Canadian leaders say Trump’s talk about Canada becoming the 51st state isn’t funny anymore …
Canadian leaders say Trump’s talk about Canada becoming the 51st state isn’t funny anymore …
TORONTO (AP) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s comments that Canada should become the 51st state are no longer a joke and are meant to undermine America’s closest ally, Canada’s finance minister said Wednesday.
Dominic LeBlanc, the country’s point person for U.S-Canada relations, said Trump was smiling when he first made the comment during a dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in late November.
“The joke is over,” said LeBlanc. “It’s a way for him, I think, to sow confusion, to agitate people, to create chaos knowing this will never happen.”
Trump keeps floating the idea that Canada should join the United States as the 51st state, saying Tuesday he would not use military force to invade the country, which is home to more than 40 million people and is a founding NATO partner.
Instead, Trump said he would rely on “economic force” as he erroneously cast the U.S. trade deficit with Canada — a natural resource-rich nation that provides the U.S. with commodities like oil — as a subsidy.
“It’s becoming very counterproductive,” LeBlanc said, referring to Trump’s rhetoric about Canada.
LeBlanc has been talking to incoming Trump administration officials about increasing border security in an effort to avoid a sweeping 25% tariff that Trump has threatened to impose on all Canadian products.
LeBlanc, recently appointed to the role after the abrupt resignation of the previous finance minister, also announced he won’t run to replace Trudeau so he can focus on the tariff threat. Trudeau announced Monday he will resign as prime minister and will stay on until a new Liberal leader is chosen.
“The timing is awful for sure,” said Liberal lawmaker Judy Sgro of the leadership change. “But we will do what we have to do to ensure that Canada stands strong.”
Asked about Trump’s comments, Sgro said “He should focus on his own issues in his own country, because he’s got lots of them.”
Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller also fired back, dismissing Trump’s comments as “ridiculous.”
“There is no chance of us becoming the 51st state. I think that this is beneath a president of the United States,” Miller said. “I said a few weeks ago that this whole thing was like a South Park episode.”
Trump refused to rule out acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal by military force and has said the U.S doesn’t need anything from Canada, including automobiles, lumber and dairy products.
“I don’t know who is misinforming him,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. “Right now we ship 4.3 million barrels of crude oil into the U.S. 60 percent of their energy imports are coming from Canada.”
The U.S. imports approximately 60% of its crude oil from Canada, with Alberta alone supplying 4.3 million barrels per day. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. consumes about 20 million barrels a day, while domestically producing about 13.2 million barrels a day. This means about quarter of the oil the U.S. consumes every day is from Canada.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.
Ford said Canada will retaliate if Trump imposes tariffs, saying that a wide range of U.S. products shipped to Canada will be targeted, but he declined to specify which ones.
Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security.
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said she never takes Trump’s threats lightly.
“At the same time we can’t take the bait,” Joly said. “We have to show we have a strong economy and we are strong and we are not going to be annexed.”
How Canada Would Rank as the 51st State
President-elect Donald Trump suggested Canada become the “51st state” after indicating that new tariffs may be on the horizon for Canadian products.
While opinions may vary on the intent behind Trump’s statements, this graphic focuses on providing data-driven insights about the two nations. Here we compare various educational, crime, and economic statistics for each U.S. state and Canada. The data was compiled from various sources.
President-elect Donald Trump suggested Canada become the “51st state” after indicating that new tariffs may be on the horizon for Canadian products.
While opinions may vary on the intent behind Trump’s statements, this graphic focuses on providing data-driven insights about the two nations. Here we compare various educational, crime, and economic statistics for each U.S. state and Canada. The data was compiled from various sources.
CANADA’S GDP COMPARED TO U.S. STATES
Canada’s GDP would rank behind only California, Texas, and New York. However, on a per capita basis, Canada’s GDP is higher than only that of Mississippi.
