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As Trump Special Advisor Elon Musk is part of a government that it seems to threaten Canadian sovereignty, especially after Trump repeatedly hinted that Canada should become The 51st State of the United States. Canadians have responded with the bureaucratic tools they have, and now it is time to decide the government, bound by the law itself.
Hundreds of thousands of signatures. Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship, awarded in 1989 Thanks to his mother, Maye Muskoriginally from Saskatchewan, is located in the center of a growing political controversy in Canada. The reason? More than 200,000 citizens have signed A parliamentary request requesting that citizens be revoked due to its proximity to Donald Trump and their alleged involvement in activities contrary to the national interests of Canada.
The requestpresented on February 20 at the Chamber of the Commons in Canada by the writer Qualia Reed and sponsored by the parliamentarian Charlie Angus, of the new Democratic Party (NDP), He has won traction Very fast. His main argument: that Musk, acting as a Trump advisor, has backed a foreign government that threatens Canadian sovereignty. In particular, they point out the aggressive rhetoric of the president, who has threatened Impose severe tariffs to Canadian products and has even suggested that more than unlikely Annexation of Canada as the 51 state of the nation.
Reasons of the petition and reactions. As we said, the discontent of the signatories lies in Musk’s attitude Faced with American politics, as well as in its total support for Trump and its economic policies. Musk has promoted, for example, initiatives to reduce federal spending in the United States under the new administration, which has led to Mass cuts in agencies such as the Department of Venaries’ Affairs, the Department of Defense and the National Parks Service.
The conflict between Musk and Trudeau. There is more, of course. Its use of social network X, acquired in 2022, has been key in the controversy. Musk mocked the Canadian Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau, after his announcement of resignation as the leader of the Liberal Party, praising instead of the conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, in what was seen as an interference in Canadian politics. Besides, Trump’s threats Towards Canada have intensified public outrage. In a recent speech, the president referred again to Trudeau as a simple “governor”, minimizing the independence of the country.
The conflict climbed when Trump and his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said the nation should become partly in the United Statesto which Trudeau responded bluntly In X: “There is no possibility in the hell that Canada becomes part of the United States. Workers and communities in both countries benefit from being the largest commercial and mutual security partners.”
The economic factor and commercial tensions. Beyond the political debate, Trump’s position and Musk towards Canada has also generated concern in the economic field. Trump has threatened impose 25% tariffs to Canadian imports, a measure that would have had significant consequences for the country’s economy.
Be that as it may, these tariffs have been delayed until March 4, after Trump declared that the Canada government had taken measures to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking in cooperation with the United States.
Is it possible to revoke citizens? It is the big question. According to the Canadian law, citizenship It can be revoked In cases of fraud, false information in the application for immigration or threat to national security, but there are no precedents of a revocation for political reasons or ideological alignments. It is also allowed Voluntary renunciation of citizenssomething that Musk has not indicated that he would consider.
That said, the petition has overcome the threshold of 500 signatures required to be formally presented to Parliament. After its presentation, it will be the government who decides if it progresses or rejects it. Meanwhile, the House of Commons will resume sessions on March 24, although a possible call for general elections before that date could also affect the progress of the petition.
An unknown scenario. Despite the magnitude of the petition, experts agree that the possibility of revoking the citizenship of Musk It is low. Irene Bloemraad, immigration and citizenship specialist at British Columbia University, explained to Washington Post That “although the petition reaches millions of signatures, the government cannot simply revoke the citizenship of a person.” Also, Gideon Christian, Professor of Law at the University of Calgary, He stressed that Any attempt at revocation should “follow the legal procedures established for all Canadian citizens.”
In the distant scenario on which the revocation was approved and executed, Musk would have to wait 10 years to request the Canadian citizenship again. The businessman would continue to keep his American and South African citizenships, of course, but losing his Canadian passport could affect his investments and commercial relations in the country.
Image | Duncan.hull, Open Grid Sche
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