Union -- but what kind? (Canada The 51st State?)

Globe and Mail ^ | October 14, 2003 | Mark Lovewell and Anthony Westell

[goldstategop]

I can see a good case for annexing the Western Canadian provinces. Eastern Canada is a cesspool of socialism and Quebec is unassimilable. The notion of a U.S-Canada merger for the forseeable future, is a pipe dream.

[.cnI redruM]

Given what happen with Election 2000, that may be a dubious proposition for 2 reasons.

1) The U.S. House of Representatives gives population based representation. Provinces like Alberta or Manitoba become the new Wyoming. They contribute billions of dollars of resources, they end up having 90% of their land federally owned and they get minimal representation in congress.

2) The larger US states; CA, NY, FL etc... feel like they do not get enough say in selection of the President. They claim that since most of the voters live in their states, they should have enough electors to overpower the smaller, less populated states. Toronto and Quebec, if added to the US in their entirenty, would become large states. Manitoba and BC, probably not. The addition of large, sparsely populated provinces would further shift electoral power to smaller states and away from NY and CA. Thus, large US states would object to absorbing some or all of Canada.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

NO !
We've already got plenty of people here who talk funny.

[xzins]

Each province becomes a state.

I'm willing.

I like Canada.

[Commiewatcher]

"I can see a good case for annexing the Western Canadian provinces."

You bet. Let's trade most of New England for Alberta, BC, the Yukon, and NWT. As an extra added bonus we could throw in New York and start them off with their very own Queen.

Sounds like a deal to me.

[billorites]

"Eastern Canada is a cesspool of socialism"

Oh, I don't know.

I think of the Maritimes as being sort of like West Virginia.

Only better educated, but with a lower standard of living.

[Kenton]

Let me echo your concerns.

And far from being the end of the Canadian identity, such a union could begin a golden age in which our values and ideas spread around the globe.

I'm not sure that we Americans are willing to compromise on our beliefs about our God-given rights in order to accomodate the spread of Canadian-style state socialism.

[goldstategop]

Funny how times change. Back in the 19th century, Canada was populated by Tories and die-hard Unionist colonists who fled America and if anything they looked on America with horror as being too radical an experiment and the embrace of the Mother Country seemed well - a reassurance things would never change. Over the past two centuries, its Canada that became more radical and America that became more conservative. To put it somewhat differently, America is everything the Canadian Fathers Of The Confederation dreamed of for their country whilst Canada has become all that the Fathers abhorred.

[saluki_in_ohio]

At one time I thought it would be a good idea for the Canadian provinces to join the US. Now after some consideration, I don't think so.

Out of all of the provinces, only Alberta would be even worth considering for statehood, as the other provinces are much too liberal.

I suppose the Dumb-O-crats would love having Ontario as a state. One more large left-leaning state and there would be a Democrat stranglehold on the presidency.

I would much rather see Canada as a separate country with the Canadian Alliance running the show.

Just my $0.02.

[saluki_in_ohio]

"I can see a good case for annexing the Western Canadian provinces."

You bet. Let's trade most of New England for Alberta, BC, the Yukon, and NWT. As an extra added bonus we could throw in New York and start them off with their very own Queen.

From what I've seen of British Columbia, they are rather schizophrenic in terms of politics; they sometime swing very far left.

I think that Yukon and the Northwest Territories aren't big enough to become states, and if they were, they would probably elect lefties to Congress.

Alberta would be a good addition as a state, and I have talked to a number people in Alberta that would like to secede from Canada and join the US, but for the most part, Albertans don't want to join the US, they would rather "go it alone". That would be fine with me, we would have a solid ally to the north and a great trading partner.

[doc30]

I suppose the Dumb-O-crats would love having Ontario as a state. One more large left-leaning state and there would be a Democrat stranglehold on the presidency.

Ontario as a whole is equally balanced between conservatives and liberals. If you look at the Ontario equivalent of electoral maps, you will see that the Toronto area is predominantly Liberal and the rural areas are predominantly Conservative.

[Jonah Hex]

I could see bringing Canada into the USA, except Quebec. We've had quite enough from them already, tabernac!

[Renfield]

I suggest we find a way to hoodwink Canada into taking Massachusetts in exchange for Alberta.

[alloysteel]

I could see bringing Canada into the USA, except Quebec.

Agreed. Then the Anglophone Canadians would no longer be forced to be bilingual in that beastly Quebecois dialect of French. They would have to learn Spanish instead.

[Commiewatcher]

"From what I've seen of British Columbia, they are rather schizophrenic in terms of politics; they sometime swing very far left."

Vancouver certainly is, but I wouldn't be so sure of the rest of the Province. Alberta is by far the most conservative. The Yukon and NWT would be similar to Alaska in that they don't like stuff like gun control or oil drilling bans coming from somewhere far away.

Except for NWT I've been through all these areas (but not for quite some time) but that's been my impression.

[retrokitten]

I say we take Alberta, British Columbia, and maybe Manitoba. In return we give Canada- California, Vermont, the cities of Seattle, San Francisco, and Ithaca, NY.

Oh, but we have to change the name of British Columbia to something better.

[Congressman Billybob]

Interesting article. As usual, however, the reporters have not done their historical homework.

At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress passed a law offering admission to the Union to any Canadian Province that chose to join. The purpose, of course, was to pry them away from British hands, and keep them from being an untouched base of operations against the Americans. THAT LAW IS STILL ON THE BOOKS.

Therefore, all that is necessary for any Province to become a state is for them to request that with a proposed constitution for their new State, and for Congress to give its approval to that constitution. Well, there IS the little problem of what the other Provinces and the Government of Canada might have to say about that. LOL.

And, as the second poster pointed out, there are certain Canadian Privinces that the United States wouldn't want on a bet. But that question is down the road.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "Slime and Bigotry on the Campaign Trail," discussion thread on FR. IF YOU WANT A FREEPER IN CONGRESS, CLICK HERE.

[retrokitten]

It's very early for me still...San Francisco is IN California, I know.

I'm going to get some more coffee...

[saluki_in_ohio]

Ontario as a whole is equally balanced between conservatives and liberals. If you look at the Ontario equivalent of electoral maps, you will see that the Toronto area is predominantly Liberal and the rural areas are predominantly Conservative.

It makes sense that the urban areas in Ontario are liberal and the rural areas are conservative. The same thing is true here in Illinois with Chicago being liberal and downstate Illinois being conservative.

Ontario has elected Tory provincial governments in the past, yet it seems they keep sending Liberal MP's to Ottawa.

I shudder at the thought of someone like that bitch Carolyn Parrish (the "Damn Americans, Hate those bastards" lady) being a Congress-critter from the state of Ontario.