Closer ties to the U.S. a mistake By Robert Radford
Nov 04 2006
The North American Union, may seem like a good thing to some people: no more currency exchange problems, no more duties and tariffs, no more hassles at the border.
But before the Canadian people allow their politicians to create this union, there are a few factors I believe should be taken into consideration.
Integrity: The United States government has repeatedly demonstrated its "right," in the best interests of the United States, to violate the terms of any agreement, constitution, convention, treaty or understanding which may exist. Are we willing to form a union with a nation which can't keep its word?
Fiscal Responsibility: The United States has a debt of over $8,570 billion and it is increasing at the rate of 1.62 billion dollars a day, far beyond its ability to ever repay, even according to the most optimistic of forecasts. Are we willing to form a union with a nation which is bankrupt?
Resource Responsibility: The United States imports two-thirds of the oil which it consumes and the dried up lakes and rivers in parts of the United States demonstrate a lack of responsibility in water resource management. Canada possesses the second-largest proven oil reserves in the world, next to Saudi Arabia, and has 10 times more water resources than the United States. Are we willing to form a union with a nation which has its eyes on our resources after misusing its own?
Social Values: Anyone who has lived and worked in the United States for a few years is well aware that there are significant differences between the moral and cultural values of those who have been born and brought up in Canada and those who have been born and brought up in the United States. For example, Canadians value multi-cultural perspectives, whereas the Americans value a cultural melting-pot. Are we willing to form a union with a nation without a clear acceptance of the differences in our sets of values?
Consideration of factors such as these may seem like common sense to you and me. But can we count on our politicians to exercise it?
Robert Radford is a Cobble Hill resident.
