Nearly a third of Canadians are worried that the U.S. might try to take control of Canada, according to poll results released this week by marketing research firm Leger. These concerns come after military action abroad and comments about the U.S. potentially taking over Greenland.
Leger’s online survey had 1,540 participants age 18 and older who reside in Canada and 1,011 from the U.S. They took the survey from Jan. 9 through Jan. 11.
Among the Canadian participants, 31% said they “believe it is likely that the United States could attempt ‘direct action’ to take control of Canada in the future.”
This isn’t the first time that the possibility of the U.S. and Canada merging has come up. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Trump is “serious about making Canada the 51st state of the U.S. because of the country’s critical minerals,” Audacy reported early last year.
Just after the New Year, the U.S. captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and took temporary control over the country in what many saw as a surprise move. Officials from Donald Trump’s administration cited Maduro’s alleged ties to drug trafficking and disregard for elections as well as charges brought against him in New York for the apprehension.
Per Leger’s poll, “only 23% of Canadians believe the intervention was justified because it removed a corrupt regime and could lead to better governance, a position more common in the United States.” A 53% majority said the “intervention was ultimately a bad thing because it violated Venezuela’s sovereignty and sets a dangerous precedent.”
Most Canadians (56%) of Canadians say the intervention has worsened their impression of the U.S. and even more (63%) said they believe the primary reason for the U.S. action in Venezuela is oil reserves. Many respondents are also concerned about U.S. intervention in Greenland, Cuba, Colombia, Panama, and Iran.
Trump has also set his sights on taking over Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and the world’s largest island. He has said the move would be security-based, citing Russian and Chinese ships allegedly seen in the waters near Greenland.
Though leaders from both Denmark and Greenland have rebuffed Trump’s proposal, he seems to be focused on the plan. In a Saturday Truth Social post, the president said Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., The Netherlands, and Finland (all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) would face 10% tariffs starting Feb. 1 on all goods sent to the U.S. until a deal is reached regarding the purchase of Greenland.
“Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back – World Peace is at stake! China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it. They currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently. Only the United States of America, under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, can play in this game, and very successfully, at that!” he said in the post. “Nobody will touch this sacred piece of Land, especially since the National Security of the United States, and the World at large, is at stake.”
He also said that the countries named in the tariff proposal “have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown,” and called the current status of Greenland “a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet.”
More than half (55%) of Canadians who believe future U.S. interventions are likely cited Greenland as a reason, Leger said.
While the U.S. and Canada have generally been allies in modern times, Trump’s tariff-driven approach to handling the economy has also brought tension between the two nations during his second term. This Friday, NBC News reported that Canada formed a “new strategic partnership” with China amid the tariff tension.