Make Alberta America
American Thinker,
by
Bruce Pardy
Original Article
Posted By: Hazymac,
3/6/2025 1:46:06 PM
For weeks, President Donald Trump has said that Canada should be America’s 51st state. He has mocked Canada’s economic dependence on the United States. He has condemned Canadian tariffs and trade restrictions. He has scolded Canada’s free riding on American defense. He has knocked Canada’s porous borders and drug dens. He has accused Canada of colluding with hostile foreign powers and global institutions. He has trolled our prime minister.
It’s delightful. Many Canadians are enjoying the show.
Up here in the cold white north, Trump has set the cat among the pigeons. Canada’s chattering classes are wringing their hands and gnashing their teeth.
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What would Albera do for the US?
4 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Bur Oak 3/6/2025 2:25:35 PM (No. 1909795)
From Wikipedia "The energy sector employs 5% of Albertans but significantly impacts exports and GDP.[15] Alberta's exports, primarily US-bound,[16] consist of 70% oil and gas, 13% food products, and 12% industrial products.[17] Oil and gas are culturally influential, having shaped politics, generated "striking it rich" narratives, and created boom-and-bust cycles.[18] In 2023, Alberta's output was CA$350 billion, 15% of Canada's GDP.[19]"
Saskatchewan and Manitoba would also be great additions to the US. If we have to take Quebec, British Columbia, and Ontario it wouldn't be a good deal.
10 people like this.
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Yukon Territories, would be great additions to Our Country. The rest, not so much...
12 people like this.
Sorry, even the most conservative Canadians are not a conservative enough and would likely be more like the residence of Connecticut and trust me. I know that they are not conservative.
5 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Sunhan65 3/6/2025 2:55:19 PM (No. 1909820)
This is the best article I've seen on this topic so far. Thanks for posting, OP!
As a U.S. citizen with long-standing conservative ideals who havery long personal experience with Canada, I've watched these two countries misunderstand each other before. The author is right about the reflexive anti-Americanism that often lies behind Canadian
5 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Sunhan65 3/6/2025 3:11:18 PM (No. 1909832)
[sorry for slightly garbeled and truncated post above. Hit "submit" too soon!]
(cont ) ...reflexive anti-Americanisn that too often lies behind Canadian patriotism. The author is also correct that no one likes to have their country dumped on, and Canadians like it even less when it comes from Americans.
This whole thing has made it much more difficult for the somewhat more sensible Canadian conservative party to campaign effectively to replace the leftist Liberals.
I also strongly suspect that this will also hurt the economies of both countries more than people expect. I'm thinking back to the trade disruptions during the COVID border closures and not looking forward to it.
We'll see
4 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
franco 3/6/2025 3:40:07 PM (No. 1909852)
Alberta -- maybe. Premier Danielle Smith continuing in her present role? I'm not so sure. After doing yeoman's work on behalf of Albertans (and really, all Canadians) on the damage that punitive tariffs would do with her visit to Mar A Lago and speaking as a voice independent of Ottawa's stupidity, Smith has now thrown in the towel and joined "Team Canada" by imposing non-tariff barriers in the form of an embargo against American booze and other products. Freedom-loving Albertans are responding negatively, letting Smith know that they don't need her acting as a nanny and telling them what they can and cannot buy, tariffs or no tariffs.
If Alberta has a plebiscite to secede and join the US as a territory on its way to statehood, I'd suggest that Albertans also soon have an election and replace Smith.
0 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Catfur27 3/6/2025 3:48:14 PM (No. 1909861)
How about a trade.... we get Alberta, M
anitoba, Saskat, and Yukon....and we
'll send the hosers...Maine...Vermont...New Hampshire and Washington State.....ok...ok....we'll throw in Oregon too (twist my arm)....it's like when baseball teams trade right hand pitchers for left hand pitchers...
6 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
planetgeo 3/6/2025 4:23:31 PM (No. 1909878)
100% agree that the Canadian "heartland" provinces are good potential candidates for joining the U.S.A., despite what some of their provincial government leaders sound like. Both countries suffer from their coastal elites, no matter what their central heartland people want and believe. Once the tariff spitball contests subside, cooler heads will start speaking up. Neither country will tolerate elitist crazies for too long.
3 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
franco 3/6/2025 6:02:12 PM (No. 1909938)
After finishing the complete article, I have one caution on the author's suggestion for a 1 to 1 conversion of the Loonie for the American Dollar. It's fine as a sugar-coated carrot to Canadians who might otherwise vote against secession and joining the US. However, it was also proposed by Kevin O'Leary as part of a "North American economic union" where Canada would remain sovereign but Canada would get two seats on the Federal Reserve Board with the Loonie retired at a 1 to 1 conversion rate. Not so fast on that, though, because if it also means that spendthrift governments in Ottawa get to print *our* currency at their whim, then that's a complete non-starter for me. We have enough problems with DC debauching the dollar without giving license to Ottawa to compound that. If you want the 1 to 1 exchange deal, it comes with joining up completely.
And that's not so bad. Ask Texans... they still have the Lone Star... so those of you up north who still want to wave the Maple Leaf can have at it... Just don't boo the anthem at sporting events, please...
1 person likes this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
oldsfc 3/6/2025 8:04:10 PM (No. 1910036)
Oh heck no! America does not need another socialist utopian state. These Canadians are like the Euros, to dependent on socialized everything.
1 person likes this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
DVC 3/6/2025 10:19:46 PM (No. 1910116)
When this first came up I identified Alberta as, by far, the best bet when commenting here. I've been there on a business trip in the last dozen years, and it was clear that those Canadians were much like western Americans.
I worked for a number of years on an international standards development committee. One other member in my subcommittee was a Canadian engineer. One night at dinner he told me that he expected that Canadian provincescwould eventually become American states. At that time, in the 90s, I was truly surprised by the idea. We discussed this and I didn't really speak against it. I had sort of put it in the back my mind until Trump came up with his idea. So, not an entirely new idea among Canadians.
Also we'd get Banf and Jasper national parks, only half a step behind Yellowstone, a wonderful thing. We've driven thru Alberta years ago and enjoyed it a lot.
1 person likes this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
Sunhan65 3/7/2025 1:49:34 PM (No. 1910625)
#13, I appreciate your perspective on this and agree the parks are wonderful. One of the nice things about Canada was the (relatively) lower level of commercial development in the national parks.
When I first visited as a child, the village of Banff was a quaint little Canadian town. No McDonald's and no higher end shopping. The big deal restaurant was called "The Spaghetti Factory," and we had to wait in line for hours to get in. Sadly, last time I saw it, it looked like Aspen: high end boutiques and expensive everything.
However, Waterton Glacier National Park remains one of my favorite places to drive through: unspoiled scenery, stunning mountains, and where else can you drive on the "Going to the Sun Road"?
It's a place Canadians and Americans can both be proud of.
0 people like this.
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