Elon Musk’s Saskatchewan ties do little to ward of Canadian ire

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Despite Elon Musk’s ties to the Prairie province, more than 6,000 people from Saskatchewan have signed a parliamentary petition seeking to strip him of his Canadian citizenship.

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Musk, a renowned billionaire, known for his role in PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity and Neuralink, has aligned himself with U.S. President Donald Trump, echoing his sentiment that Canada should join the U.S. as its 51st state.

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The petition, which began circulating nationwide last week, suggests that Musk”has engaged in activities that go against the national interest of Canada.”

The billionaire is no stranger to questions or controversy as he appears to play an outsized role in Trump’s administration. But one thing is for certain, Musk he does have ties to Canada through the land of living skies.

What are his Saskatchewan roots?

Musk’s mother, Maye (née Haldeman), was born in Regina to Winnifred Josephine (née Fletcher), of Moose Jaw, and Joshua Norman Haldeman.

Her father, Musk’s maternal grandfather, was part of the Technocracy movement and unsuccessfully ran as a member of the Social Credit Party in provincial and federal elections.

In 1989, a 17-year-old Musk spent approximately six weeks living at a farm that belonged to his cousin near Waldeck, a village east of Swift Current.

Why is he so controversial?

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Musk currently leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which has been responsible for cutting federal programming, agencies and firing employees.

Musk’s role in Trump’s administration has drawn ire from many Canadians, as evidenced by the number of signatures on the petition.

On the social media website X — formerly known as Twitter, which was acquired by Musk in 2022 and renamed — Musk replied to a post pertaining to the petition saying: “Canada is not a real country.”

The post has since been deleted. Trump has publicly called for Canada to become America’s 51st state, using increasingly bellicose rhetoric, going so far as to call the prime minister a “governor.”

What is this petition all about?

The petition, introduced Feb. 20 and open until June 20,  was initiated by Qualia Reed from Nanaimo, B.C. and is sponsored by federal NDP MP Charlie Angus. As of midday on Wednesday, it had notched more than 300,000 signatures.

That’s approaching a record, with 387,487 signatures sitting as the high-water mark for parliamentary petitions.

As for the rationale for revoking Musk’s citizenship, the petition states: “He has used his wealth and power to influence our elections; He has now become a member of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty; and The attempts of Elon Musk to attack Canadian sovereignty must be addressed.”

To actually revoke someone’s citizenship, the Government of Canada lays out three scenarios. Citizenship can be revoked if a person committed fraud, misrepresented themselves  and/or “knowingly hid information on an immigration or citizenship application.”

alsalloum@postmedia.com

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