The trade war between the United States and Canada has intensified, with heated statements after the White House implemented US President Donald Trump’s pledge to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian exports to America.
In response, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would impose equivalent 25% tariffs on US goods worth $107bn, beginning immediately, adding that Canada would maintain these measures until the US rolls back.
Trump, in turn, threatened further increases should Ottawa retaliate. On social media, he said: “When (Trudeau) puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the US, our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!”
Meanwhile, Canadian minister Anita Anand told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: “We are prepared for any emergency, but we will continue to defend our country’s economy at all times.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to cut electricity supplies to several US border states in retaliation, according to Novosti news agency.
Reacting to the idea
Trump first suggested in November 2024 that Canada become the 51st state if it cannot withstand 25% tariffs on its exports to the US. His comments were made during a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida attended by Trudeau and senior American and Canadian officials.
Canadians initially dismissed the comments as a joke, with Trudeau categorically stating that his country would never become the 51st state. But behind closed doors, he reportedly expressed concern that Trump’s persistent calls for annexation might be an actual policy aim.
Polling conducted last year by Gallup and the Pew Research Centre shows that Americans overwhelmingly see Canada positively, and Canadians’ perception of the United States is more favourable than unfavourable. But annexation talk has certainly darkened the mood.
“What if we bought Alaska and annexed Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time?” mused Ford. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre said: “Canada will never be the 51st state. We are a great and independent country.”
New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh called Trump a "bully" and dismissed his proposal as "ridiculous," while Green Party leader Elizabeth May said his remarks were "never funny", before suggesting that California, Oregon, and Washington join Canada instead. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said: "We can be good friends, best friends even, but we will never be an American state or a colony."
A viral Canadian advertising video, featuring a rousing stage speech, has the star saying: "They mistake our modesty for meekness, our kindness for consent, our nation for another star on their flag and our love of a hot cheesy poutine with their love of a hot cheesy Putin." He adds: "We are not the 51st anything."
History of union talk
On 7 January 2025, Trump ruled out using military force to annex Canada, instead advocating for "economic power" to press it into joining. Yet his annexation idea is not new. In the early years of the United States, several American political figures supported the invasion and annexation of Canada. In 1777, the US Congress even approved the admission of Canada into the confederation, though these plans were later abandoned.
In 1866, a bill was drafted calling for the annexation of British North America and the admission of its provinces as US states and territories, but it was never voted on and did not become law. The Treaty of Washington in 1871, when the US formally recognised the newly established Dominion of Canada, finally killed all annexation talk.
Some Canadian attempts have been made to join the United States. Dissatisfied with the British government, Irish immigrants tried to annex the peninsula between the Detroit and Niagara Rivers to the US by force in a short-lived conflict from 1837-38.
In Quebec in 1850, predominantly American-origin residents promoted union with the US as a way to end their economic isolation and stagnation while protecting them from French Canadian political dominance. In 1860, some residents of British Columbia (not yet a Canadian province) wanted to join the US, but they lacked popular support. In Nova Scotia, the idea surfaced in 1869 but had gone by 1871.
In the mid-20th century, the Economic Union Party in Newfoundland (formerly the Economic Union with the United States Party) pushed for annexation but Canada objected and the British government, which administered Newfoundland at the time, did not countenance a referendum, leading to the party's dissolution.
In 1980, the Western Canada Concept Party in Saskatchewan advocated for the union of western provinces with the US. It won two seats in the Legislative Assembly before dissolving a few weeks later. Parti 51 in Quebec also called for the province to join the US but failed in the 1989 elections and dissolved the following year. It was revived in 2016 but won no seats in the 2018 or 2022 elections.
