Film Response – Should Canada and the USA Merge
Ongoing debates about a security perimeter have shown that some sovereignty on either side of the border must be ceded to achieve dual interests of security and prosperity. However, some people argue that the security perimeter jeopardizes Canadian sovereignty, while others argue that it shows that we should consider eliminating the border altogether.
While Canadians have become vocal nationalists, it remains that many Canadian policies have promoted integration; as a result, a small minority of Canadians regularly believe that Canada should go one step further and either enter a more formal customs union a la European Union or even merge the countries altogether. For this film response, you will look at these issues; Do we need the border? You will use the ideas of Les Horswill, who has touted the idea of a merger, as a basis for the response. Read the Les Horswill article, “A More Perfect Union” (Maisonneuve, March 1, 2010), available at; https://maisonneuve.org/article/2010/03/1/more-perfect-union/ Watch a TVO interview with Horswill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=BeoijBjofqU&app=desktop .Write a response to the question: “Should Canada and the USA merge? As you do this, think about the following: Main arguments for supporting a merger Main arguments against a merger If a merger is not in Canada’s interests, can we have a relationship? What would or should it look like? Support your answer with insights drawn from the film Provide a direct answer to the question Provide a brief synopsis of ideas from Horswill’s article and interview Additional resources Jeb Bush on a Canada-US Merger: http://dianefrancis.com/jeb-bush-says-u-s-canada-merger-interesting-canadians/ “Canadians: Friends but not Family?”
https://today.yougov.com/news/2013/11/03/canadian-relationship/ “Canadians Satisfied with U.S. Relationship” http://www.pewglobal.org/2015/10/06/canadians-satisfied-with-u-s-relationship/ “Jonathan Kay: Diane Francis’ plan to merge Canada and the United States has many, many problems” http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/jonathan-kay-diane-francis-plan-to-merge-canada-and-the-united-states-has-many-many-problems “4 in 10 Americans support annexing Canada, says poll” https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/4-in-10-americans-support-annexing-canada-says-poll.905257/ “Why the US should merge with Canada” http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/04/why-the-us-should-merge-with-canada-105610 Parti 51 (a party that wants Quebec to join the USA – look at the vision and FAQ’s in particular) https://parti51.com/en/ Allison Hanes: Just wait until President Trump hears about Parti 51 https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/allison-hanes-just-wait-until-president-trump-hears-about-party-51
