United States of America + Canada?

[allenmaher]

Speaking as a Canadian, I am 100% opposed to any union or annexation into the US. While on the surface the two countries may seem similar there are very profound differences. For one, not all of Canada is English speaking, we have two official languages French and English, which would not likely be carried forward into any sort of union of Canada and the US. This would further exacerbate Quebec tensions and lead to further independence talk. While some parts of Canada would blend in rather seamlessly, such as the prairie provinces, other regions would not find the transition easy, or to their liking. Ontario was settled by United Empire Loyalists the disaffected and displaced of the American revolution, and tends toward anti-Americanism. The east coast provinces have more in common with UK culture than american culture.

Americans would also not likely welcome 10 new states that in american political terms would give the Democrats a virtual lock on the senate and shift the balance of power in the house perpetually in the democrats favour (80% of Canadians would vote democrat in a two party system if they had to choose when asked in a survey). Gay marriage is legal here and has been for a decade, prostitution laws were recently struck down, and women have the right to go topless. The current conservative government is in their last term in office following which decriminalization of marijuana is almost assured as well as many other liberal reforms that would unnerve much of the US. Then take into account universal health care, well funded public schools, gun control, and other differences that most of the US is not prepared to deal with.

The US is great, I have travelled and worked in most of the continental US over the years. A very friendly people almost without exception... but I think we are better off as friends and neighbours. Do you really want a country with an officially socialist official opposition party (the party that got the second most votes in the last election, yes I am a member of that party) as part of your political milieux?