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Well at least now we know why Donald Trump considers Canada a national security threat.

“Didn’t you guys burn down the White House?” he reportedly asked Justin Trudeau in a phone call late last month, referring to the War of 1812, when British troops burned down the presidential residence in retaliation for an American attack on York, present-day Toronto.

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The CNN report added a degree of levity to a trade conflict that is becoming increasingly grave, one in which the U.S. has cited national security as the reason for imposing new tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

Another report — this time in the Washington Post — suggested Trump will seek to stoke divisions when he arrives in Charlevoix, Que. this week for the G7 meeting. Officials are discussing ways to impose additional economic penalties against Canada, the Post reported, in retaliation for Ottawa’s threats to impose retaliatory tariffs next month.