A massive petition demanding that Canada revoke Elon Musk’s citizenship has rapidly gained traction, collecting over 250,000 signatures in just a few weeks. The movement, which is directed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, claims that Musk’s political influence and close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump pose a direct threat to Canada’s sovereignty and national interests, CNN reports.
At the heart of the controversy is Musk’s growing political alignment with Trump, whose administration has announced a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports and has repeatedly suggested annexing Canada as the 51st state. Petitioners argue that Musk, one of Trump’s most vocal allies, has used his wealth and platform to advance policies that are damaging to Canada, making his continued status as a Canadian citizen unacceptable.
With the petition gaining national and even international attention, questions have emerged about whether the Canadian government has the legal power to strip Musk of his citizenship, or if this is merely a symbolic political statement.
Musk’s Response: “Canada is not a real country”
Musk wasted no time in responding to the controversy, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to dismiss the petition with a blunt remark:
“Canada is not a real country.”
His comment immediately went viral, sparking intense reactions from both supporters and critics. Many Canadians saw it as an insult to the nation, further reinforcing the argument that Musk has no real loyalty to Canada and should not hold citizenship.
Supporters of Musk, however, argue that the petition is nothing more than political theater, a reactionary stunt fueled by frustration over Trump’s return to the White House. They claim that Musk, as a private citizen, has the right to support any political figure he chooses, and that the movement to revoke his citizenship is an attack on free speech.
Regardless of whether the petition has any legal standing, Musk’s dismissive reaction has only fueled the controversy, ensuring that the debate over his Canadian citizenship will continue to escalate.
Musk’s Connection to Canada and How He Obtained Citizenship
Born in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1971, Musk obtained Canadian citizenship in his late teens through his mother, Maye Musk, who was born in Saskatchewan, Canada. His Canadian passport allowed him to move to North America, where he later pursued studies at Queen’s University in Ontario before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.
Musk’s Canadian citizenship played a crucial role in his early success, as it provided him with a pathway to the United States, where he eventually secured a student visa, permanent residency, and later U.S. citizenship. While Musk has since built his empire in Silicon Valley and Texas, his ties to Canada remain a technicality rather than an active engagement.
Critics of Musk argue that his Canadian identity is largely symbolic, making it easy to justify revoking it. Supporters, however, point out that Musk legally obtained his Canadian passport through birthright, and argue that his political views should not dictate his citizenship status.
Can Canada Actually Revoke Musk’s Citizenship?
Despite the growing support for the petition, legal experts overwhelmingly agree that Canada has no grounds to revoke Musk’s citizenship. According to Audrey Macklin, a law professor at the University of Toronto, Canada does not revoke citizenship that is lawfully obtained, except in cases of fraud or misrepresentation.
Historically, Canada has only stripped citizenship in extreme cases, such as when individuals were found guilty of war crimes or acts of terrorism. The Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act, passed in 2014, previously allowed the government to revoke citizenship for national security offenses, but this provision was repealed in 2017 under Trudeau’s administration.
This means that even if the petition reaches Parliament, there is no legal mechanism to revoke Musk’s Canadian citizenship, unless new evidence emerges that he obtained it through fraudulent means. In other words, while the petition is gaining public support, it is unlikely to result in any concrete action.
