What started as an offhanded joke by President Trump has acquired a life of its own, mainly as a result of panicky Canadian academics, politicians, and commentators treating it with a seriousness with which it should never have been accorded.
Trump, beset by an increasing number of internal and international problems, has been obliged to move on. But unfortunately, many Canadians appear unable to do so, while some politicians endeavour to exploit fear of Trump, fear of tariffs, and fear of Canada becoming a 51st state as an election issue.
- Both Canada and the United States profess to adhere to the rule of law, which means, among other things, that our governments must respect the law, starting with our own Constitutions.
- In the case of the U.S. Constitution, it is the Admissions Clause (Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1) which authorizes Congress to admit new states into the union. The president may initiate the process or veto congressional action on the subject, but ultimately congressional approval is required for new admissions.
- If Congress were inclined to do so, it would normally pass an Enabling Act establishing the conditions which the subject territory must meet to qualify for admission. In particular, the applicant territory would need to demonstrate that a majority of its residents desire union with the United States and accept a “Republican Form of Government” (Article IV, Section 4, Clause 1).
- In the case of Canada’s Constitution, Canada is not a republic but a constitutional monarchy, a federation of 10 provinces, and a parliamentary democracy with (regrettably) an unelected Senate. Its provinces possess significantly greater jurisdictional status than American states—ownership of their natural resources and jurisdiction over health service, education, and local government—prerogatives they are unwilling to cede even to Canada’s federal government let alone to that of the United States.
Notwithstanding the musings of Mr. Trump, it must ultimately have the support and approval of the U.S. Congress, which has shown no interest whatsoever in providing it.
Public opinion in Canada is currently such that any national or provincial referendum seeking majority approval for admission to the United States as a 51st state would be derided as a colossal waste of time and soundly defeated.
And, given the virtually unamenable nature of Canada’s Constitution, and the complete lack of any public appetite for constitutional discussions, the prospects are zero of convening a constitutional convention to render either the nation or its provinces more acceptable for admission to the American Union as a 51st state.
Hence, the conclusion that the 51st state proposal is a foolish, unfeasible, distractive non-starter that ought to be summarily dismissed by thinking people on both sides of the border.
Notwithstanding all of the above, the initiation of the 51st state joke by President Trump, and the over-reaction to it by so many Canadians, reveals some inconvenient truths.
The offhanded remarks about Canada as a 51st state—unfortunately reported by U.S. media and perhaps regarded as factual by some of the American public—suggest a lack of basic knowledge about Canada.
Additionally, Canada consists of three huge territories and 10 provinces, three of which are larger than Texas. If Canada were actually to be annexed as a federation, with each province insisting that it be admitted as a state with two senators, the Canadian block in the U.S. Senate would consist of 20 new unaligned senators—a prospect not likely to be greeted with enthusiasm by the current members of the U.S. Senate.
- That as the second-largest country by area on the planet, Canada has the largest or second-largest store of natural resources, including enormous quantities of water, hydropower, petroleum, and uranium—resources sufficient to make the entire continent, not just the United States, self-sufficient in energy.
- That surrounded by three oceans, Canada has the longest coastline in the world, one and a half times longer than that of the United States, giving Canada a vital interest and role in the continental defence of North America.
- That Canada has its own unique political and military history—not having engaged in a revolutionary war to become independent from Great Britain, not having had to resort to a civil war to abolish slavery, and not having declared or prosecuted wars on indigenous peoples.
- That Canadians, when called upon to sacrifice their lives and resources to preserve the freedoms and institutions of Western civilization, joined the side of Great Britain in World War I three years before the United States; declared war on Hitler and the Nazis three years before the United States; and are usually willing to join with the United States in defence of freedom wherever and whenever such cooperation is called for.
Many Canadians, if asked to define what is unique and admirable about Canada, would be hard-pressed to even recite the positives listed above. In recent years, the focus of many of our so-called “educators” has not been on teaching the admirable characteristics and accomplishments of Canada and Canadians but on trashing our history, denigrating our heroes, and strongly encouraging the up-and-coming generation to do likewise.
Under the unfocused and unregulated immigration policies of the last nine years, little or no effort has been made to thoroughly acquaint new Canadians with the history, traditions, and distinctive characteristics of the country they have chosen to make their new home. Hence, an increasing portion of our population has no strong allegiance to the country other than to its capacity to provide them with free education and health care.
- Hundreds of thousands of young Canadians with a negative view of their own country and a pessimistic assessment of its future.
- Hundreds of thousands of new Canadians whose allegiance to Canada is shaky at best.
- Hundreds of thousands of Canadians whose only response to “What is a Canadian?” is to say “Not American.”
- Hundreds of thousands of Canadians who have not given one thought to flying the Canadian flag or intentionally buying Canadian until provoked into doing so by an American president.
- Hundreds of thousands of Canadians who are even prepared to let the president of the United States tell them who our next prime minister should be—namely, the candidate most appealing to him rather than the candidate best qualified to provide Canada with serious and effective leadership.
