Washington (Foreign Desk): Billionaire Elon Musk recently stirred controversy by taking a jab at former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over a post about the potential merger of Canada and the United States. On Wednesday, Musk responded to Trudeau’s dismissal of the idea of a US-Canada merger, saying, “Girl, you’re not the governor of Canada anymore, so what you say doesn’t matter.” This remark came in response to Trudeau’s claim that “there’s no chance that Canada would become part of the US. Both our countries’ workers and communities benefit from being each other’s largest trade and security partners.”
There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States.
Workers and communities in both our countries benefit from being each other’s biggest trading and security partner.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) January 7, 2025
The exchange came amid a heated debate following newly-elected U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that he could use “economic force” to make Canada the 51st state.
The Issue at Hand
Trump has been pushing the idea since his electoral win, claiming that “many people in Canada would love to become the 51st state.” He further argued that the U.S. can no longer bear the “huge trade deficits and subsidies” that Canada requires to remain as an independent country. In response, Trudeau had firmly rejected the notion, emphasizing the strong trade and security ties between the two nations. This controversy escalated when Trump shared a distorted map on social media, depicting Canada as part of the U.S. along with the caption “Oh Canada!” The move raised serious concerns about the future of U.S.-Canada relations and the possible implications of Trump’s proposals.
Musk’s Prior Comments
This wasn’t the first time Elon Musk had commented on such matters. Earlier, Musk had also responded to Canadian MP Pierre Poilievre’s post on Canada’s sovereignty. Poilievre had stated, “Canada will never become the 51st state. Period. We are a great and independent country. We are America’s best friend. We spent billions of dollars and hundreds of lives helping Americans retaliate against Al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks. We supply America with high-quality and reliable energy at far below market value. We buy hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American goods.” In response, Musk commented, “A people’s referendum is the essence of democracy!” which sparked a great deal of discussion on the subject.
This entire debate has added fuel to the ongoing discourse on the future of Canada’s sovereignty and the evolving nature of U.S.-Canada relations, with Musk’s comments bringing additional attention to the issue.
