As dual citizens of Canada/USA we faint at the mere thought of Canada merging with the USA.
Canadian born, we lived in the USA for 29 years (intended only three to five years). We survived the first Trump presidency, so with some legitimate authority share what a Canada ‘merger’ with the USA with would mean.
1. Import of rage and violence including the right for everyone to own a gun. Of all personal use guns produced world-wide, 50 per cent are in the USA. So, watch out for road rage, a disgruntled employee, or a troubled teenager.
2. Freedom and the Pursuit of Happiness, (American Constitution) means you can do whatever you want, provided you are white or wealthy or both. You can even try to bring down the government that legitimately won the election. However, if you are LGBTQ, a female, different colour skin or First Nations, freedom is what the Trump government tells you is it is.
3. Remove all the immigrants that have built this country. Consider this, immigrants contribute to the economy, pay taxes, and raise children who do the same.
4. Women’s rights curtailed and restricted access to abortion. According to the Republican playbook called Project 2025 (an extreme Nationalist Christian Movement) the rightful place for a woman is in the home rearing children!
5. A health care system that is ‘profit driven’ costs a household of two people $500-$1,200 per month in insurance premiums. The result is 23 million Americans without health care. All health insurance companies are HMO, locking you into their ‘Network of Doctors and Hospitals’ allowing you access only to their doctors. If a specialist is unavailable, you can choose to go outside the network, pay cash, resulting in financial ruin. Additionally, there is co-pay per doctor visit at $25-$80. Surgeries/ hospital results in hefty bills that no-one can predict until after your surgery with charges between $ 3,000 and hundreds of thousands.You can kiss your saving account good-bye and even your home.
The USA is all about conflict, violence and division. Any Canadian that favours a Canada-USA merger, I invite you to live in the USA for five to 10 years and see how you do.
We kissed the soil when we returned to our home, Canada. This country is beyond great; we can live in peace, knowing our neighbour will not pull out his gun over some dispute, our children are safe at school, and we will not become homeless due to health care bankruptcy. Many of my fellow Canadians have no idea how lucky they/we all are. Yes, we have our problems, which country doesn’t? If we think for a split second ‘it would be great to merge with the USA’, think again. The grass is NOT greener on THAT side of the border.
Alla Marinow
Mill Bay
