Detroit congressman co-sponsoring bill to prevent U.S. from invading Canada

The Michigan congressman who is co-sponsoring a bill to prevent the United States from invading Canada says he and other Democrats have brought the bill forward because they are alarmed by U.S. President Donald Trump's expansionist rhetoric.

Shri Thanedar is one of the backers of H.R. 1936, dubbed the No Invading Allies Act, which requires congressional approval for any use of force against Canada, Panama or Greenland.

"Recent statements by President Trump about Canada being the 51st state or redesigning, redrawing the boundaries between the two states is very troubling," said Shri Thanedar, the congressman for Michigan's 13th district, which includes Detroit and some of its eastern and southwestern suburbs. 

"Canada is an ally, a friendly country. We have a great relationship with Canada. They are a great neighbour and we have great commerce between the two countries."

The bill is an effort to ensure Trump abides by congressional authority before he "takes any kind of acts or aggression that would not be in the best interest of both the countries," Thanedar said.

The U.S. Constitution already requires presidents to seek congressional approval for acts of war, but congress has typically been willing to extend them leeway to engage in hostilities for limited amounts of time, said Seth Magaziner, the Rhode Island congressman who introduced the bill. 

"My bill basically says that Congress needs to reclaim its constitutional authority," Magaziner said. 

'Cannot trust Donald Trump'

"We cannot trust Donald Trump with so long a leash."

Magaziner said he was shocked to hear Trump talking during his inaugural speech about expanding U.S. territory.

"That has not been the goal of the United States president in over a century," Magaziner said.

"Do I think that Donald Trump intends to invade Canada by force? I think probably not. But we can't take anything for granted. It's insane that we even have to have this conversation. I introduced the bill just to send the message that the American people don't want this. … Unfortunately, we have a leader in Donald Trump who is unhinged and needs to be reined in."

Thanedar said passing the bill should be "doable" even though Democrats are in the minority, because they only need the support of a dozen or fewer Republicans.

So far, he said, none has stepped forward.

Magaziner said that while he believes some Republicans have expressed concern privately about Trump's trade wars with Canada and other nations, many are "not living in reality."

"They think that Donald Trump's actions are popular," he said.

"When people, angry people, turn up at their town halls, they convince themselves that they were all somehow paid or coerced to be there, and then they just stop having town halls so that they don't have to hear from their constituents anymore."