While most Canadians recoil at the thought of becoming the U.S.' 51st state, an increasingly vocal minority are convinced it is essential for the future of their country.
Secessionists in Alberta say they are sick of their oil-rich province subsidising the rest of the nation.
A dissatisfaction with the status quo, along with avid support for Donald Trump, has led to around 10 percent of Canadians expressing separatist views, the Telegraph reports.
The idea of Canada joining the U.S. was first floated by the president last year and was largely taken in jest at the time after he jokingly referred to former leader Justin Trudeau as the 'Governor' of Canada.
However he has since triggered a trade war by slapping tariffs on some goods coming across the northern border. Amid the growing tariff war, the bubbling secession movement is gaining speed.
At a recent makeshift ceremony, Alberta local Dan Casselman swore an oath renouncing his allegiance to Canada in favor of the U.S., citing his fears his home nation is 'doomed'.
At the heart of many of so-called 51st Staters gripes is anger over the way they feel Alberta's oil industry has been both demonised and exploited by liberals.
The province provides 56 percent of all U.S. oil imports and is the richest in Canada with a GDP per capita.
But measures brought in under former Primer Minister Justin Trudeau's father Pierre Trudeau mean that the $2 billion of profits are redistributed to French speaking Quebec and left-leaning Ontario.
The younger Trudeau also pursued green energy targets at the expense of the oil industry which many Albertans feel is a mistake.
'All we're doing is saying we want this, yeah, we accept President Trump's offer,' Alberta native Peter Downing told the Telegraph.
'We want lower taxes. And we want to never pay another dime to Ottawa through "equalization."
Canadians tend to pay more than Americans in tax due to the country's extensive social services.
Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party which is currently tied with current prime minister Mark Carney's Liberal Party, estimates that Canada has lost out on $121 billion due to 15 oil and gas pipelines which were cancelled between 2015 and 2020.
Downing pointed out that by contrast, Trump's 'Drill Baby Drill' approach to oil would boost jobs in Canada.
Downing, a self-described 'Christian nationalist,' expressed hopes that joining the U.S. would mean Canada adopts stricter immigration laws in line with Trump's views on the issue.
Oil worker Chris Hunter, 40, said that he is considering relocating to the U.S. to avoid the judgement of liberals who look down on the product of his labor, while still using it.
While he doesn't support secession, he is attracted by Trump's policies.
'He's a businessman and so am I,' Hunter explained, adding that if Trump took over he would reconsider moving.
Other 51st Staters expressed frustration with the structure of the Canadian parliament, which lacks the same checks and balances as the U.S. Senate.
Former police officer James Goransrud said Canada's politician-appointed upper house meant that Trudeau had been allowed to become 'a dictator' and impose much-loathed carbon taxes:
It's taxation without representation, and historically that's a problem, right?
He also fumed about the country's crumbling health service, which although free to use, has extremely long wait times.
And it is not just Canadians in Alberta. Ryan Hemsley, from Vancouver, previously described his homeland as where 'ambition goes to die'.
'You wake up and survive,' he told the Free Press. 'There's no opportunity for growth. You occasionally go out for dinner with friends, have a good night, but then you go home, sleep, and do it all over again.
'As much as I love Canada, Canada becoming the 51st state of the United States would rejuvenate me.'
However, Prime Minister Carney has so far conclusively shut down the idea of secession.
America is not Canada. And Canada never, ever will be part of America in any way, shape or form.
Based on: Daily Mail
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