Annexation Movements of Canada

Annexation Movements Of Canada

From the independence of the United States of America until today, various annexationist movements in Canada have campaigned in favour of U.S. annexation of parts or all of Canada. Historical studies have focused on numerous small-scale movements which are helpful in comparisons of Canadian and American politics.

In the early years of the United States, many American political figures were in favour of invading and annexing Canada, and even pre-approved Canada's admission to the U.S. in the Articles of Confederation in 1777. The defeat of American attempts to achieve this goal, both in the American Revolution and the War of 1812, gradually led to the abandonment in the U.S. of any serious push toward annexation. As historian Joseph Levitt notes, "Since the Treaty of Washington in 1871, when it first de facto recognized the new Dominion of Canada, the United States has never suggested or promoted an annexationist movement in Canada. No serious force has appeared on the American political scene that aimed to persuade or coerce Canadians into joining the United States. And, in fact, no serious initiative for any move in this direction has come from the Canadian side either."

Surveys have suggested that a minority of Canadians would potentially support annexation, ranging from as many as 20 per cent in a survey by Léger Marketing in 2001 to as few as seven per cent in another survey by the same company in 2004.

Currently there is no elected member of any federal or provincial assembly in Canada, nor any mainstream politician in the United States, who openly advocates annexation. A few small groups continue to support the concept in both countries, although none has attracted widespread support or attention.