# Would US troops fire on Canadian civilians? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 8, 2025, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046 "2025-02-08T11:58:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/222 "2025-02-13T22:45:49Z")
And today Trump said he wanted to give Canada “military protection” by annexing it. It’s coming. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/223 "2025-02-13T22:48:13Z")
The money quote, > Trump went on to say that Canadians are “in danger” and “need our protection,” > ['Belligerent nonsense': Trump reignites outrage as he renews 'tiresome' Canada demand](https://www.rawstory.com/trump-canada-state/) Spoken like the mobster he is. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/224 "2025-02-13T23:03:10Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It’s coming. It’s not coming. He said in the same interview that he wants to cut DoD’s budget in half, then bragged about saving “Tic Tac”. He’s just blathering incoherently into the camera while President Musk actually runs the country. > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3li3izuli5j2a)** > > Trump: "One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia, and I want to say, 'let's cut our military budget in half.' And we can do that." > **[Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3li3im2n2qe2v)** > > Trump repeatedly refers to TikTok as "Tic Tac" and then lies about winning the youth vote by more than 30 points ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/225 "2025-02-13T23:09:26Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It’s not coming. He said in the same interview that he wants to cut DoD’s budget in half, then bragged about saving “Tic Tac”. He’s just blathering incoherently into the camera while President Musk actually runs the country. Of course Musk is running the country. He and the Project 2025 team tell Trump what to say. The Overton window is moving and many will be as late to realizing it was they were to realizing Harris lost the election. Canada needs to prepare for war. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/226 "2025-02-14T00:11:57Z")
They should be building drone factories and importing Ukrainian operators, as many as are willing to come! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/227 "2025-02-14T00:24:45Z")
Here’s an interesting and encouraging point of view: > **[Could America actually take over Canada? It might fall apart first, essayist...](https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/could-america-actually-take-over-canada-it-might-fall-apart-first-essayist-says/)** > > It's unclear whether U.S. President Donald Trump is serious about annexing Canada, but essayist and cultural commentator Stephen Marche raises a different question: With the way things are going, does America really have it in them? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/228 "2025-02-14T01:56:00Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > They should be building drone factories and importing Ukrainian operators, as many as are willing to come! Ukraine needs their best people, but we sure do need drones and portable explosives. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/229 "2025-02-14T02:39:28Z")
I don’t know, they’re about to have a distasteful ‘peace’ foisted upon them. I’m thinking they’ll have some residual anger towards the US to work off. Could work in our favour! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/230 "2025-02-14T02:51:32Z")
ABC running a piece “What would it take for the USA to annex Canada” that emphasized Congressional votes and whatnot. Consent being manufactured. This is where it starts; now moderate media is normalizing it. It’ll be months, but there’s a plan afoot. > **[Could Canada really become the 51st US state? Here's what it would take](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/canada-become-51st-us-state-118773977)** > > President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Canada should be the 51st U.S. state, erasing the 5,525-mile border the nations share and alleviating the need for tariffs he’s threatened against one of America’s top allies ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/231 "2025-02-14T05:23:51Z")
Importing? They’re going to be exporting themselves shortly, [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YsqSvAxzZ3c/maxresdefault.jpg "Defense Secretary on Realism in Ukraine") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsqSvAxzZ3c) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/232 "2025-02-14T07:14:39Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I don’t know, they’re about to have a distasteful ‘peace’ foisted upon them. I’m thinking they’ll have some residual anger towards the US to work off. Could work in our favour! They’ll be too busy being genocided. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/233 "2025-02-14T15:02:06Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > It’s not coming. It’s also worth noting that what Trump is saying is pretty much Putin’s rhetoric about Ukraine. All the same beats, folks. And like Russia, the media is slowly warming people up to annexation. Sometime later this year, the excuses for invasion will start to be floated. They’ll say the USA needs Canada for some vague purpose of national security. That’ll be the first excuse. Then “provocations” will be invented. Go ahead, folks, hide your heads in the sand while this totally predictable series of events play out. People also said Hitler was just full of hot air. Hell, people said Putin wasn’t going to invade Ukraine. