Canadians find Trump's annexation talk amusingly imperialistic

Washington, DC — Following his victory in the US election, President-elect Donald Trump made a series of remarks in which he suggested that Canada should become a US state.

Ottawa found it hilarious.

Last week, however, in a presser at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump launched a provocative attack on America's allies and neighbours, threatening to use military or economic force to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal, and vowing to bring Canada to heel.

In Canada, many see Trump's expansion talk as "crude" and a "pompous expression of American imperialism."

"I think he's (Trump) mental. I think he's crazy. Canadians will never go for that," Robert Copeland, a 60-year-old equipment sales worker in Ontario, tells TRT World.

Trump "claims a lot of things that are not true, so I don't believe anything the guy says."

"He's going to try and get Greenland first, that's where he's testing his waters. I don't think the guy is mentally strong enough to pull something like that off," he adds.

Copeland says that if Canada at any point merged with the US, he would leave the country.

"I have no love to live in the US; the gun laws are ridiculous. I'm not at all interested in being an American," Copeland says.

The idea of the US grabbing another territory and bringing it to its fold, either by economic means or by force, is nothing new.

In 1803, the US bought the state of Louisiana from France for $15 million.

In 1835, Texas gained de facto independence from Mexico following what was known as the Texas Revolution. The US annexed it in 1845.

In 1848, a treaty to end the Mexican-American war forced neighbouring Mexico to cede 55 percent of its territory to the US, an expansive area that included the states of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Wyoming.

In 1866, Washington bought the state of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.

Beyond its borders, the US has played a pivotal role in toppling anti-American regimes across South America, shaping the political landscapes of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Bolivia, often leaving a legacy of unrest in its wake.

The US has intervened militarily in at least six countries across the Americas.

However, Canada would be the only case where the US would annex an entire independent country.

Trump first made the comments in early December during a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc in Florida. At the time, LeBlanc said Trump was only joking.

But over the following weeks, it appeared to be less of a joke as Trump repeated the same remarks multiple times, and Canadian officials started to take it more seriously.

American imperialism

The vast majority of Canadians oppose the idea of becoming a part of the US. According to a poll conducted in early December last year following Trump's first comments, a crushing 82 percent of Canadians said they are not interested in becoming the US' 51st state.

Many denounced Trump's comments but said his remarks have a significant impact on Canada.

Dunia Hamou, who is from Ontario, Canada but works with a pharmaceutical company in California, says some of Trump's comments carry merit despite being crudely delivered, but adds his remarks about taking over Canada are a "pompous expression of American imperialism."

"Should we get armies involved? Has he decided he wants it, and that's it? That's a scary thought about someone who has probably never not gotten his way," Hamou tells TRT World.

"We know world leaders kind of let the US do what it wants. Who are Canada's allies even?" she adds.

Hamou says that while the idea itself is possible, it doesn't mean it would happen in this context.

"For hilarity's sake, let's say Canada became the 51st state of the US. Is Trump still the president? Does it happen in 4 years?" she asks.

Patrick Gervais, a 41-year-old Canadian lawyer, says Trump's comments have made a significant impact on Canada, adding since Trump raised threats of tariff war, the Canadian government began investing more on border security and military.

"But when it comes to imposing economic sanctions and/or force, this may just result in a greater nationalistic sentiment in Canada," Gervais tells TRT World.

Canadian means not being American

Though they share a border, historical ties and many values, Canada and the US vary in a number of areas, including healthcare systems, immigration policies, cultural diversity, government structures, climate and the cost of living.

Many Canadians point to those elements as the reason they either oppose Trump's suggestion or reject it for its impracticality.

"The healthcare and other facilities that are in Canada are not available in the USA … I feel we Canadians are culturally and politically different than Americans," Umeed Javed, a 28-year-old composite technician, tells TRT World.

Javed says that although a merger could benefit Canada in some sectors, including economic opportunities and military security, this would ultimately come at the cost of the benefits they enjoy in their country.

"Canadians will lose their identity and lose different policies and benefits, which I think most Canadians will not like," he says.

Hamou emphasises differences within Canadian society that she says is a challenge that cannot be overlooked.

She says Trump is "gravely discounting the First Nations of Canada, which many Canadians honour and respect in different ways."

"Provinces have different governing relationships with these original nations, and that can't all be dissolved. Provinces also have culture wars with other provinces. I couldn't imagine British Columbia and Quebec being part of the same state," she explains.

"Someone from BC once told me 'we call you guys Onterrible'," she adds, highlighting the stark differences among Canadians.

"I don't think Trump realises how much of Canadian culture revolves around not being American."

Gervais stresses the differences in legal frameworks.

"From a practical standpoint, the countries share many similarities, but their legal frameworks and history are very different. And although both countries share many values and cultural reference points, there are some important differences that may deter people on both sides of the border from giving serious thought to this proposal," Gervais notes.

"If there's one way Canadians like to define themselves, it's by how different they are from the Americans."

'We don't stand up for ourselves'

While the poll showed that the majority of Canadians are not interested in becoming a part of the US, it still indicated that roughly 13 percent would be fond of the move.

"Honestly, I think it would be a good idea for all of North America … our country is being crippled for a long time. We've lost all of our rights, we have no freedom of speech, we have nothing," Linda Innes, a 75-year-old woman from Ontario, tells TRT World.

"Unlike Americans, we don't have anyone to stand up for us. We don't stand up for ourselves," she laments.

Innes recalls the truckers' protest three years ago, saying the government's response to it was very telling.

"I think it would be a great idea, and I think people would embrace," she claims.

Canada was formed in 1867 in what was known as the Dominion of Canada, but it remained an integral part of the British Empire. It became fully independent and adopted its constitution in 1982.

The US recognised Canada as an independent state with autonomous control of its foreign relations in 1927.

Despite being the second largest country in the world after Russia, Canada has a population of around 40 million people that are scattered across 409,984,670 square kilometres.

Gervais says that while the majority of Canadians wouldn't like to be a part of the US, a lot would support a proposal of a more integrated continent.

"If the question asked was whether there should be more economic integration and mobility between the countries, I think you would see many Canadians supportive of this type of alliance given the very real challenges to our living standards that were caused by our current government," Gervais adds.