Did you see what Donald Trump’s ambassador to Canada said the other day about the president’s interest in annexing Canada?
“From my standpoint, from the president’s standpoint, 51st state’s not coming back,” said Pete Hoekstra, in an interview with the National Post. “It’s done.”
It’s done? Really?
Is it churlish of me to ask whether we can really take any of these declarations at face value? It was only three weeks ago that President Trump sat in the Oval Office, glittering in gold, and, with the new Canadian prime minister sitting right beside him, continued to push his objectionable ideas about annexing Canada.
Mark Carney had a difficult tightrope to walk. Given that he was in the lion’s den, he couldn’t very well insult his host. But on the other hand, he had to make it abundantly clear that Canada becoming the 51st state simply wasn’t on. Most commentators from all sides of the political spectrum seem to think he got the balance right — using a real estate analogy, saying he’d just consulted with the owners and they’re not willing to sell. (Many fewer observers liked the pre-visit photo op outside the White House, where Carney posed beside Trump, mirroring the president’s fist-up pose. This was, after all, the PM who got elected promising to stand up to Trump, not mimic his mannerisms.)
As much as many of us would like to believe the U.S. ambassador’s claim that this issue is truly history, the current Oval Office occupant isn’t known for his consistent public utterances. Not only that, but Hoekstra, after promising that this annexation business was yesterday’s news, then went on to tell the National Post, “The president may bring it up every once in a while, but he recognizes it’s not going to happen unless the prime minister engages with the president.”
The president may bring it up every once in a while? That doesn’t sound to my ears as if the issue has been permanently resolved. And sure enough, Trump couldn’t help himself. He posted on Truth Social yesterday: “I told Canada, which very much wants to be part of our fabulous Golden Dome System, that it will cost $61 Billion Dollars if they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State. They are considering the offer!”
Oh, we are, are we? That’s news to me, and I suspect news to everyone in Ottawa. Yes, we’re accustomed to politicians stretching the truth or fudging. But the breadth and depth of this president’s lies continue to break records.
One of the fascinating byproducts of Trump’s threats to our sovereignty has been the new outpouring of patriotism, on display everywhere. The Canadian flag suffered some reputational damage when participants brandished it like a weapon during the convoy protests in Ottawa. But look around. The flag is back and has reassumed its original place of pride on public buildings and homes.
The national anthem has also made a comeback. It’s been decades since O Canada was sung at anything other than sporting or political events. But of late, the anthem is showing up in places it hasn’t been heard in years. Last week, I was at a Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert at Roy Thomson Hall. When the audience heard the familiar opening bars, they leapt to their feet and sang with gusto.
That did not used to happen.
O Canada at the Stratford Festival (Steve Paikin)
Similarly, on Monday’s opening night of the 2025 Stratford Festival, O Canada led off the performance of Shakespeare's As You Like It. The place went nuts. Theatregoers were thrilled to sing along and lustily cheered at the anthem’s conclusion as if it were a Maple Leafs or Senators game.
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien has joked that perhaps someone should nominate Trump for the Order of Canada for transforming us from a nation of people modestly and quietly proud to be Canadian, to people who are thrilled to thump their chests in displaying love of country. (Of course, Trump actually couldn’t be awarded the Order of Canada because convicted felons aren’t eligible.)
Finally, the royalty. King Charles III’s ascension to the throne seemed to be a bit of a ho-hum moment for millions of Canadians, who admired his mother but weren’t completely sold on the son. But the King’s just completed visit (and historic reading of the speech from the throne) seemed to be very well received, in large part because Charles personifies the constitutional monarchy that differentiates us from the United States’ increasingly authoritarian republic. People seem to like things that make us different from America; polls show Canadians are accepting both the monarchy in general and King Charles in particular in much higher numbers.
It was a good week for Canada and not so much for an America that, to our eyes, seems to be descending further into… well, who knows what?
Meanwhile, Ambassador Hoekstra, tell your boss: we’re not interested now, tomorrow, or ever in becoming your 51st state. That border isn’t some imaginary line that someone drew on a map. It’s a clear demarcation that we’re not the same, as your president’s daily bloviations prove over and over.