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/234 "2025-02-14T15:21:17Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It’s also worth noting that what Trump is saying is pretty much Putin’s rhetoric about Ukraine. All the same beats, folks. And like Russia, the media is slowly warming people up to annexation. Sometime later this year, the excuses for invasion will start to be floated. They’ll say the USA needs Canada for some vague purpose of national security. That’ll be the first excuse. Then “provocations” will be invented. Yeah, it’s pretty clear that an American/Russian Axis has emerged with North Korea in the role of Italy. American troops will happily gun down Canadian civilians, although we prefer blowing children up via drones and bombs. Fox News will call the stormtroopers heroes and CNN will have a slick graphic. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/235 "2025-02-14T16:13:26Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Go ahead, folks, hide your heads in the sand while this totally predictable series of events play out. People also said Hitler was just full of hot air. I read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich a couple of years ago, and what amazed me was how Hitler played the same game every time he wanted to annex some bit of land. “Oh, there’s a problem, we’re being treated poorly, won’t _someone_ do _something_ about the ‘Polish Problem’?” Everything was a “Problem”, Germany was always getting the short end of the stick, and someone had better let Hitler “fix the problem”, or it was war!!! When he starts talking about the “Canada Problem”, we’re fucked. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/236 "2025-02-14T16:55:43Z")
So what steps can Canada take now, given it cannot control what happens in America? ---
**Author:** ![Ian29](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e56c9b/32.png) [@Ian29](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian29)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/237 "2025-02-14T18:00:14Z")
There is also the question of whether Britain would get involved. Canada is a member of the Commonwealth, and the head of state is King Charles III. I would like to think that if the US did try to invade Canada we would come to their defence - is Trump up for a war with the UK, Australia, and the rest of us? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/238 "2025-02-14T18:11:37Z")
> [@Ian29](#): > > Canada is a member of the Commonwealth, and the head of state is King Charles III. People keep bringing this up - the Commonwealth is not a treaty or defence organization. It’s a club, and aside from the fact that KC is the titular head of the Commonwealth has no effect on anything. Whether the UK, AU, NZ, EU or anyone else stands by us if push comes to shove remains to be seen. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/239 "2025-02-14T18:11:49Z")
> [@Ian29](#): > > I would like to think that if the US did try to invade Canada we would come to their defence - is Trump up for a war with the UK, Australia, and the rest of us? I’m sure you’d want to come to our defense, but I don’t think you’d be able to. When would you act? Would you support a major deployment of naval, air and ground forces to Canada tomorrow, knowing they won’t be coming back any time soon, even if they don’t all die in the war? If not tomorrow, then when? By the time the US is obviously mobilizing to invade us, it will be too late. It takes time to mobilize, and you’d be doing it from farther away, with the whole damn ocean (and US Navy) between you and Canada. No, if this happens, on a purely Military basis, Canada is doomed. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/240 "2025-02-14T18:19:00Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > So what steps can Canada take now, given it cannot control what happens in America? Not just Canada, but the western democracies need to form coalitions with anyone who hates America including China and Jihadists. Also, I thought Trudeau hit on part of the answer by targeting red state America with tariffs: opponents of American aggression need to put pressure on the fissures in US society and hope for breaks. If actual war starts make red state America bleed including supporting terrorist action. I know Canada had included an American civil war in its strategic planning and it wouldn’t surprise me if some of Trudeau’s action are from that document. The most important thing is to contain America quickly and drive a wedge between red and blue America. Consider inviting blue states to join Canada. > **[Significant Concerns: US Civil War Included In Canada's Strategic...](https://talglobal.com/knowledge-center/canada-strategy-us-civil-war/)** > > outbreak of a civil war in the United States. While this may seem far-fetched, rising tensions and heated rhetoric could escalate into violent conflicts. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046/241 "2025-02-14T18:35:13Z")
> [@Ian29](#): > > There is also the question of whether Britain would get involved. Canada is a member of the Commonwealth, and the head of state is King Charles III. I would like to think that if the US did try to invade Canada we would come to their defence - is Trump up for a war with the UK, Australia, and the rest of us? There is nothing they could do. What assets do you think they could get here in time? Past the greatest navy in the world? No one is coming to help with the invasion. This isn’t Risk. You can’t just move your pieces over water because there’s a little line there. Our real allies would have to station forces here starting long BEFORE the invasion, and if they even started to do that - hell, even started mustering the forces together to ship them over - the Americans would attack. They’ll have to help us by supporting the resistance. That’s our hope. Bombs. Shooting soldiers as they leave their homes or order coffee in Starbucks. Attacks on soft targets throughout the USA. > [@madmonk28](#): > > Consider inviting blue states to join Canada. States cannot secede from the USA (see: Grant v Lee (1865)) and trying to help them secede would be an act of war. Canada needs a crash program of training irregular fighters. Now. Starting today. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-us-troops-fire-on-canadian-civilians/1014046.md?page=13)