Washington: United States of America (USA) President-elect Donald Trump said on Wednesday that many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st state of the United States, which he said was a great idea.
This statement comes at a time when Canada is surrounded by political crisis.
“Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st state,” Trump wrote on his social media account.
“They will save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it’s a great idea. The 51st state!!!” He maintained.
Trump has previously joked publicly about the idea, which some have found offensive, especially in the wake of the unexpected resignation of Canada’s deputy prime minister on Monday.
A Lager opinion poll this week found that 13% of Canadians support the idea of a relationship with their southern neighbour.
When Trump made the same comment with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in late November, laughter reportedly erupted.
According to Fox News, Trump suggested that merging the two countries would not only address his concerns about the trafficking of fentanyl, which he has threatened to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods, but also Legal immigration could also be blocked – an issue that primarily affects the US southern border. .
His proposal raised eyebrows in Ottawa, with some saying it was “not funny,” humiliating and an unusual threat from the incoming U.S. leader.
Since then, Trump has repeatedly referred to Trudeau in social media posts as the governor of Canada — a title used by leaders of all 50 US states.
Jobs may be more troubling for Canadians after the resignation this week of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who has called on Trudeau to step down.
‘Pattern of Bullying’
Former Trudeau adviser Gerald Butts reacted on social media, saying: “Trump is like a boxer working on a cut.”
Norman Spector, former Canadian prime minister and a former staffer of Trump’s golfing buddy Brian Mulroney, wondered if Trump was serious about annexing the United States’ northern neighbor.
University of British Columbia politics professor Max Cameron told AFP that would never happen.
“There could be no greater obstacle to closer integration with Canada in Donald Trump’s office in Washington,” he added.
“I suspect it’s all part of a pattern of bullying in the way he approaches negotiations.”
Stephanie Chouinard, a professor at Queen’s University, echoed that view, saying Trump is “taking advantage of the chaos in Canadian politics this week to further oppose Trudeau.”
Public Safety Minister Dominique LeBlanc has insisted that despite Trump’s teasing, she and Trudeau have had “productive” discussions with the president-elect and his team.
On Tuesday, LeBlanc and Immigration Minister Mark Miller announced border security and immigration measures aimed at appeasing Trump, including the hiring of hundreds of new police and border officers, and Canada’s asylum system. Aligning with the United States, early termination of claims that do not meet requirements. .
Ottawa has also proposed the creation of a joint Canada-US “strike force” to combat transnational crime groups and increase its military spending.
Trump also said in his post that the US is subsidizing Canada “over $1,000,000,000 a year. Makes no sense!”
It was unclear what the Trump figure was referring to.
According to 2022 US data, the trade deficit with Canada was $53.5 billion. Most economists consider this to be insignificant compared to the $909 billion trade in goods and services between the two countries.
For Republicans under Trump, “the trade deficit is a big problem for the American economy,” explained Julien Martin, an economics professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
They represent “job losses and the decline of the manufacturing sector,” he said.