Trump’s Venezuela and Greenland threats make Canada fear it’s next
The shock capture of Maduro and talk of seizing the Arctic island are forcing Canadians to take Trump’s 51st state threats seriously
For months, many Canadians hoped Donald Trump had lost interest in making their country the 51st US state – his plate full with turning Washington and the global trading system upside down.
Those hopes are fading.
The shock capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Trump’s ramped-up talk of seizing Greenland have rattled Canada, forcing citizens to take seriously the US president’s past threats to Canadian sovereignty.
The administration’s declaration that “THIS IS OUR HEMISPHERE” makes Trump’s earlier comments about annexing Canada seem ever less like mere insults aimed at former prime minister Justin Trudeau or negotiating tactics in his trade war with current PM Mark Carney.
A blunt column in Canada’s largest national newspaper went viral this week warning of the possibility that Trump may use “military coercion” against the country.
The authors’ advice: learn from Finland’s defences against Russia. Expand the civil defence force. Build a national drone strategy, inspired by Ukraine’s example. And think about the unthinkable.
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Trump meets new Canadian PM, who tells him Canada is not for sale