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- By Neely Bardwell
During a Super Bowl preshow interview on Fox News, President Donald Trump told host Bret Baier that discussions of annexing Canada are “a real thing.”
“I think Canada would be much better off as the 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada. And I’m not going to let that happen,” Trump said. “Why are we paying $200 billion a year, essentially a subsidy to Canada?”
The tariff war with Canada has intensiified his belief Canada should become annexed with the United States.
“The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State,” Mr. Trump wrote on social media. “This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear. Canadians taxes will be very substantially reduced, they will be more secure, militarily and otherwise, than ever before, there would no longer be a Northern Border problem.”
Canadian officials have pushed back against Trump’s comments. Prime Minister-designate Mark Carney, who is set to succeed Justin Trudeau, firmly rejected the idea in his first speech after winning the leadership race.
The Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations are also pushing back on Trump's idea in a statement. In response, Grand Chief Greg Desjarlais emphasized the sovereignty of Indigenous lands.
“The U.S.’s insistence on referring to our land as the 51st State is offensive and wrong. As Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations, I remind our southern neighbours that Canada is on Treaty Land. Our First Nations are sovereign Nations with Treaty Rights forever; we stand against U.S. aggression,” the statement reads. "Canada is on Treaty Land," Desjarlais said.
“As the cost of living increases due to U.S. uncertainty for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, we must all come together in unity, strength and leadership. Through cooperation and adherence to Treaty, we can break away from U.S. dependency and foster relationships here at home and in markets abroad — all with Indigenous Peoples and the next seven generations in mind."
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