Recently, Donald Trump visited the now Ex-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In this meeting Trump made an offhand comment about Canada potentially becoming the 51st state. While many people interpreted this as a joke, Trump has stated that he was being serious and that joining the union would benefit the Canadian people.
Trump later made a post on Truth Social claiming that “If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are surrounding them.” In addition, he has justified his hypothetical annexation by highlighting the amount of American products purchased by Canadians.
In response, Trudeau has shut down this offer. Most Canadians do not support this plan, according to a recent survey from leger360, a mere 13% of Canadians said they would like to join the states.
Annexing Canada would bring many opportunities to the United States. Canada has an estimated 164 billion barrels of oil and many other natural resources. Canada also controls the shipping path above it; if America had full control over this shipping path, it could increase its sales to foreign countries. In addition, Canada has plenty of wilderness-based tourist locations that America could want to incorporate into its “national parks” program.
One issue that has been brought up here is the scale of Canada. If Canada were to join the union today it would be the largest and most populous state. Canada also has a significant French speaking population, which would not be happy joining a country that does not recognize French as an official language. That being said, Canadian culture is a lot more similar to American culture than most people think. Often, Canadians will group their culture with American culture under the “North American culture” umbrella.
The average Canadian’s view of America is loosely correlated with their political standing. In early 2022, when right wing Canadians held a protest of Trudeau’s Covid-19 restrictions, they often flew American flags despite not living in America. While on the other hand, you could find a more left wing Canadian being proud of not living in America, often citing Canada’s gun control, universal healthcare and culture of tolerance as reasons.
Annexing Canada is one of many land acquisition statements Trump has made after his victory in November. Trump has also suggested taking control over Greenland and the Panama Canal citing “national security” concerns. Additionally, he has suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The Gulf of Mexico is composed largely of international waters and the United States does not have ownership of it. While the idea of Canada joining the United States sounds interesting, it is highly unlikely that this plan will ever see serious consideration due to its lack of backing from both American and Canadian politicians.