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Washington CNN —

President-elect Donald Trump keeps making false claims about Canada.

Trump has spoken repeatedly in the past month about somehow turning the independent country to the north into the 51st US state. It is not clear whether Trump’s self-proclaimed “great idea” is mere trolling, a serious desire or an unorthodox negotiating tactic in bilateral discussions over trade, immigration and national security.

What is clear is that Trump has peppered his comments about Canada with inaccurate assertions – about how the Canadian public views the idea of US annexation, about the trade relationship and about Canada’s defense situation.

Here is a fact check of some of his remarks.

Canadians’ views on becoming the 51st state

Trump said Thursday of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “I called him Governor Trudeau because they should be the 51st state, really. It would make a great state. And the people of Canada like it.”

Facts First: Trump’s categorical claim that “the people of Canada like it” is false. Though it’s certainly possible to find Canadians who support the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state, the idea is overwhelmingly unpopular with the Canadian public as a whole. A December poll by the firm Leger found that 82% of Canadians said they didn’t like the idea and just 13% said they liked it.

The idea has been denounced by federal and provincial Canadian leaders from left to right.

The US trade deficit with Canada

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