You have to take a breather and have some fun sometimes, right? With that in mind, here’s a topic a little lighter than the usual fare… Should America and Canada become a single entity?
A journalist and author (and Dual Citizen) has made a very unusual and unlikely proposal… that USA and Canada should merge. And she’s prepared to back up her reasons.
Diane Francis proposes that idea in “Merger of the Century — Why Canada and America should become one country“. She thinks both of our countries would be in a much better position to compete internationally and defend ourselves if we stand together rather than standing alone.
I’m looking forward to how this hashes out in the comment section. But before I turn you loose on the idea, I should give you some of her justifications. First, a quote from one of her columns on the topic:
If they merged, the countries would become an energy and economic powerhouse, occupying more land than Russia or the continent of South America. They would control more oil, water, arable land and resources than any other and would enjoy the protection of America’s military.
And here’s the synopsis of her book (verbatim) to get the conversation rolling:
No two nations in the world are as integrated, economically and socially, as are the United States and Canada. We share geography, values and the largest unprotected border in the world. Regardless of this close friendship, our two countries are on a slow-motion collision course—with each other and with the rest of the world. While we wrestle with internal political gridlock and fiscal challenges and clash over border problems, the economies of the larger world change and flourish. Emerging economies sailed through the financial meltdown of 2008. The International Monetary Fund forecasts that by 2018, China’s economy will be bigger than that of the United States; when combined with India, Japan and the four Asian Tigers—South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong—China’s economy will be bigger than that of the G8 (minus Japan).
Rather than continuing on this road to mutual decline, our two nations should chart a new course. Bestselling author Diane Francis proposes a simple and obvious solution: What if the United States and Canada merged into one country? The most audacious initiative since the Louisiana Purchase would solve the biggest problems each country expects to face: the U.S.’s nation- al security threats and declining living standards; and Canada’s difficulty controlling and developing its huge landmass, stemming from a lack of capital, workers, technology and military might. Merger of the Century builds both a strong political argument and a compel- ling business case, treating our two countries not only as sovereign entities but as merging companies.
We stand on the cusp of a new world order. Together, by marshaling resources and combining efforts, Canada and America have a greater chance of succeeding. As separate nations, the future is in much greater doubt indeed.
