You know what the best thing for Canada [and, I suppose the States] is an open border ala Europe.
And this crap about us losing sovereignty is just that. As you probably know Quebec is a nation inside a nation and it is like ten minutes from my house and Gatineau, Quebec is more different from Ottawa, Ontario than, say, Niagara Falls, Ontario is from NFNY.
Truly open borders benefit all parties. Europe proves that.
WFDS
I'm hesitant to get into this open border debate because I strongly believe that no other Canadian government would rescind Harper's border agreement with the United States. Ignatieff may wish to talk about the loss of Canadian sovereignty and culture. I'm a cynic who doesn't believe that he, as a potential prime minister, would reverse parts or all of the agreement.
ReplyDeleteOn the cultural front, people's cultures get shaped by the things around them. I have seen the open borders between places such as France and Italy. On the French side of the border, the people are very French; on the other side, they are very Italian. One does not see an intermixed Francoitalo culture even though people cross the borders freely. In Canada, our Canadian culture(s) will adapt to the changing world society. We won't reverse our views about gay marriage just because we may get a more open border with the US and access to some of the yahoos who oppose gay marriage.
Harper's open border agreement with the US is a non-issue to me mainly because the opposition will be faking "it" as they oppose Harper's agreement. Ignatieff won't change a thing if he becomes the PM. As for my cultural identity, I need not worry about the US influence as I can take my passport and travel to Europe. It has to be about 16 years since I have been in the United States.