Ottawa has been preparing for the next US president “for months,” says its foreign minister

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly says Canadian preparations for the next U.S. president have been in the works for months as American voters decide who will replace Joe Biden in the White House.

“We have been preparing for this for months through our diplomatic network in the U.S. but also around the world,” Joly told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday.

“This government will be able to address issues that matter to Canadians, regardless of who the American people decide.”

Today is the last day for voters to cast their ballots in a tight presidential race between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump.

VIEW | “An important day:” Canadian ministers comment on the US election:

“An important day:” Canadian ministers comment on the US election

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, International Trade Minister Mary Ng, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and Immigration Minister Marc Miller say Canada is ready to work with whoever the American people elect.

Joly's comments came after one of Trump's former ambassadors to Canada said Canada should prepare for a potentially more antagonistic bilateral relationship with the U.S. if her old boss wins.

“Canada needs to buckle up. The whole world needs to buckle up because President Trump will continue his policies from 2016. We're going to make America great again and get it back to where it was under the Trump presidency,” Kelly Craft said in an interview with Radio-Canada on Sunday.

At the NATO summit earlier this year, Trudeau promised to meet defense pact spending targets that Canada has long ignored. Trudeau said Canada will spend two percent of its GDP on the military by 2032.

Craft said that's not soon enough and she expects Trump will demand increased defense spending sooner.

When asked Tuesday about the possibility of accelerating military spending, Joly remained noncommittal, saying Canada would “fulfill its commitment to our NATO allies.”

If Trump returns to the Oval Office, trade is likely to become an important issue. He promises a tariff of at least 10 percent on all imports into the U.S. — which would be a disruptive development for Canadian companies and the workers they employ, considering an estimated $3.6 billion worth of goods cross the border every day happen.

Joly emphasized that Ottawa has worked to build key relationships with local and state officials who can help advocate for continued open trade between the two countries.

“We now have a relationship that runs deep at various levels of American society,” she said.

Trudeau asked about possible unrest

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated Joly's statements at the start of Tuesday's question period, saying he was willing to work with the winner.

Sources say Trudeau has held behind-the-scenes discussions with advisers about possible outcomes and has been briefed by Canadian security officials on the possibility of violent unrest in the U.S. due to a delayed outcome.

If the results are as close as the polls suggest and mail-in ballots become the deciding factor, there will be no clear winner on Tuesday night – a repeat of the experience in the 2020 election, when Biden was not declared the winner until days after Election Day .

Trump took advantage of the delay and declared victory before many states declared their results.

The 2020 delay sparked protests and weeks of unrest, culminating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trudeau dodged a question about whether he was worried about the possibility of violence.

“My job as Canadian prime minister has always been to work with whoever Americans elect as their president … and that's exactly what I will continue to do,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

VIEW | Trudeau is asked if he is worried about possible violence in the US after the election:

Trudeau is asked if he is worried about possible violence in the US after the election

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his job is to work with whoever Americans elect as their next president and stand up for Canadians.

The FBI said Tuesday that it had heard reports of a number of bomb threats at polling stations across the U.S., but none were deemed credible.

“The FBI is aware of bomb threats against polling places in several states, many of which appear to originate from Russian email domains. To date, none of the threats have been deemed credible,” the agency said in a statement.

The FBI has not identified the states in question, but Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said earlier Tuesday that the state's election process had negated some bomb threats that he said came from Russia.

Officials in Fulton County, Georgia, said they received “multiple calls” and the threats forced a temporary closure of two polling locations.

Officials continue to warn of what they say is unprecedented levels of foreign influence and disinformation that they expect to continue beyond Election Day.