‘Not a real country’: Musk hits back at push to revoke his Canadian citizenship
By Jenny Gross
More than 230,000 Canadians have signed a petition to revoke Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship and passport over what the petition says are his attempts to engage in practices that go against Canada’s national interest.
The petition said Musk had “become a member of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty”. It was an apparent reference to Musk’s work for US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly said he wants to annex Canada and make it “our 51st state”.
Elon Musk holds Canadian and American citizenship.Credit: AP
In response to a social media post about the petition, Musk wrote on his social platform X that “Canada is not a real country”.
Trump has charged Musk, the billionaire tech executive, with carrying out a drastic overhaul of the federal bureaucracy. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is not a cabinet-level department, and on Monday a judge in Washington said the way the Trump administration has set it up may be unconstitutional.
It is unclear whether Musk has had any involvement in Trump’s approach to relations with Canada, though his posts on social media have repeatedly made jabs at the country’s sovereignty.
Musk, who was born in South Africa, holds Canadian citizenship through his mother, according to Walter Isaacson’s biography of him. Musk also has US citizenship, which he received in 2002, according to the biography.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that he did not see Trump’s statements as having been made in jest and that he took it seriously. Trump is also advancing plans to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports to the United States.
The petition, addressed to Trudeau and sponsored by Charlie Angus, a member of parliament for the left-of-centre New Democratic Party, was first reported by The Canadian Press on Saturday.
“He has used his wealth and power to influence our elections,” said the petition initiated by author Qualia Reed.
Musk recently endorsed Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Conservative Party – the main opposition party – as Canada’s next leader. Musk has needled Trudeau, calling him “a governor”.
Petitions must receive at least 500 valid signatures to be presented in the House of Commons and potentially receive a response from the government, according to parliamentary procedure. According to the Canadian government, citizenship can be revoked if a citizen commits fraud, misrepresents themselves or knowingly hides information on an immigrant or citizenship application. The House of Commons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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