More than 230,000 Canadians have signed a petition demanding that Elon Musk be stripped of his citizenship and passport, accusing the tech billionaire and Trump ally of joining "a foreign government that is trying to destroy Canada's sovereignty" and engaging in "activities that are contrary to Canada's national interests." The Washington Post writes about this, UNN reports.
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Musk, who was born in South Africa and holds Canadian and U.S. citizenship, plays a special role in the second Trump administration. He heads the US DOGE Service, an organization that has laid off thousands of government employees in recent weeks as part of cost-cutting measures, and continues to support Trump, who has called for Canada to become the 51st state and advocated high tariffs on the US's northern neighbor.
Responding to the petition, Musk wrote on social media: "Canada is not a real country.
While Musk is trying to gain global political influence, he has repeatedly criticized Trudeau's policies and ridiculed the Canadian leader, while supporting videos with Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
The petition, authored by Charlie Angus, an MP and critic of Musk, also accuses him of using his "wealth and power to influence our election" and says Musk's attempts to "attack Canada's sovereignty must be addressed." The petition needed to collect 500 signatures to be certified for presentation in the House of Commons, the lower house of parliament.
Experts believe that although the petition is unlikely to succeed due to strict laws on revoking Canadian citizenship, it reflects the mood in the country, where people are boycotting American goods, canceling trips across the border, and politicizing sporting events in response to Trump's threats.
Last week, after Canada defeated the United States in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament, Trudeau wrote on social media: "You can't take our country - and you can't take our game.
Yasmin Abu-Laban, a professor of political science at the University of Alberta, noted that the Trump administration's position is particularly shocking for Canadians, as Canada and the United States have many common ties.
"It's like if your best friend suddenly turned against you and tried to take your house and bank account," she said.
However, Abu-Laban also emphasized that "revocation of citizenship should be considered a serious issue," noting that recently in Canada this issue has been discussed mainly in relation to immigrants who have committed fraud or crimes.
Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen, holds Canadian citizenship through his mother, May Musk, who is from Saskatchewan.
He lived in Canada for three years from 1989 and studied at Queens University in Ontario before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania.
Gideon Christian, a professor of artificial intelligence and law at the University of Alberta, noted that the revocation of Musk's citizenship should follow the legal procedures established for all Canadians. Irena Blomraad, a citizenship and immigration expert at the University of British Columbia, emphasized that the government's ability to revoke citizenship is limited and mostly concerns cases of fraud.
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended Ukraine and assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of his support.
