It seems, at least to me, that this day and age has seen a debasement in the concept of loving and standing by one's country. We see it in the constant derogation of Canada (under Trudeau) by PP, who incessantly insists to us that everything is broken. Indeed, some might be inclined to say that his efforts are in accord with the attempts of the incoming U.S. president to paint Canada in a very negative light. Love of country and grace seem to be singularly absent in PP's makeup.
But of course, PP is a politician, doing everything he can to disaffect Canadians so that he can be our next national 'leader'. More worrisome is those ordinary citizens who seem to see our nationhood as both provisional and transactional. While those people are surely in a minority, my life experience has taught me that bad ideas, if spread and repeated enough times, sometimes become a form of reality.
Take, for example, the following letters that I culled from the National Post, a journal that I almost never read, its extreme right-wing bent an offence to the normal spirit.
‘A small price to pay for the economic benefits’
At his recent meeting with our prime minister, President-elect Donald Trump mused that Canada could become the 51st state. Let’s consider the possible benefits.
Under the American taxation system, Canadians would get to keep more of their hard-earned cash (no GST holidays needed).
We would finally have a leader who would unwaveringly support the only democracy in the Middle East (and not UNRWA) against the terrorist bullies who battle for Israel’s demise, and a leader who would stand up to the dangerous despots in Russia, China and North Korea and shackle Iran’s nuclear aspirations. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would be welcomed without fear of being arrested. (The U.S. is not a member of the International Criminal Court.)
Our armed forces would proudly serve with a technologically-advanced and well-funded military.
And our ever-falling loonie would be exchanged for the greenback, which is currently worth Cdn $1.40.
If it means not having cannabis shops on every street corner, that’s a small price to pay for the economic benefits that would accrue to the average Canadian family.
Susan Silverman, Toronto
Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state is a great idea. Given its population of almost 40 million, Canada would have a large block of votes in the electoral college and therefore a large say in picking the president. There would be no worries about tariffs on exports to the U.S., which would allow our economy to flourish. There would be no more worries about the protection of the border, and the costs associated with it. And our military would finally be well-equipped with modern armament.
It is indeed food for thought, laced with maple syrup.
Roger Cyr, Victoria, B.C.
It is indeed sad to see citizenship reduced to a transactional mentality. I pray that such sentiments will always remain in the minority.
