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More than 230,000 Canadians demand that leaders revoke Elon Musk’s citizenship immediately for “attempting to erase” the nation’s sovereignty.
The South African-born billionaire, who holds both Canadian and U.S. citizenship, retaliated by taunting that “Canada is not a real country” in a post on X.
A petition sponsored by Charlie Angus, a member of Canada’s parliament and vehement Musk critic, to revoke the SpaceX CEO’s citizenship had 236,050 signatures as of Tuesday morning.
“Elon Musk has engaged in activities that go against the national interest of Canada,” the petition says. “He has used his wealth and power to influence our elections. He has now become a member of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty.
“The attempts of Elon Musk to attack Canadian sovereignty must be addressed.”
It calls on outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to revoke Musk’s citizenship and Canadian passport “effective immediately.”
Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, is from the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan and the billionaire lived in the country for three years from 1989.
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The petition, which is open for signatures until June 20, is unlikely to succeed, commentators say.
Canadian citizenship can only be revoked under certain circumstances, such as if fraud is committed or an individual has misrepresented themselves on an immigration or citizenship application, Canada’s CTV reports.
Tensions over the border have come to a head after President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for the nation to become America’s 51st state, while his trade tariffs on Canada are likely to come into effect imminently.
The rivalry between the U.S. and Canada has also seeped into sports. Anti–Trump sentiment prompted three fights in the first nine seconds of a 4 Nations Face-Off hockey game between the U.S. and Canada on February 15, while Canadian fans booed the U.S. national anthem when the American players were introduced.
After Canada won the competition last week after a second game against the U.S., Trudeau wrote: “You can’t take our country — and you can’t take our game.”
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Following Trump’s lead, Musk has taunted Trudeau by referring to him as “the governor of Canada.” Trump’s “first buddy” also called Trudeau an “insufferable tool” in a post on X following his resignation.
In addition to the backlash across the border, Musk is facing resistance at home from those within the Trump administration after issuing ultimatums to federal workers that they must disclose five things they accomplished last week or be fired.
A new ultimatum Monday night intensified the developing showdown between Musk and other officials in the Trump administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel, who told agents to ignore the tech billionaire.
Other major agencies including the CIA, the State Department, the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security, as well as HHS, told their workers they could ignore Musk’s initial warning.
Yet Musk insisted on Monday night that “failure to respond a second time will result in termination” of federal employees.
