Canada’s foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly says she’s keeping an eye on US in case it becomes ‘authoritarian regime’ after 2024 election

A Canadian MP has revealed that a “plan” is being drawn up on how to respond if the US becomes a far-right, authoritarian regime after the presidential election.

Secretary of State Melanie Joly says Canada is watching closely who will be America’s next leader, the National Post reports.

“We’re definitely working on screenplays,” Joly told a Montreal radio station during an interview in French this week.

“In general, there is our game plan, precisely to cope with a rather difficult situation.

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States at the U.S. Capitol in Washington in 2017

“I’m going to work with my colleagues and with the mayors, the provincial premiers, with the business community, with the unions, with everyone in the country, so that whatever the election result, we’ll be ready.”

She is believed to be alluding to the possible re-election of former President Donald Trump, who will likely be the Republican nominee and face Joe Biden in a close race.

During the same discussion, she said there is a broader look at how Canada is preventing the growth of the far right.

“The other aspect of the question is more about knowing how we as a democracy can thwart the growth of the far right in our country, because it’s happening in the United States, it’s happening in Europe,” she said.

Joly added, ‘So you can’t be naive here, Patrick; it is happening with us now, there is, we know that there is certainly a radicalization of the (Canadian) Conservative Party.’

Professor Thomas Juneau, a professor of national security at the University of Ottawa, said that given the unpredictability experienced around the world recently, it is necessary to be prepared for any outcome.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has previously denounced the rise of authoritarianism around the world

“What would have been extremely far-fetched scenarios ten years ago are no longer impossible today,” he said.

“If an increasingly authoritarian US becomes increasingly one-sided and rejects traditional alliances like NATO or arrangements like Norad, how does that harm our security?”

Joly, a 44-year-old from Montreal, was previously Minister of Economic Development and before that Minister of Heritage.

She was first elected to represent Canada’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville region in the House of Commons in 2015.

She has since risen to Canada’s Secretary of State and been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Last year, newspaper Politically labeled Joly, a “Trudeau protégé” who “could have his job one day.”

It is not the first time her statements have challenged political opposition in Canada and abroad.

In February 2022, she appeared to blame US conservatives for supporting truckers protesting against vaccine mandates during the Freedom Conoy.

“My biggest concern as Secretary of State right now is the foreign interference that is happening in the convoy that we are seeing in Canada right now,” she said.

“The disinformation campaign, where it comes from. The financing of it, where it comes from.’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has previously denounced the rise of authoritarianism around the world.

“If we don’t act, other forces will intervene. As like-minded democracies, as great economies, we must work together to face this moment,” Trudeau said in a speech earlier this year.