Canadian island offers refuge to Americans if Donald Trump becomes president

Some 50,000 Americans have already inquired about the island.

Cape Breton Island is welcoming Americans who might wish to flee the US should Donald Trump become president. (Flickr/Dennis Jarvis)

A Canadian island has opened its doors to Americans if Donald Trump wins the United States presidency.

Cape Breton Island touts the advantages of living in Canada, such as affordable housing, universal healthcare, religious freedom and women's reproductive rights, on its website -- albeit with a tongue-in-cheek tone.

"Don't wait until Donald Trump is elected president to find somewhere else to live!" the island's website says. "[S]tart your new life in Cape Breton, where women can get abortions, Muslim people can roam freely and the only walls are holding up the roofs of our extremely affordable houses."

The pitch must sound like a great deal to disenchanted Americas, as 50,000 people have inquired about moving to Cape Breton Island, Mary Tulle, CEO of Destination Cape Breton, told CNN Money.

It appears, however, that Cape Breton Island has experienced a dramatic decline in its population that its 80-degree summers can't seem to fix. The 2011 Canadian Census found that Cape Breton's population fell 4.1 per cent from its 2006 population of 105,928. Population nationwide, however, grew 5.9 per cent in that time.

Ms. Tulle blamed the population shrinkage on the loss of steel mills and coal mines, CNN reported.

The latest interest in Canadian migration mirrors what happened in 2004, when the now-defunct dating website "Marry an American" launched to capitalize on Americans hoping to flee after President George W. Bush was re-elected.