Trump supporters in Canada fueled by regional divides [Video]

Donald Trump’s bellicose proposals to annex Canada have triggered widespread shock and outrage — but for a small number of Canadians, he might be onto something.

A couple dozen of them gathered at a roadside restaurant in the western province of Alberta two weeks before Canada’s general election to discuss the merits of a political union with the United States.

Trump is reviled across much of Canada but in Alberta — a conservative-leaning province whose economy hinges on oil — 23 percent of people support the US president, according to a March survey from pollsters Leger.

Peter Downing, who helped organize the pro-Trump meeting, told AFP he has supported the billionaire president for years and was energized when Trump began musing about making Canada the 51st US state.

But the 43-year-old oil worker made clear he sees US annexation as a solution to a larger problem that predates Trump’s return …