Nearly two-thirds of Canadians are seriously concerned about President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. should annex Canada – but only 39% of the nation’s young adults say they’re willing to fight to prevent the U.S. from doing it.
According to a survey conducted March 1-2, 2025 by the Association for Canadian Studies, 63% of Canadians surveyed think “Trump’s expressed interest to make Canada the 51st American State must be taken very seriously.” Just 25% say it shouldn’t be taken seriously, while 12% don’t know.
More than half (52%) of Canadians think either that “The United States might send troops into Canada if it refuses to become the 51st state” (20%) or don’t know if the U.S. is willing to invade.
However, it appears it would largely be up to Canada’s senior citizens to defend their country if the U.S. did launch a military invasion.
Just 39% of Canadians 18-34 years old say that, yes, “I would be willing to defend my country from a military threat.” And, since Canada hasn’t had a military draft since 1945, they couldn’t be forced to fight. At least, not until Canada passes legislation reinstating conscription.
Conversely, fully 62% of Canadians 55 and older say they’d be willing to defend their country from a military threat. In all, about half (52%) of the Canadians surveyed say they’d be willing to defend their country.
Since his re-election last November, Pres. Trump has been making allusions to Canada being added to the ranks of the United States, though some Canadian officials have said he’s just joking and trying to tweak their country’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
However, outgoing Prime Minister Trudeau says Trump genuinely does have his eye on making Canada a part of the U.S., especially considering the trade-tariff war between the two countries. "Tariffs are a tactic towards that end," Alberta Federation of Labor President Gil McGowan agrees with Trudeau.
Meanwhile, U.S. Congressional Democrats are pouncing on the opportunity to publicly exploit concerns about Trump’s comments, regardless of whether they’re serious or in jest, as Fox News reports:
“House Democrats have launched an effort to bar President Donald Trump from unilaterally moving to ‘invade or seize territory’ from Greenland, Canada and Panama.
“The measure, known as the No Invading Allies Act and spearheaded by Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., bars funding from going toward the armed forces to engage in operations seeking to take over Greenland, Canada and Panama.”
In reality, though, a president cannot declare war without an act of Congress, according to the U.S. Constitution.