How long will Canada make a show of standing firm against US tariffs before they inevitably capitulate and willingly become the 51st state?
Why haven’t the Republicans thought this through? Canada has roughly 40 million people – about the same population as California. If Canada became the 51st state (there’s a good argument that, given its size it should be the 51st and 52nd state and perhaps even more) they would immediately elect two Senators to represent them in Congress.
Canada has a history of voting for laws and social programs that are very progressive – far more in line with Democrats than Republicans. Canada has abortion rights, gun control, universal health care, a significantly higher minimum wage than the U.S., and more (things Democrats favor and Republicans routinely vote against). Canada would almost certainly immediately send two Democratic Senators to Washington (more if they were admitted as more than one state).
The situation in the House of Representatives is a little different. Membership in the House is capped at 435 apportioned by population among the existing 50 states. The addition of another state as large as California would require a massive reapportionment of the seats in the House. The end result would be that red or Republican states would lose representatives in the House and Canada would gain them. Again, Canada would overwhelmingly send Democrats to the House of Representatives.
This massive shift in power would change the makeup of Congress with Democrats cementing a control on power for years to come. You can’t admit a state to the Union and not give them the Senators and members of the House that they are entitled to under the basic principles of the Constitution.
