Elon Musk's response to a petition that seeks to revoke his Canadian citizenship has shocked many, as it continues to fan the flames underneath a faltering relationship between the United States and its close neighbor.
Thanks to his mother being born in Regina, Elon Musk was able to swiftly pick up Canadian citizenship in 1989 after moving there from his native South Africa at the age of just seventeen.
It took him a further 13 years before he was able to claim citizenship within the United States - where he now calls home - and despite previously claiming to be 'proudly half-Canadian', Musk's recent relationship with the country has been somewhat rocky.
One of US President Donald Trump's biggest post-election pushes has been against the Canadian government, which he now seemingly considers to be a rival.
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At the heart of it all is a conquest to 'take over' the country and claim it as a supposed '51st state', and tensions have been furthered by now-paused tariffs placed on goods from Canada to the United States.
While Elon Musk hasn't been a leading figure in these rhetorical pushes, he has been caught in the crossfire after Ontario premier Doug Ford 'ripped up' a $100 million Starlink contract in response to the news.
Additionally, his keen support of Trump and involvement close to the president as head of the Department of Government Efficiency has led to major pushback from hundreds of thousands of Canadian citizens in the form of a petition.
'Petition e-5353', proposed by NDP MP Charlie Angus, calls upon the prime minister to 'revoke' Elon Musk's dual citizenship status due to his involvement in a foreign government that "is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty."
As of the time of writing the petition has garnered 296,383 signatures, and will remain open until June 20, 2025.
It might not prove to be successful in its execution, as a lawyer has revealed that Canada is unlikely to revoke citizenship that has been legally and fairly obtained - which Musk's has - but that still hasn't stopped the richest man in the world from throwing a retaliatory punch on social media, as he always likes to do.
"Canada is not a real country," Musk posted in a now-deleted tweet in response to the petition, and that's certainly riled up many who were already exactly his biggest fans.
"Good," argues the top comment on a post on the r/canadian subreddit, "then you won't mind not being a citizen anymore."
Another adds: "We're a real country. He's not even a real engineer."
What many have also wondered is what Musk's aforementioned mother thinks about statements like these, as she is Saskatchewan born and bred. "Apparently he's so tweaked that he thinks the country his mother was born in isn't a country. How about she's not human and neither is he?"
It's doubtful that this will be the last we hear from either side of this conflict, so we won't have to wait long until Musk comes out with another controversial claim.