Muhamad Yehia
The parliamentary petition argues that tech billionaire Elon Musk’s alliance with US President Donald Trump is a threat to Canada’s sovereignty.
At least 170,000 people have signed a parliamentary petition calling for Elon Musk’s Canadian citizenship to be revoked due to his role in the Trump administration and his attempts to “attack Canada’s sovereignty”.
The petition was filed by British Columbia author Qualia Reed last Thursday, and has been sponsored by New Democrat Party MP Charlie Angus, who is a vocal critic of Musk.
Musk was born in South Africa but has Canadian citizenship through his Regina-born mother, Maye Musk. The tech mogul has become perhaps US President Donald Trump’s most influential adviser, tasked with cutting government spending and downsizing the federal workforce as chief of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Reed’s petition says Musk has “engaged in activities that go against the national interest of Canada” by acting as an adviser to Trump. It claims that the Tesla CEO has become “a member of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty
Trump has repeatedly threatened to introduce crippling tariffs on imported goods from Canada, and talked about the country becoming the 51st US state.
The US president earlier this month agreed to a 30-day pause on his plan to slap Canada and Mexico with a 25% tariff on all imports except for Canadian oil, natural gas and electricity — which would be taxed at 10% — after the two countries took steps to appease his concerns about border security and drug trafficking.
The petition urges Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to immediately take away Musk’s Canadian passport and revoke his dual citizenship status.
Such petitions must garner at least 500 signatures to gain certification for presentation to the House of Commons, creating the possibility of a formal government response.
Canada’s parliament is currently suspended following Trudeau’s announcement last month that he would step down in the coming months after nine years in power. The House of Commons is set to resume sitting on 24 March, although a general election could be called before MPs return.
The signing period for Reed’s petition is due to expire on 20 June, although such parliamentary petitions do not put the government under any obligation to respond, Canadian media reported.
In recent months, Musk has used his social media platform X to criticise Trudeau — calling him an “insufferable tool” — and endorse Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.