‘51st state’: Donald Trump fires shot at Canada over ‘$100m’ claim
The incoming US president has said making a country with the world’s 10th biggest economy the next state is a “great idea”.
US president-elect Donald Trump has again fired a broadside at the country’s northern neighbours, saying he believed making Canada the 51st state was a “great idea”.
There has been tension between the US and Canada since Mr Trump’s election win in November, with the incoming president threatening to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports over immigration concerns.
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Mr Trump has recently called under-pressure Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, the “governor” of the “Great State of Canada” and labelled outgoing Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland “totally toxic”.
He has also repeated claims that America was “subsidising” its neighbour to the tune of US$100 million, in an apparent reference to a trade deficit between the two nations.
“No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform overnight.
“Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State.
“They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea. 51st State!!!”
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The idea had the support of son, Eric Trump Jr, who simply wrote “51st State! #Canada” on X.
A recent poll in Canada, however, found 82 per cent opposed the idea with most of those being people who lived in Atlantic provinces, women and over 55.
The Leger poll found 13 per cent of Canadians would like the country to become the next US state, according to national broadcaster CBC.
The demographic breakdowns of the December poll showed higher support among men, at 19 per cent, compared with only seven per cent of women.
Mr Trump’s chiding of Canada came days after reports Mr Trudeau was considering resigning as Prime Minister in the wake of ructions within his government.
He was considering his options as leader, according to CTV News, after Ms Freeland revealed she would quit the cabinet, citing disagreement over spending priorities and how to address Mr Trump’s tariff threats.
Mr Trudeau appeared for a Liberal Party fundraiser at the Canadian Museum of History at on Monday, local time, where he thanked MPs and supporters.
“It’s the absolute privilege of my life to serve as your Prime Minister,” he said.
“Canada is the best country on Earth, but it’s not perfect. That’s why I wake up every single day thinking about how to make this nation work better for all Canadians.”
Mr Trudeau flew to Florida last month to dine with Mr Trump at the latter’s Mar-a-Lago resort and try to head off the tariff threat, but nothing yet indicates the US president-elect is changing his position.
Both Mr Trump and Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris cited concerns about illegal border crossings from Canada during the US election campaign.
US Border Patrol intercepted more than 21,000 people crossing illegally from Canada in the first 10 months of 2024, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
According to Fox News, Mr Trump suggested to Mr Trudeau during their November meeting that merging the two nations would not only resolve his concerns about fentanyl trafficking, but could also stem illegal immigration – an issue that mainly affects the US southern border.
His suggestion raised eyebrows in Ottawa with some commenting that it was “not funny,” humiliating and a not-so-subtle threat on the part of the incoming US leader.
In her resignation letter from Cabinet this week, Ms Freeland said the country needed to take Mr Trump’s tariffs threats “extremely seriously”.
Warning that it could lead to a “tariff war” with the United States, she said Ottawa must keep its “fiscal powder dry”.
She wrote that “for the past number of weeks, you and I have found ourselves at odds about the best path forward for Canada”, in a direct address to Mr Trudeau.
Mr Trudeau’s Liberal government trails the Conservative opposition in the polls, with both
the Conservative Party and the third-largest party, Bloc Quebecois, demanding an election.
Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, the Liberals’ coalition partner in government, has called for Mr Trudeau’s resignation.
The Department of Finance has unveiled the long-awaited economic statement, revealing a deficit of $CA61.9 billion (AU$68.2 billion) for 2023-24.
Claims of trade deficit
CBC also broke down the nature of Mr Trump’s claims of subsidising the Canadian economy, reporting it could hark back to remarks by former US trade representative Robert Lighthizer during the Republican’s first term.
Canada has the world’s 10th largest economy and is the source of 60 per cent of US crude oil imports, and 85 per cent of US electricity imports.
Canada sends about 75 per cent of its total exports to the US, and a blanket 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods would wreak havoc on its economy.
In January 2018, during an address in Montreal, Mr Lighthizer claimed Canada exported US$298 billion worth of goods to America while buying US$210 billion in return.
“Now that’s a lot of two-way trade, but it also means that Canada has an over $87 billion U.S. dollar surplus with the United States,” he said.
“When energy is removed, and in some people’s opinion that’s a fair thing to do, the number is still $46 billion dollars. The projected figures for 2017 show that the surplus will be even larger when those numbers are in.
“Now I ask Canadians because we’re in Canada, is it not fair for us to wonder whether this imbalance could in part be caused by the rules of (trade agreement) NAFTA?”
Ms Freeland was quick to correct him, at the time, saying Canada had a trade deficit of almost US $8 billion.
“And let me say, these aren’t Canadian numbers. They are from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis in the Department of Commerce.”
CBC reported sources in the Canadian government claimed Mr Lighthizer’s numbers included goods that had passed through Canada, but did not originate there, before being imported to the US.
Reuters reported in October that Canada posted an overall trade deficit of C$1.1 billion (US$806 million) in August, its sixth consecutive monthly shortfall, according to data from Statistics Canada.
– with AFP.
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