Rank State/Country GDP per Capita (2023) 1 New York $111K 2 Massachusetts $105K 3 Washington $103K 4 California $99K 5 North Dakota $97K 6 Connecticut $96K 7 Delaware $95K 8 Alaska $93K 9 Nebraska $92K 10 Colorado $90K 11 Wyoming $89K 12 Illinois $88K 13 New Jersey $87K 14 Texas $85K 15 Minnesota $84K 50 🇨🇦 Canada $54K 51 Mississippi $51K
| Rank | State/Country | GDP per Capita (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $111K |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $105K |
| 3 | Washington | $103K |
| 4 | California | $99K |
| 5 | North Dakota | $97K |
| 6 | Connecticut | $96K |
| 7 | Delaware | $95K |
| 8 | Alaska | $93K |
| 9 | Nebraska | $92K |
| 10 | Colorado | $90K |
| 11 | Wyoming | $89K |
| 12 | Illinois | $88K |
| 13 | New Jersey | $87K |
| 14 | Texas | $85K |
| 15 | Minnesota | $84K |
| 50 | 🇨🇦 Canada | $54K |
| 51 | Mississippi | $51K |
U.S. and Canada Trade in 2023
The U.S. accounted for 77% of the value of Canada’s exports and 63% of its imports in 2023. By contrast, Canada accounted for 17% of the value of U.S. exports and just 13.5% of its imports in the same year.
Guns and Violence in Canada vs. U.S.
U.S. states lead by far when comparing gun ownership. In Montana, the state with the highest rate of adult firearm ownership, 66% of adults own a gun. The U.S. state with the lowest gun ownership (Massachusetts) has 14.7% of adults owning a firearm, while only 7.7% of Canadians own guns.
Additionally, the U.S. has an average of 7 murders per 100,000 people. In Canada, the rate is 2, placing the northern country on par with states like Utah, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, and ahead of only Vermont and Wyoming in homicide rates.
The U.S. accounted for 77% of the value of Canada’s exports and 63% of its imports in 2023. By contrast, Canada accounted for 17% of the value of U.S. exports and just 13.5% of its imports in the same year.
Guns and Violence in Canada vs. U.S.
U.S. states lead by far when comparing gun ownership. In Montana, the state with the highest rate of adult firearm ownership, 66% of adults own a gun. The U.S. state with the lowest gun ownership (Massachusetts) has 14.7% of adults owning a firearm, while only 7.7% of Canadians own guns.
Additionally, the U.S. has an average of 7 murders per 100,000 people. In Canada, the rate is 2, placing the northern country on par with states like Utah, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire, and ahead of only Vermont and Wyoming in homicide rates.
Rank State/Country Murders Per 100k 1 Mississippi 21 2 Louisiana 20 3 Alabama 15 4 New Mexico 15 5 Missouri 13 6 Arkansas 12 7 South Carolina 12 8 Maryland 11 9 Georgia 11 10 Tennessee 11 11 Illinois 11 12 Alaska 10 13 North Carolina 9 14 Arizona 9 51 Wyoming 0
| Rank | State/Country | Murders Per 100k |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mississippi | 21 |
| 2 | Louisiana | 20 |
| 3 | Alabama | 15 |
| 4 | New Mexico | 15 |
| 5 | Missouri | 13 |
| 6 | Arkansas | 12 |
| 7 | South Carolina | 12 |
| 8 | Maryland | 11 |
| 9 | Georgia | 11 |
| 10 | Tennessee | 11 |
| 11 | Illinois | 11 |
| 12 | Alaska | 10 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 9 |
| 14 | Arizona | 9 |
| 51 | Wyoming | 0 |
LIFE EXPECTANCY AND EDUCATION
Canada also shows stronger figures in health and education. Canadians have a life expectancy of 81.7 years at birth compared to the U.S. average of 77.
Rank State/Country Life Expectancy (years) 1 🇨🇦 Canada 81.7 2 Hawaii 80.7 3 Washington 79.2 4 Minnesota 79.1 5 California 79.0 6 Massachusetts 79.0 7 New Hampshire 79.0 8 Vermont 78.8 9 Oregon 78.8 10 Utah 78.6 11 Connecticut 78.4 12 Idaho 78.4 13 Colorado 78.3 14 Rhode Island 78.2 15 Maine 77.8 51 Mississippi 71.9
If Canada were somehow a U.S. state, it would lead in the share of adults with college degrees, at 58%, compared to 36% in the United States.
| Rank | State/Country | Life Expectancy (years) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 81.7 |
| 2 | Hawaii | 80.7 |
| 3 | Washington | 79.2 |
| 4 | Minnesota | 79.1 |
| 5 | California | 79.0 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 79.0 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 79.0 |
| 8 | Vermont | 78.8 |
| 9 | Oregon | 78.8 |
| 10 | Utah | 78.6 |
| 11 | Connecticut | 78.4 |
| 12 | Idaho | 78.4 |
| 13 | Colorado | 78.3 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | 78.2 |
| 15 | Maine | 77.8 |
| 51 | Mississippi | 71.9 |
If Canada were somehow a U.S. state, it would lead in the share of adults with college degrees, at 58%, compared to 36% in the United States.
