During the 2025 Juno Awards, Michael Bublé addressed comments President Donald Trump has made about his belief that Canada should become the 51st US state. During his opening monologue at the event, which was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Michael said he is “proud to be Canadian.”
Calling himself a “hometown kid who never left,” Michael hinted at the current tensions between Canada and the US. “I’m proud that when they go low, we get high ― we go high. It’s kind of the same thing,” he said. “Bottom line: we love this country. And when you love something, you show up for it, and we always will. We will, because we’re formidable, because we’re fearless, because we don’t just acknowledge our differences, we embrace them.”
“Because they don’t just make us stronger, they make us a hell of lot more interesting,” he added.
“Folks, we’re one of a kind. We are beautiful. We are the greatest nation on Earth,” the singer said. “And we are not for sale.”
Trump is expected to introduce new tariffs on April 2, though Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to “put in place retaliatory measures if there are additional measures put against Canada.”
In March, Trump suggested that Canada should be a US state. “We don’t need anything they have. As a state, it would be one of the great states anywhere,” he said. “This would be the most incredible country, visually. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it, between Canada and the US. Just a straight, artificial line. Somebody did it a long time ago, many many decades ago. Makes no sense.”
Amid Trump’s trade war, Carney has said “it’s clear the US is no longer a reliable partner,” CNN reported.
“The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over,” Carney said.
