Thanks Wesley for an outline of the major organizations that have been working on articulating our national identity and national interest. National defense must become front and centre with a new procurement model and multi/ year legislative authority. Every fighter plane cannot be a parliamentary debate. As for your definition of collaborators as those saying yes to the U.S. I thank you. I would never have dreamed of Canadians agreeing to the idea of an occupying force as the collaborators did in Vichy France. It is the right word in this bizarre case. We must never take our freedom or our sovereignty for granted.
Thanks for the thoughtful rebuttal to Ross Douthat’s New York Times piece. I love Canada, with all its ups and downs. In my opinion, Canadians would have to be out of their minds to want to join a country such as the United States with its drama, an unfair electoral system (Electoral College), corrupt Supreme Court with justices appointed for life, guns and gun violence, abortion rights, the health care system, the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down limits on campaign contributions (allowing Elon Musk and other ‘oligarchs’ to exert power), and a constitution that can be interpreted and manipulated to give presidents immunity. There are scores more reasons, but too many to list here.
Virginia, I very respectfully suggest that - quite understandably - you are looking at America from a perspective of criticism but many of those criticism can logically be applied to Canada as well.
If you are looking for drama, just look at the drama over the Face Painter's (non) resignation; granted, we have no issue with guns but we certainly have an issue with crime and the revolving door nature of our (non) justice system; you call the Electoral College unfair but I ask you to consider the number of people in Canada who argue that the first past the post system is terrifically unfair; Supremes appointed for life contrasted to Canada where they are appointed to age 75 - too little difference to matter; you can argue that abortion "rights" (whatever any one person may think those to be) are not an issue in Canada but I submit that is not quite accurate as the actual absence of abortion law literally allows - whether it happens or not - abortion literally up until the moment of birth, something that will cause controversy one day; our health care system that is so vaunted takes many months, sometimes years, to get to the point where one can see a specialist whereas one can simply hop a plane and go to the US if one wishes - fairness? nope; and, of course, we can discuss people dying in hospital waiting rooms; striking down electoral contributions vs. restricting "me" from contributing to "my" campaign is, I think pretty much the same issue but from the opposite sides; Elon Musk? he is Canadian, you know; a constitution that can be manipulated? I refer you to Canada where the Charter is ignored whenever the Supremes decide that something is "important" - well to them and the Laurentian elites.
All of this is not to say that the US is better but simply to note that we as Canadians also live in a glass house so the use of rocks should be undertaken with great care and we should respect that others feel passionate about their country, warts and all, just as we do about ours.
You know we have a non-functioning federal government essentially until March? I would defend Canada tooth and nail to not join the US. We also have no foriegn interference policy, really. We have our own drama too, the Trudeau-Freeland drama could have been done as a "made for TV" movie on CBC. :)
National security is (reasonably) fixed, whereas national interests multiply and change. (Tag everything as national security and nothing is). We need a concise and workable definition of threats to our national security. And soon!
Great article. British Lord Palmerston once said, “Therefore I say that it is a narrow policy to suppose that this country or that is to be marked out as the eternal ally or the perpetual enemy of England. We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.” We need a Canadian Palmerston who can go toe to toe with any other state leader. Mr. Trump obviously has no idea what Canada has done for/with the US.
I'm sure the article referenced was written with the Mr Douthat's tongue firmly planted in his cheek. However, Both Trudeau's have done far more to exacerbate Canada's differences than they have to improve our sense of national unity. Trudeau senior deliberately avoided military service in WW 2, and thought anybody that was in the Armed Services was a fool. Both Trudeaus have royally screwed Western Canada out of billions of dollars to mollify Quebec. We have ridden on the American coattails to support our welfare state and abdicated our responsibilities to defend ourselves; counting on the Americans to defend us against the Soviet Union (when it existed) and more recently, Red China. It should be noted in passing that both Pierre and Justin had more than a passing admiration for the Communist totalitarian government in China. Maybe Western Canada, which would be far better off as an American state, will decide to look to their future and make an informed choice.
That's a rather charitable view of Trudeau's statement and motivations. Everything you've said here is from a very eastern point of view. Eastern Canada is in demographic collapse and will fight to the end to maintain dominance, wrecking the country even further in the process. Western Canada may choose a brighter future. Fingers crossed.
