‘Greater Canada’ includes the United States
Letters | Nunavut geographer explores an idea to ‘take back’ our neighbour to the south
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017 after a visit to the White House during Trump’s first term. Trump is back in the White House and has been musing about expanding his country’s borders, including into Canada. Writer Peter Wilson has a few ideas about what Canada would look like as the 51st state. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Peter Wilson
Kenn Harper’s article “Greater Canada includes Greenland” was interesting and timely because U.S. President Donald Trump’s musings about Canada becoming the 51st state have a lot of Canadians feeling angry and fearful.
Those were my initial emotions but now I think Trump may be on to something good for us. Like control of the Northwest Passage.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m a proud Canadian and would never give up living in a country that is welcoming to newcomers and that values diversity.
I count on universal health care. We don’t kill people to teach people that killing people is wrong, we have a higher life expectancy and we score well above the U.S. on measures of liberty and happiness.
Abortion is legal and it’s the woman’s right to choose.
We understand and accept that some of us don’t see themselves as either strictly male or female.
I believe in democracy. Why would I want to move from a place the Democracy Index calls a “Full Democracy” to a “Flawed Democracy?”
I am proud of having sat in the front row in an Iqaluit hangar when Nunavut was created.
That peaceful transfer of power is how things should be done and it’s how we will do things again as we peacefully take control of the U.S.
Canadians have watched helplessly from north of the border — some of us from way north of the border — as Trump’s Make America Great Again — or MAGA — movement took over the U.S. government. It’s time that Canada took it back.
Based on Canada’s population of just under 40 million people, joining the U.S. entitles us to 50 seats in Congress. Our 13 “states” (currently “provinces and territories”) give us 26 Senate seats.
California, with the same population as Canada, has 54 electoral college votes, so a fair deal means we get 54 too. The Supreme Court has been stacked by Trump but we could make it a 13-member court to dilute the corruption.
Canada is the larger country, so our union with the U.S. means we get to keep our name. That said, the U.S. has been a friend in the past, so I think a compromise is in order: The United States of Canada.
I’d give up O Canada as the national anthem. I can’t sing “Our home and native land” without thinking it should be “Our home on native land,” which is true but a real downer.
The Star-Spangled Banner is a better anthem for Canada than it is for the U.S. because it describes a battle in the War of 1812. That’s the war in which we torched the White House and turned back successive attempts by U.S. troops to invade their northern neighbour.
Trump paid Canada a compliment by saying we are abusive to the U.S. with respect to trade. When an abuser calls you abusive for abiding by a trade agreement he negotiated, you know you’re getting respect.
The art of the deal is our trump card. Be careful what you wish for, Donald.
Peter Wilson is a geographer who worked for 12 years at the Nunavut Planning Commission, retiring in 2007 as Director of Informatics and Communications.
Nunatsiaq News welcomes letters to the editor on current affairs. Please send signed submissions under 500 words to editors@nunatsiaq.com.
Great letter. You understand the bullying mind: “When an abuser calls you abusive for abiding by a trade agreement he negotiated, you know you’re getting respect.”
Canada will not become a state. It will be another Puerto Rico with no votes and no rights.
Is there anything more insufferable than that insecure, juvenile strain of Canadian identity that is see’s itself as the shining opposite of all that is American?
Yes, there are many things that are more insufferable than critical thinking skills. Like people who can’t contest a single fact in a letter and so resort to insults. Not to make any further comparisons with Trump, of course. So sad.
It was a predictable sprinkling of Canadian jingoism and reflexive anti-Americanism. I’m not sure what facts need to be refuted here. It was mostly fantasy fiction.
Such anger at someone standing up for Canada. Are you an American? I appreciate that you are trying to use big words like ‘insufferable’, ‘insecure’ and ‘jingoism’ to insult my defence of our country, but not even an American-invented AI bot sees it that way. 🙂
ChatGPT: “The letter you provided does not seem overtly “jingoistic,” but it does contain some elements of national pride mixed with a satirical tone that could be interpreted as a form of irony or playful commentary on international relations. Jingoism typically involves extreme patriotism, often to the point of aggressive or warlike sentiment, where one country’s interests are promoted above others, sometimes in a highly bellicose manner. In this letter, the writer takes a humorous and satirical approach to the idea of Canada joining the United States, flipping the narrative of U.S. dominance and proposing a tongue-in-cheek idea of Canadian superiority and taking control of the U.S. government. The letter’s tone is light-hearted, self-deprecating at times (mentioning the anthem), and reflective of Canadian pride. The satirical nature of the piece makes it more about poking fun at certain aspects of U.S. policy, rather than promoting overt, aggressive nationalism or superiority. So, while it has some elements that show pride in Canada, the humor and irony employed here prevent it from being jingoistic. It is more of a playful critique of current geopolitics, rather than an outright call to arms or intense nationalism.”
I invite you to look up the word ‘insecure’ and then explain how you came up with that. I am at a complete loss as to how you could read a 500-word opinion piece, not respond to any of the facts or themes in it, and then choose the word ‘insecure’ in an attempt to insult the writer. I thought maybe I was missing something, so I posed the question to artificial intelligence: “Does the following letter sound like it was written by someone who is ‘insecure’?”
Here’s the response:
“The letter you’ve provided doesn’t come across as ‘insecure’ so much as it does provocative, opinionated, and playful in tone. The writer presents strong personal beliefs with some humor, especially when discussing national pride and Canadian values, while also making bold statements about U.S.-Canada relations. The writer seems to be asserting their views confidently and even using irony or satire to make their points (e.g., suggesting that Canada should join the U.S. and take control). There are moments of self-assurance, like the line “I am proud of having sat in the front row in an Iqaluit hangar when Nunavut was created,” and the tone seems more aligned with someone trying to spark conversation or controversy, rather than someone who feels insecure.
Insecurity often manifests in overly apologetic language, excessive self-doubt, or a need for validation, which isn’t evident here. Instead, the letter displays a blend of confidence in one’s national identity and a tongue-in-cheek critique of political dynamics.”
Time to get real.
Canada is at war. Trump wants its resources for himself, his children, and as trade items for his “friends”.
Canada needs to create viable industry sectors, rather than export raw material. It will be a big job and I’m not sure the current folks in Ottawa are up to it.
Nunavut is far from Ottawa and of little consequence to those exercising power. We have to start looking out for ourselves. We need to build a viable economy in Nunavut. It won’t be easy, but if you say it cannot be done, then you may as well leave now.
First thing Nunavut needs is food security. Nunavummiut eat 100,000 KG of food every day. Most of that is flown here. The land provides caribou, but not in sustainable numbers. Nunavut’s food source must be the sea. We need to develop our marine food sources for ourselves, before we can export food.
We need to develop the skilled workforce to build the houses we need. We can buy lumber from BC and elsewhere in southern Canada, but we have to do the work ourselves. We can no longer expect Canada to pay southern Canadians $1 million to build one house in Nunavut.
Nunavut has huge gas reserves. We should not give them away or sell them. We should bring iron ore from Mary River and elsewhere to the gas fields and make steel. Then we should make manufactured goods from that steel.
I did not say it would be easy, but Nunavummiut have been self suficient in the past and we can be again.
Taima.
The New Atlas news and information service with Brian Berletic who makes it his business to know of such things as the tariff hikes has much to say. The USA Deep State has been taking steps, as the China-Canada-Mexico tariffs coming into effect to lay the ground for a war with China. Trump, Biden have been and are being used by that Deep State. Brian Berletic a former US Marine has taken the time to dig into all of that. WE are all affected and it is something we should know about and rally against, more war.