In a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House with US President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reiterated on Tuesday that his country is not for sale.

«If I may, as you know real estate, there are some places that are never for sale. We’re sitting on one right now. Buckingham Palace that you visited, too,» Carney said.

According to the Canadian prime minister, Canada «is not for sale, it will never be for sale». «But the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together. And we have done that in the past,» he stressed.

In response, the US president declared, «never say never». «Canada loves us and we love Canada. I think that’s the most important thing,» he stressed.

Trump also noted that «it takes two to tango». «I think [Canada joining the US] would be a huge tax break for Canadian citizens. They would have free military, tremendous health care and other things. There would be a lot of advantages,» he said, reiterating the possibility of Canada becoming the 51st state of the US, something Ottawa firmly rejects.

The US president has repeatedly declared his intention to annex Canada to the US, arguing that Ottawa does not invest enough in defence because it expects Washington to defend it if necessary.