On 2025-03-20 5:03 PM, BTR1701 wrote:
On Mar 20, 2025 at 1:01:52 PM PDT, "Rhino" <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
I found this video amusing for the rather naive assumptions the
presenter makes about how a merger of Canada and the US might actually
mean that Canada dominates the US after a merger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhdDzJTmybw [4 minutes]
I give him credit for recognizing that it would make no sense to make
all of Canada a single state but the idea that each province *and*
territory would become its own state - or even TWO states - seems
improbable at best. I expect the territories, given their small
populations, would remain territories. Can you imagine Puerto Rico
sitting still for Nunavut - or "North Nunavut" and "South Nunavut"
becoming full states while Puerto Rico remains a territory?
For all the press that the "statehood for Puerto Rico" crowd gets, there's a very significant portion of PR's population that wants nothing to do with being a U.S. state. They'd much prefer to part ways with the U.S. altogether and be their own country. But that side doesn't help Democrats with Senate votes, House seats, and Electrical College votes, so the media mostly ignores them.
(Another reason the defeat of Kammie was good for the country is that she was a big proponent of giving DC statehood. That idea is thankfully now as dead as
it can be.)
Now you've got Trump pushing for Canadian statehood which might well
mean two more Democratic senators, which is the same benefit Kammie
strove for....
I'm also bemused by the idea that the US would adopt English-French
bilingualism
simply because Quebec had joined the Union. The idea that Trump would
seek to learn French thoroughly as part of the deal is laughable. I'm
not aware of Trump speaking a word of *Spanish* which is far more
pervasive in the US than French so what chance is there that he would
find the time to learn French?
He wouldn't. And Quebec would quickly find out that all their laws about banning English from signage and whatnot would be unconstitutional, so over time, French would probably start to fade away there.
English signage isn't actually prohibited but it must be smaller than
the French. Also store owners - and, I expect government employees -
have to greet customers in French before they can speak to them in
English, even if the only French they know is "bonjour" (good day). I
expect THAT would be found unconstitutional as well. [Frankly, I can't *imagine* Quebec willingly joining the US. A lot of their politics
throughout my life has been about avoiding losing their language and
culture in a sea of English so joining the US would completely undermine
that. The only way I could see them swallowing a merger is if they were guaranteed the right to retain all their laws - they've actually got a different legal system than the rest of the country - including all the language/cultural legislation that they already have.]
By the way, don't some of your states retain "unique" features not
shared by other states? I know Utah had to give up polygamy to get their statehood but I have vague recollections that some states have
differences from the others, although I can't think of a specific
offhand....
The political consequences would be interesting too. Let's say the 10
provinces become states and the territories stay territories. Given the
general left-leaning nature of our (Canadian) society - alas! - I'd
expect most of the 20 new Senators would be Democrats and a lot of the
new members of the House would also be Democrats. That would be a great
gift to the Democratic Party which would obviously please the Democrats
to no end and put the Republicans into convulsions.
Yes, which is why taking Canada even as just one big state is a bad idea because it would give the Senate two more Dem senators and god knows how many Dem House seats. I have no idea why Trump or any of the other conservatives who cheer for this would even entertain the idea. I suspect they're only doing
it to troll you maplebacks into an angry froth.
That's what a lot of the saner folks here are hoping. But our new PM is
eager to agitate the froth because it's really helping his poll numbers.
He's got a real shot at giving the Liberals a FOURTH consecutive term
even though he's going to be even worse than Trudeau in practically
every respect. Various media have said he's going to announce an
election on Sunday; it will probably happen April 28 according to the
current rumours. He's going to do everything he can to stoke up
nationalism so that he can ride that into a new term for his party.
Given that virtually all of the media is Team Liberal, the gullible
maroons that voted for Trudeau in 2015, 2019, and 2021 are very likely
to keep the Liberals in power *DESPITE* the massive harm they've done in
the past 10 years.
If Trump had just held off on tariff threats until we finally had our
election, the Liberals would have been beaten to within an inch of their
lives and we'd have a sensible government in power. (Or, if Trudeau had
called an election - or been forced to have one when he was massively
despised - we would also have a good government now with a strong
mandate.) But timing matters and timing is *not* on our side right now.
I'm as patriotic a Canadian as anyone but frankly, if the Liberals win
the next election, I might actually favour a merger with the US just to
make the insanity stop. But with my luck, we'd see a resurgence of the
far-left Democrats and be no better off.
--
Rhino
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