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dewlineI don't know how many of you keep track of Canadian news, but for those just tuning in, we've got a federal election campaign in progress as I type this entry. These things usually provide some degree of genuine entertainment whenever they happen, and this one's no exception. I've commented on various aspects of it in previous entries, of course, but there's a new -- and yet very old -- wrinkle playing out this week.
US Ambassador David Wilkins gave a speech this week about what he sees as the "slippery slope" that exists when candidates for federal office in Canada "criticize your best friend and number one trading partner constantly". (Further details at this CBC Web News article.)
What the American Ambassador to Canada may not yet understand, for all his study and research and actual discussions with Canadians from one end of Confederation to the other is this: the United States has always been the Ghost Candidate in every federal election Canada's ever had.
For as long as I can recall, the threat or promise, real or imagined, of assimilation into the USA has long loomed over us up here. One of the chief reasons that Confederation happened in 1867 was the end of the American Civil War, and the threats that were made by various parties south of the border at the time to reckon with the UK over their support of the Confederated States, with "British North America" -- AKA Canada -- intended as the price tag for the interference.
The debate over how close our commercial, and later, military ties were to be has cost Prime Ministers their jobs from time to time. Look up "reciprocity", "Canada" and "Laurier" on a Wiki-search sometime to see what I'm talking about. Then check out the FTA/NAFTA/FTAA/MAI/WTO fights in more recent decades.
As a result of this, the American option has been the one unofficial candidate in every federal election so far. For a party to knowingly, publicly tie itself to it can be death at the polls.
The United States is, in fact, the one candidate whose name never appears on any ballot...but is always there nonetheless.
So Ambassador Wilkins' counsel to our federal parties is, I believe, in vain.
And until Canada either dissolves or mutates into some other political animal, I suspect it always will be.
US Ambassador David Wilkins gave a speech this week about what he sees as the "slippery slope" that exists when candidates for federal office in Canada "criticize your best friend and number one trading partner constantly". (Further details at this CBC Web News article.)
What the American Ambassador to Canada may not yet understand, for all his study and research and actual discussions with Canadians from one end of Confederation to the other is this: the United States has always been the Ghost Candidate in every federal election Canada's ever had.
For as long as I can recall, the threat or promise, real or imagined, of assimilation into the USA has long loomed over us up here. One of the chief reasons that Confederation happened in 1867 was the end of the American Civil War, and the threats that were made by various parties south of the border at the time to reckon with the UK over their support of the Confederated States, with "British North America" -- AKA Canada -- intended as the price tag for the interference.
The debate over how close our commercial, and later, military ties were to be has cost Prime Ministers their jobs from time to time. Look up "reciprocity", "Canada" and "Laurier" on a Wiki-search sometime to see what I'm talking about. Then check out the FTA/NAFTA/FTAA/MAI/WTO fights in more recent decades.
As a result of this, the American option has been the one unofficial candidate in every federal election so far. For a party to knowingly, publicly tie itself to it can be death at the polls.
The United States is, in fact, the one candidate whose name never appears on any ballot...but is always there nonetheless.
So Ambassador Wilkins' counsel to our federal parties is, I believe, in vain.
And until Canada either dissolves or mutates into some other political animal, I suspect it always will be.
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Date: 2005-12-15 10:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-16 01:13 am (UTC)But thanks for seeing it as worth borrowing!
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Date: 2005-12-16 01:14 am (UTC)Mea culpa, Si!
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Date: 2005-12-16 12:20 pm (UTC)Hi-Ho! JD Long here; actual American here . . .
Date: 2005-12-17 09:14 pm (UTC)Y'know, I'm something of a history scholar, with majors in History in both High School and College; and an avid devotee of the History Channel as well (just to keep current.)
And I have to say, I don't think there's actually been a workable, implementable plan for the USA to invade Canada since 1778, when the Brits thoroughly rebuffed our invasion of Quebec at Montreal. Shame, that.
While there was talk about it during the American Civil War in the 1860's, there were no actual plans or resources devoted to it; and that was 140 years ago. So, 140 years since it was last thought of, and 227 years since it was last tried.
I think it's a dead, Dead issue. Personally, I'm not sure we'd even HAVE Canada if they begged us to become part of the USA now. Too much trouble, and too much bad PR around the world. Germany has more to worry about from the USA than Canada; and Cuba is more likely to see American troops in the next ten years than Montreal.
Honestly, if that's all you've got to worry about . . . get over it already. Until you launch nukes or spary Bio-toxins over the Great White Border, you're as safe as houses.
As we say in South Texas, "Ay Chingawa!"
~~JD~~
Hello, JD!
Date: 2005-12-17 11:07 pm (UTC)Not saying that it makes any sense, but the attitude? Whether it's fear on the part of some Canadians or hope on the part of other countrymen and -women of mine that this sort of thing would actually happen, the attitude has been there since we started.
And I don't think we're going to see invasions happening anytime soon either. Mind you, that headline at the top of the fold of today's Ottawa Citizen about the US Congress considering building a fence along our shared border -- I kid you not on this one, and I plan to take a photo tonight to silence any doubters -- didn't exactly fill some of us with a sense of joy and harmony(although I'll admit to not hiring the likes of Leger Marketing or Gallup to do a field poll to confirm this). The headline wasn't entirely surprising, given some of the differences of opinion on various subjects that have come up lately.
Back to you, JD...or anyone else who wants to speak up.