President-elect Donald Trump mockingly referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the governor of the B次元官网网址淕reat State of CanadaB次元官网网址� on his social media account early Tuesday.

Trump said in a taunting post on Truth Social it was a B次元官网网址減leasure to have dinnerB次元官网网址� with Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago estate and that he looks forward to seeing the B次元官网网址済overnor again soonB次元官网网址� to talk tariffs and trade, the B次元官网网址渞esults of which will be truly spectacular for all.B次元官网网址�

Turns out, some Canadians think thatB次元官网网址檚 not such a bad idea.

A new Leger poll suggests 13 per cent of Canadians would like the country to become the next U.S. state.

The demographic breakdowns show thereB次元官网网址檚 higher support among men, at 19 per cent, compared with only seven per cent of women.

Conservative party supporters came in at 21 per cent, while one in 10 Liberal voters said they were in favour of the idea. The PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Party of Canada showed the highest level of endorsement among the federal parties, at 25 per cent, while the NDP was the lowest at six per cent.

A full 82 per cent of respondents said they were opposed to the idea. People in the Atlantic provinces, women and Canadians over the age of 55 were least likely to support it.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not shocked,B次元官网网址� said Andrew Enns, executive vice-president of central Canada at Leger. While itB次元官网网址檚 not a question heB次元官网网址檚 polled on before, since itB次元官网网址檚 not normal for U.S. presidents to openly muse about snatching up bordering countries as new states, the survey results follow some familiar patterns.

B次元官网网址淲omen have, for quite some time, whenever Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 name has come up, expressed a much stronger opposition to the individual,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut again, we are talking about fairly small (support). In the Prairies, for example, itB次元官网网址檚 still less than 20 per cent that would say, yes, theyB次元官网网址檇 be open to joining the United States.B次元官网网址�

Leger surveyed 1,520 people between Dec. 6 and Dec. 9, and the results do not have a margin of error since online polls arenB次元官网网址檛 considered truly random samples.

The survey was also done before Trump made his post on Tuesday. Enns said he suspects Trump doubling down on the comments will further shrink the already limited public support by pushing the joke past the point of comfort.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller expressed dismay when reporters asked him about it ahead of a federal cabinet meeting Tuesday.

B次元官网网址淚t sounds like weB次元官网网址檙e living in an episode of South Park,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy.B次元官网网址�

The provocative 1999 South Park animated film notably featured a song called B次元官网网址淏lame Canada!B次元官网网址� about Americans scapegoating their northern neighbours for their own domestic problems.

Miller and other cabinet members have written off TrumpB次元官网网址檚 comments as anything but serious.

B次元官网网址淐learly, heB次元官网网址檚 joking,B次元官网网址� Defence Minister Bill Blair said Tuesday. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e a sovereign nation.B次元官网网址�

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc attended TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 surprise dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month, which came soon after the president-elect threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports unless Canada beefs up its border.

LeBlanc has insisted Trump was only teasing when at the dinner he suggested he could make Canada the 51st U.S. State.

B次元官网网址淭he president was telling jokes,B次元官网网址� LeBlanc said a week ago. B次元官网网址淭he president was teasing us. It was, of course, on that issue in no way a serious comment.B次元官网网址�

Trump later shared a seemingly AI-generated image of himself standing on a mountain ridge with a Canadian flag planted in it, with the caption B次元官网网址淥h Canada!B次元官网网址�

Trudeau has not matched that tone, warning in a talk on Monday that the steep tariffs Trump is bandying about would be devastating for the Canadian economy. He described TrumpB次元官网网址檚 approach as an attempt to destabilize negotiating partners by introducing a bit of chaos.

Trudeau blew past the TV cameras on his way into TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 cabinet meeting without stopping to talk to reporters.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, meanwhile, deflected questions about whether she thinks Trump is serious about taking over her country.

B次元官网网址淭hat is a question, really, for the president-elect,B次元官网网址� she said.