Canada is being forced to reconsider long-dismissed fears over its sovereignty as President Donald Trump escalates aggressive foreign policy moves, including the shock capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and renewed talk of seizing Greenland, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The developments have unsettled Canadians who once hoped Trump’s past remarks about making Canada the 51st U.S. state were mere insults or trade-war bluster, especially after the administration declared, “THIS IS OUR HEMISPHERE.” Analysts and commentators now warn that Trump’s posture toward democratic, NATO-aligned territories like Greenland makes similar pressure on Canada seem less implausible, with one viral newspaper column urging Ottawa to prepare for the possibility of “military coercion.”
Security experts say the greater threat may lie in economic pressure, political interference, or coercive leverage rather than outright invasion. “I still do believe that’s in the realm of science fiction,” said Stephanie Carvin, associate professor at Carleton University, adding that the U.S. could nonetheless “cripple the Canadian economy in ways that suit the president’s whims.”
While Prime Minister Mark Carney has increased defense spending and sought to diversify trade away from the U.S., Canada remains heavily exposed as nearly 70% of its exports go south of the border, giving Washington significant leverage ahead of a review of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. “Are we already a vassal state, and we just won’t admit it to ourselves?” Philippe Lagassé warned, cautioning that continued concessions could steadily erode Canadian sovereignty.