Affair Minister Melanie Joly shared few details of their meetings in Palm Beach, simply saying in a statement the U.S. officials they met with took notes and agreed to relay messages to Trump.

“Minister LeBlanc and Minister Joly had a positive, productive meeting at Mar-a-Lago with Howard Lutnick and Doug Burgum, as a followup to the dinner between the prime minister and President Trump last month,” wrote Jean-Sebastien Comeau, a spokesman for LeBlanc.

Lutnick is Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, and Burgum is the former governor of North Dakota and current …