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| Great White North |
| Canadians in oil-rich province explain reason they want to become America's 51st state |
| 2025-03-16 |
| [Daily Mail, where America gets its news] While most Canadians recoil at the thought of becoming the US' 51st state, an increasingly vocal minority are convinced it is essential for the future of their country. Secessionists in Alberta say they are sick of their oil-rich province subsidizing the rest of the nation. A dissatisfaction with the status quo, along with avid support for Donald Trump, has led to around 10 percent of Canadians expressing separatist views, the Telegraph reports. The idea of Canada joining the US was first floated by the president last year and was largely taken in jest at the time after he jokingly referred to former leader Justin Trudeau as the 'Governor' of Canada. However he has since triggered a trade war by slapping tariffs on some goods coming across the northern border. Amid the growing tariff war, the bubbling secession movement is gaining speed. At a recent makeshift ceremony, Alberta local Dan Casselman swore an oath renouncing his allegiance to Canada in favor of the US, citing his fears his home nation is 'doomed'. At the heart of many of so-called 51st Staters gripes is anger over the way they feel Alberta's oil industry has been both demonized and exploited by liberals. The province provides 56 percent of all US oil imports and is the richest in Canada with a GDP per capita. But measures brought in under former Primer Minister Justin Trudeau's father Pierre Trudeau mean that the $2 billion of profits are redistributed to French speaking Quebec and left-leaning Ontario. The younger Trudeau also pursued green energy targets at the expense of the oil industry which many Albertans feel is a mistake. 'All we're doing is saying we want this, yeah, we accept President Trump's offer,' Alberta native Peter Downing told the Telegraph. 'We want lower taxes. And we want to never pay another dime to Ottawa through "equalization."' Canadians tend to pay more than Americans in tax due to the country's extensive social services. Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party which is currently tied with current prime minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party, estimates that Canada has lost out on $121 billion due to 15 oil and gas pipelines which were cancelled between 2015 and 2020. Downing pointed out that by contrast, Trump's 'Drill Baby Drill' approach to oil would boost jobs in Canada. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #2 With a little gerrymandering (okay, a LOT!) we could fit Massachusetts into the deal. Maybe Maura would like the idea. I sure do. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2025-03-16 14:02 |
| #1 We give Canada Vermont in trade. |
| Posted by: EMS Artifact 2025-03-16 13:26 |