by Sharon Rondeau
(Dec. 25, 2024) — In a TruthSocial post at mid-afternoon Wednesday, President-Elect Donald J. Trump appeared to indicate his previously-floated idea of Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state is not tongue-in-cheek nor simply intended to rattle Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose birthday happens to be today.
Although a national and international holiday, Trump indicated he spent part of Wednesday with former top-rated NHL player Canadian Wayne Gretsky to suggest he launch a campaign for prime minister to replace Trudeau, who though not term-limited is projected to leave office next year.
“I just left Wayne Gretzky, ‘The Great One’ as he is known in Ice Hockey circles,” Trump wrote. “I said, ‘Wayne, why don’t you run for Prime Minister of Canada, soon to be known as the Governor of Canada – You would win easily, you wouldn’t even have to campaign.’ He had no interest, but I think the people of Canada should start a DRAFT WAYNE GRETZKY Movement. It would be so much fun to watch!”
On Saturday, Gretsky’s wife Janet indicated she played golf in Florida with the past and future president and three others, including U.S. professional golfer Taylor Montgomery.
In recent similar comments, Trump has argued many Canadians would prefer to become part of the United States and referred to Trudeau pointedly as “Governor.”
Canada is currently a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government owing ultimate allegiance to the British monarch. As explained by Encyclopedia Britannica, “In practice, however, Canada is an independent federal state established in 1867 by the British North America Act. The act created a self-governing British dominion (recognized as independent within the British Empire by Britain in 1931)…”
Wikipedia reports:
A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support (“confidence”) of a majority of the legislature, to which they are held accountable. This head of government is usually, but not always, distinct from a ceremonial head of state. This is in contrast to a presidential system, which features a president who is not fully accountable to the legislature, and cannot be replaced by a simple majority vote.
In recent days Trump has also advocated acquiring Danish-owned Greenland and reassuming control of the Panama Canal, ceded to Panama in 1999 after 20 years of joint U.S.-Panama oversight.
According to some analyses, Trump’s thoughts on Greenland, which he first expressed in 2019, are not outside the realm of possibility and could be of distinct benefit to the United States.
During his first term, Trump did not consider purchasing Greenland a top priority, but on Monday, he said that in order to secure “National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
Further, on Wednesday Trump wrote if Canada were to become a U.S. state, it would reduce Canadians’ taxes, “double” the volume of the nation’s small businesses and improve security with protection by the U.S. military:
Merry Christmas to all, including to the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal (where we lost 38,000 people in its building 110 years ago), always making certain that the United States puts in Billions of Dollars in “repair” money, but will have absolutely nothing to say about “anything.” Also, to Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada, whose Citizens’ Taxes are far too high, but if Canada was to become our 51st State, their Taxes would be cut by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size, and they would be militarily protected like no other Country anywhere in the World. Likewise, to the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for National Security purposes and, who want the U.S. to be there, and we will!…
According to Fox News on Monday, unnamed sources insist Trump is “100% serious about acquiring the Panama Canal and the sovereign territory of Greenland.”
However, at an impromptu dinner meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago after he threatened 25% tariffs on Canadian goods if Trudeau did not do more to secure its border with the U.S., Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc described Trump as “only teasing” when suggesting the country could become a U.S. state, according to the Toronto Sun.
According to experts consulted by the Toronto Star, “The most likely option to unite the two countries is through legal and constitutional means. But there’s a fundamental issue here — Canada is a constitutional monarchy while the U.S. is a republic. ‘If you want to change from a monarchical to a republican system, you must deal with the office of the King,’ noted Gregory Tardi, formerly legal counsel to the House of Commons and Elections Canada. ‘And that brings you straight into section 41 of the Canada Act of 1982.’ This stipulates that, in order to amend the Constitution and dissolve the union, the Canadian Senate, House of Commons and every single provincial legislature must unanimously agree with the proposal.”
The U.S. Congress would have to approve of the proposal to annex Canada, the report notes, citing Ontario‘s Western University Professor of Political Science Matthew Lebo.
Neither expert considered Trump’s musings “serious,” the article stated.
Last week Newsweek and the Sun reported, citing a poll from Canadian-based Leger earlier this month, that the vast majority of Canadians oppose the notion of their country becoming a U.S. state.
As a U.S. Professional Engineer, and history buff, I applaud President Trump for demanding some American ownership of the Panama Canal; I have always pondered why a U.S. NAVY nuclear engineer, Jimmy Carter, gave it away like some magnanimous nice guy FOOL.
U.S. citizens, like Teddy Roosevelt, fellow Maine civil engineer John Frank Stevens https://iupress.org/9780253010612/john-frank-stevens/ , Walter Reed believing and acting on unsung Cuban world-hero-physician Carlos Finlay and many citizens from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, all endured some measure of untold personal privations to EXCAVATE A CANAL THROUGH A MOUNTAIN RIDGE within an otherwise uninhabitable humid/sweltering/mosquito-dominant rain forest! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culebra_Cut#:~:text=Culebra%20is%20the%20name%20for,who%20had%20led%20the%20excavation.
I made a pilgrimage to this “civil engineering Mecca” in 2015 and passed thru the Atlantic locks to the man-made Gatun Lake. Fascinating and EMPOWERING to any proud U.S. citizen= U.S. Citizens Made This Canal While the World Watched Us!
Trump is correct= push bully China out of our backyard and make USA the dominant partner with Panama Canal, once again, for the rest of this century, at least, or in perpetuity, because without the incredible efforts of leading U.S. citizens 1904- 1914, THERE MIGHT BE NO PANAMA CANAL AT ALL, OR CERTAINLY NOT UNTIL MUCH MORE RECENTLY!
We the U.S. citizen-People Made It, and fools in DCeit gave it away, much like Bozo Biden pardoning death row murderers to escape their deserved executions, with his characteristic zero respect for U.S. citizen victim-families, all as likely done as another calculated callousness of “selfish politics over generous We the People”!
MAKE OUR CANAL HOME AGAIN [MOCHA]
There are several strategic points that need to be raised.
Greenland is a strategic battle between America and China. China already has a real estate and commerical develop company operating there. A military presence cannot be far behind. Also, Russia has made moves to build up more of a presence in the arctic. Acquiring Greenland is an important pre-emptive move for America.
No one has put together a historical analysis comparing our purchase of Alaska and purchasing Greenland.
Panama – I think something can be worked out where China has to leave, while Panama retains control with a new treaty with America.
Canada – This is just for entertainment, IMHO. The Canadian identity is too well established for them to suddenly “be American.” Besides, the idea of annexing Canada and letting time pass to develop stronger bonds doesn’t seem feasible to me.
I believe there are some polls showing a lot of Canadians like the idea, but I think a lot of them would change their minds is it becomes more real. Moreover, a change of sovereignty brings with it huge political changes which will take years to resolve.
In jest, if Canada becomes the 51st USA state, the USA flag would have 7 red/6 white stripes, along-with 50 white stars and one white maple leaf in the blue background.
Geometric arrangement/placement of stars and maple leaf to be determined.