Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a business gathering on Friday that US President Donald Trump’s threat to annex Canada “is a real thing,” two Canadian business leaders who were at the meeting confirmed to CNN.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that Canada must think “tactically and strategically” on how to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose hefty tariffs on all Canadian imports.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Donald Trump is not joking when he says he'd like to make Canada the 51st state, and the U.S. president's desire to annex this country is related to its supply of critical minerals.