Thanks Wesley for an outline of the major organizations that have been working on articulating our national identity and national interest. National defense must become front and centre with a new procurement model and multi/ year legislative authority. Every fighter plane cannot be a parliamentary debate. As for your definition of collaborators as those saying yes to the U.S. I thank you. I would never have dreamed of Canadians agreeing to the idea of an occupying force as the collaborators did in Vichy France. It is the right word in this bizarre case. We must never take our freedom or our sovereignty for granted.
Thanks for the thoughtful rebuttal to Ross Douthat’s New York Times piece. I love Canada, with all its ups and downs. In my opinion, Canadians would have to be out of their minds to want to join a country such as the United States with its drama, an unfair electoral system (Electoral College), corrupt Supreme Court with justices appointed for life, guns and gun violence, abortion rights, the health care system, the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down limits on campaign contributions (allowing Elon Musk and other ‘oligarchs’ to exert power), and a constitution that can be interpreted and manipulated to give presidents immunity. There are scores more reasons, but too many to list here.
Virginia, I very respectfully suggest that - quite understandably - you are looking at America from a perspective of criticism but many of those criticism can logically be applied to Canada as well.
If you are looking for drama, just look at the drama over the Face Painter's (non) resignation; granted, we have no issue with guns but we certainly have an issue with crime and the revolving door nature of our (non) justice system; you call the Electoral College unfair but I ask you to consider the number of people in Canada who argue that the first past the post system is terrifically unfair; Supremes appointed for life contrasted to Canada where they are appointed to age 75 - too little difference to matter; you can argue that abortion "rights" (whatever any one person may think those to be) are not an issue in Canada but I submit that is not quite accurate as the actual absence of abortion law literally allows - whether it happens or not - abortion literally up until the moment of birth, something that will cause controversy one day; our health care system that is so vaunted takes many months, sometimes years, to get to the point where one can see a specialist whereas one can simply hop a plane and go to the US if one wishes - fairness? nope; and, of course, we can discuss people dying in hospital waiting rooms; striking down electoral contributions vs. restricting "me" from contributing to "my" campaign is, I think pretty much the same issue but from the opposite sides; Elon Musk? he is Canadian, you know; a constitution that can be manipulated? I refer you to Canada where the Charter is ignored whenever the Supremes decide that something is "important" - well to them and the Laurentian elites.
All of this is not to say that the US is better but simply to note that we as Canadians also live in a glass house so the use of rocks should be undertaken with great care and we should respect that others feel passionate about their country, warts and all, just as we do about ours.
You know we have a non-functioning federal government essentially until March? I would defend Canada tooth and nail to not join the US. We also have no foriegn interference policy, really. We have our own drama too, the Trudeau-Freeland drama could have been done as a "made for TV" movie on CBC. :)
National security is (reasonably) fixed, whereas national interests multiply and change. (Tag everything as national security and nothing is). We need a concise and workable definition of threats to our national security. And soon!
Great article. British Lord Palmerston once said, “Therefore I say that it is a narrow policy to suppose that this country or that is to be marked out as the eternal ally or the perpetual enemy of England. We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.” We need a Canadian Palmerston who can go toe to toe with any other state leader. Mr. Trump obviously has no idea what Canada has done for/with the US.
I'm sure the article referenced was written with the Mr Douthat's tongue firmly planted in his cheek. However, Both Trudeau's have done far more to exacerbate Canada's differences than they have to improve our sense of national unity. Trudeau senior deliberately avoided military service in WW 2, and thought anybody that was in the Armed Services was a fool. Both Trudeaus have royally screwed Western Canada out of billions of dollars to mollify Quebec. We have ridden on the American coattails to support our welfare state and abdicated our responsibilities to defend ourselves; counting on the Americans to defend us against the Soviet Union (when it existed) and more recently, Red China. It should be noted in passing that both Pierre and Justin had more than a passing admiration for the Communist totalitarian government in China. Maybe Western Canada, which would be far better off as an American state, will decide to look to their future and make an informed choice.
That's a rather charitable view of Trudeau's statement and motivations. Everything you've said here is from a very eastern point of view. Eastern Canada is in demographic collapse and will fight to the end to maintain dominance, wrecking the country even further in the process. Western Canada may choose a brighter future. Fingers crossed.