HOSTILE TAKEOVER OF CANADA
Canadians are among the world’s calmest, most polite, and gracious people. They are also, in my experience, peaceful, honest and modest. You never see them angry – except for now.
Donald Trump, with his absurd megalomaniac claims to Greenland, Canada, Panama and now Gaza, has managed to do what no one else has done. He has made the United States hated across Canada, even in usually pro-American Alberta.
Trump has looked at foreign affairs in the same way he viewed leasing store locations, as a simple straightforward business function, like renting property in New York City. Fury over his Mussolini-like claims to Canadian land will eventually abate but the damage has been done.
What the newly reminted president fails to understand is that what holds together the American empire is trade and access to the giant US market. Japan and Germany were rebuilt after World War II thanks to America’s wise, generous trade policies after the end of WWII.
I well recall when superb Japanese electronics and superior German cars appeared in US and then European markets. Everyone benefitted by this new trade. Postwar Japan and Germany were rebuilt thanks to their access to America’s market. Complaints about trade imbalances and German or Japanese surpluses were brushed aside as essential to building strong allies that would become a bulwark against Soviet expansionism.
In fact, joining America’s ‘greater co-prosperity sphere’ was seen as a huge benefit across war-battered Europe and Asia. Trade imbalances with new allies were seen in Washington just as they were regarded by Imperial Britain in the 19th Century, ‘a cost of empire.’ Access to the vast American market is seen today as the glue that holds the empire together.
Canadians would love to pay lower US taxes, and benefit from America’s much better health system. Large numbers of Canadians are already residents in sunny Florida. Miami even has a French-language newspaper for Quebecois refugees from Canada’s fierce winter.
Canadians love Florida, but they love dear old Canada even more. Maybe Trump the Master Builder would be willing to trade Florida to Canada for oil-rich Alberta?
Seriously, most Americans don’t understand how fragile Canada is as a nation. Canada’s territory is vast, even larger than the US, though much of its lies in extreme cold. West Coast Canadians with strong links to Asia don’t have much in common with French-speaking Quebeckers or Maritime fisherfolk. One of the word’s largest boreal forests extends from Canada’s east up to the beautiful Pacific northwest.
Canada has always been a collection of inward-looking regions. Its 40.1 million people often have little in common. East coasters resent the west; the west looks down on Eastern Canada. In the leading province, Ontario, the third most spoken languages are Hindi and Cantonese. Strange religious sects dot the West.
Throughout its history, Canada has been overshadowed and sometimes menaced by a much more powerful United States. Its easy-going, liberal ways have outraged right-wing Republicans. One remembers former US President Lyndon Johnson picking up a Canadian prime minister and calling him rude names. Belgium often suffers the same bullying treatment from France who rudely dismiss the Belgians as ‘les petits Belges.’
Trump’s threats against Canada have outraged one of America’s most important military and trade allies. And for what purpose? To make Trump feel powerful and virile.
Remember when Chancellor Adolf Hitler proclaimed ‘anschluss’ (reunion) with neighboring Austria? Many Austrians were delighted at the time, unlike today’s not happy Canadians.
Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2025
USA has a better health system!
Perhaps for the millionaires.
We are a fragile nation!
Just watch us.
The real joke in our tiff with that idiot Trump is our sycophant politicians keep up the propaganda of we must build up our military to counter the threats of Russia and China. Wake up you dumb clowns, Russia and China aren’t openly threatening our sovereignty.
AMERICA IS!!!!
“Remember when Chancellor Adolf Hitler proclaimed ‘anschluss’ (reunion) with neighboring Austria?”
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It’s starting to look like an interesting 4 years:
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https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/trump-says-no-right-of-return-for-palestinians-in-gaza-under-his-plan-for-us-ownership/
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Why should his term be limited to 4 years?
Thank you, Eric, for a very timely article. Your comment about Hitler’s proclamation of “anschluss” with neighbouring Austria was quite apt Trump’s desire to annex Canada and make it the “51st state” is quite similar to what Hitler did to Austria. But if the US were to invade Canada to enforce its annexation of our country, it would actually be like Hitler’s invasion of Denmark in 1940. The Danes surrendered immediately to avoid needless death and destruction, but they lauched an underground movement against the Germans and killed many of Hitler’s army. Maybe that will happen to the US forces if they invade Canada?
“America’s much better health care system”? That must be some potent weed. America’s system is an expensive joke, very expensive per capita and not nearly as comprehensive in coverage as those in most Western countries. Of all the health care systems in the West, the one that seems to get the #1 rating most often is that of the French. America’s is ranked way behind. As one commentator once challenged, name one Democracy where a serious political candidate campaigns on a platform to introduce an American style health care system.
Much of the blame for the rise of Donald Trump needs to placed on war criminals Bush-Cheney and whitewasher of Bush-Cheney’s crimes. The fascism of Bush-Cheney made it easy for tens of millions of Americans to vote for the folksy black man, Barack Obama. But the terrible disappointment of Obama’s presidency to bring changes American workers had wanted since WW II, was a perfect invitation for Trump to grab the political stage and sweep the US TV networks off their feet. Since Day One in 2015 when Trump made his grand entrance with Melania descending the escalator, TV networks relished Trump’s outrageous comments, comments that were racist, sexist, and disturbing the public peace. The more insulting Trump’s comments, the more the TV networks loved him, while faking moral indignation. Newspapers were saved from bankruptcy by the endless flow of articles, columns, stories and commentaries about Trump.
On the other side of the border, much of the blame for the growing fascism of the Trump regime threatening Canada’s independence, economy, and dignity needs to be placed on Canadians. The vast majority of Canadians have complacently, greedily, foolishly, cowardly remained passive and hypocritical as the rapacious US Empire has grown continually more aggressive, more lawless, more violent, more warlike, and more threatening, these last 60 years, from the fascistic Nixon to the fascists Bush-Cheney to the more arrogantly fascist Trump.
Canadians need to be strong and proud to resist US threats. But Canadians as well need to repentant. Canadians need to repent their hypocrisy, greed, delusionary thinking, foolish avarice, psssivie submission, complacency and cowardice these last 60 years, as more and more of Canada has fallen under the influence of the rapacious US Empire.
Trump even managed to turn the separatists in the Bloc Quebecois into patriotic Canadians. Unite against a common enemy.