On multiple occasions, President Donald Trump has put forward the notion of making Canada the 51st US State, as he suggests dispensing with the 5,525-mile border demarcating the – very much separate – jurisdictions. By Canadians, the concept has been described as “ludicrous”, and the hurdles associated with such a transformation of US-Canada relations are manifold.

However, according to Trump, the conventional Lower 48 states would subsequently be known as the “Contiguous 50” if the territory belonging to Canada – situated in the gap between the US mainland and Alaska – was consolidated. In the wake of such prospective drastic action, only Hawaii would remain, perhaps with a new moniker of the “Sole Continental State”.

Trump recently noted: “If people wanted to play the game right, it would be 100% certain that they’d become a state.”

Canada’s initial reaction to such talk was that Trump must be unserious with his assertion, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s short yet stern comeback was that his country would never take on this reconfigured role. According to insiders, however, Trudeau allegedly remarked that Trump’s comments regarding annexation may in fact qualify as the “real thing”. If such a motion were to be realised – with unprecedented cost and logistical restructuring of government and infrastructure at play – many of the lasting effects would be, in essence, irreversible. Many younger Canadians would potentially face losing their national identity, not just their way of life, in the process.

In addition, if Canada were to make this monumental shift and join the US, it would become the largest state, owing to its population of 41.6 million. This surpasses California’s 39.4 million residents, and would result in Canada getting two senators, as well as 55 House seats in line with the average congressional district population following the 2020 US census, which charts at 761,169 individuals.

To break it down, we will examine some of the steps that would need to be taken to reinstate Canada in its hypothetical new role – not as a nation, but as a state:

Congress would be required to accept and approve the induction of a new state;
A House majority would be sought, though Senate filibuster rules exist that call for at least 60 votes from a 100-member chamber in order to enact such a bill – which is considered a nigh-on unachievable summit for significant legislation to climb;
Such a measure allowing for a new state, i.e. one that actually clears Congress, is further required to be signed into law by the residing president himself (though in this instance, if Trump is to be taken at his word, this part would not prove much of a hurdle).

Moreover, according to the Constitution’s Admissions Clause (Article IV, Section 3): “New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.”

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who is known to be an avowed Trump backer, commented on X – formerly Twitter – last month when the existing 50 states certified Trump’s Electoral College triumph: “They skipped Canada. We’ll fix that next time!”

It should be noted though that at present, there is no significant legislation in advancement to actually enlist the US’s “northern neighbour” into “statehood”.

Little to No Comment from Government or the Head of State

According to CTV News in January, Canada’s Head of State, King Charles III, has declined making comment on the mooted takeover, with a key representative for Buckingham Palace noting that the potentially looming threat was “not something we would comment on”.

What was first perceived as a humorous aside – that Trump made to Trudeau over dinner at the returning president’s Mar-a-Lago estate following his inauguration – has now taken on a different spin, since Trump went on to describe the Canadian border as an “artificially drawn” line to which economic force could be applied to achieve his proposed absorption. For Trump, such a proposal seems to go hand in hand with other agendas to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian goods, while also claiming that such tariff would be rendered void if Canada were to accept new status as part of the US. This may all be linked to recent comments issued by Trump to reporters on Air Force 1 that Canada has been “taking advantage” of the US, whereas if the region were to accept its new status, the result would be “no military problems”. He further suggested that the Canadian people would become “much more secure in every way” because they will get “much better treatment, much better care and much lower taxes – and they’ll be much more secure”.

While Trudeau is said to have ascribed “not a snowball’s chance in hell” of Trump’s desired adjustments coming into play on his watch, as a constitutional monarch, Canada’s Head of State, King Charles – who serves in a ceremonial and therefore apolitical capacity – has responded only with silence.

It would, in essence, be unorthodox for the King to be drawn into such a debate – a view that is shared by Philippe Lagassé, an expert on the various roles undertaken by Parliament and the Crown, respectively. “He won’t comment on issues facing Canada of his own accord, nor should we want him to do so,” said Lagassé, who fulfils an additional role as Associate Professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs based at Carleton University. This is because if the King were to join this debate, it would introduce a potentially dangerous precedent of “involving the Crown in matters that belong squarely with the government”.

Significantly, King Charles’s representative in Canada, Governor General Mary Simon, also declined comment on the grounds of her non-partisan role in such matters, but Lagassé added that it is feasible for the Canadian government to request the King’s involvement through more tertiary means, such as organising a Royal tour or drafting a statement on the topic of the Crown’s relationship with Canada.

While Trump’s comments have caused a spike in headlines and online searches on a global level, they come paired with clues he also has eyes on purchasing Greenland from Denmark, a country that has replied with a declaration that the territory is not on the market. Canada, Denmark and the US are known to be fellow NATO allies; Canada’s allies, meanwhile, which encompass the other Commonwealth nations, have remained quiet on any recent suggestions from the White House. Similarly, the British government, when responding to questions, noted it would not provide commentary on hypothetical scenarios – with a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office preferring to highlight existing ties between the two nations:

“Canada is an independent, sovereign nation, a member of the Commonwealth, the Five Eyes intelligence sharing partnership, and a NATO ally. The UK and Canada are the closest of allies, partners and friends. It’s a partnership based on shared history and values – and a determination to be an active force for good in the world.”

What is Canada’s Ultimate Stance?

For the majority of Canadians, the idea of joining the US is extremely undesirable, since a poll conducted in mid-January by Leger revealed that support for joining as the 51st state only had backing of 11%.

Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested a counter offer: “How about if we buy Alaska, and we’ll throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?” he said, adding of Trump’s proposal: “It’s not realistic.”

Other polls (from last year), conducted by Gallup and the Pew Research Center, reveal that Americans hold pointedly positive opinions of their northern neighbour. Contrastingly, even though Canadians see the US more positively than negatively, their opinions appear to be less effusive on the whole.

All things considered, Trump’s comments, particularly those related to tariffs, have left Canadians feeling blindsided, and sports fans have been heard vocalising their reactions through chants and boos during the US national anthem at recent NBA and NHL games.

Source:

Associated Press

References:

CTV News

Further Reading:

Exploring Relocation to Canada? Income Tax for Wealthy Immigrants with Permanent Residence

David Rotfleisch on How the CRA Can Collect Taxes on Your Foreign Assets Through Tax Collection Assistance Provisions Between Canada and Other Countries

David Rotfleisch on Canadian Tax Residence: Are Significant Residential Bonds Less Essential for Canadian Immigrants than for Canadian Emigrants in the Case of Tax Residence in Canada?

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