Why Would We Want Canada?

A split image of the U.S. and Canadian flags waving side by side, symbolizing the debate over Canada potentially becoming America’s 51st state.
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There is something inherently amusing about the notion that the United States might endeavor to annex Canada. Not amusing in a laugh-out-loud way, but rather in the way that one might find an eccentric uncle at Thanksgiving proposing, with great sincerity, that we all invest in ostrich farming. There is a certain charm in the audacity of it, a cocktail-party kind of idea that, when examined with any level of seriousness, collapses like a poorly baked soufflé.

This is absurd for so many reasons that one can only wonder if he who proposes such nonsense has an affinity for self-inflicted injury and ridicule. And yet, here we are.

The appeal of such a proposal, if one squints hard enough, might lie in its surface-level plausibility. Canada, after all, is our quiet, well-mannered neighbor. We share a language, a border, a fondness for ice hockey, and, to a significant extent, an economy. Our cultures overlap in ways that make the prospect of union not entirely preposterous. But, like most things that seem simple at first blush, the idea of Canada as America’s 51st state quickly becomes a quagmire of logistical, financial, and political problems.

To begin with, let us consider the economic matter. The standard of living in Canada is, to the untrained eye, comparable to that of the United States. A casual observer, wandering the streets of Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal, would find many of the familiar trappings of an affluent society: well-dressed citizens, a bustling financial sector, high-end restaurants serving plates of exquisite—but inexplicably small—food. But beneath this veneer lies an economic reality that should give any would-be annexationist pause.

Canada’s per capita GDP stands at roughly $48,000, which is to say, lower than that of every U.S. state except Mississippi. If Canada were absorbed into the United States, it would instantly become one of our poorest states—a dubious distinction for a nation that prides itself on being one of the world’s most developed. This should be cause for concern. One does not often seek out financial anchors to tie to one’s own already overburdened ship, and yet that is precisely what this proposal would entail.

And then there is the small matter of debt. Canada is not, shall we say, a fiscally restrained nation. Its total government debt, once we tally up federal, provincial, and local obligations, exceeds $3 trillion CAD. To put it plainly: this is not pocket change. And that doesn’t even include the ongoing costs of their entitlement state. The United States, of course, is no stranger to debt, but one wonders why we would voluntarily take on the financial burdens of another country, especially one with an economic philosophy that can best be described as “generous with other people’s money.”

But if the economic concerns are serious, the political implications are downright disastrous. It is no secret that Canada leans to the left. One need only spend an evening in a Toronto café, eavesdropping on the local intelligentsia, to hear earnest discussions of government-run healthcare, climate policy, and the virtues of a well-regulated society. If Canada were to become a state, it would bring with it millions of voters who would, without hesitation, swell the ranks of the Democratic Party. Two new Democratic senators would be a certainty, as would an influx of left-leaning congressmen and electoral votes to represent their 40 million people, a population that would make it our largest state. In short, we would basically be bringing in a new California, but without the warm weather or wealth. For conservatives, this is the political equivalent of inviting a bear into your tent and then being shocked when it starts eating your provisions.

The idea, then, of full annexation should be set aside with a polite chuckle and a gentle pat on the head of whoever suggested it. But this is not to say that closer economic integration is without merit. A far more intriguing—and far less ruinous—proposal would be for Canada to abandon its own currency and adopt the U.S. dollar. This, at least, would provide tangible benefits without the ruinous consequences of full statehood.

Canada already sends 77% of its exports to the United States, a level of dependency that suggests its economic fate is already tied, inextricably, to ours. Adopting the U.S. dollar would eliminate exchange rate volatility, reduce transaction costs, and further strengthen the dollar on the world stage. A stronger dollar, in turn, means greater purchasing power and lower inflation—a welcome development for Americans who have spent the past few years watching their grocery bills spiral ever upward.

Of course, even this proposal would be met with resistance. Canadians, though polite, are fiercely proud of their sovereignty, and the thought of surrendering their currency to the United States would no doubt provoke much hand-wringing and a flurry of editorial columns in The Globe and Mail. But if the goal is economic efficiency, rather than political theater, dollarization makes infinitely more sense than annexation.

In the end, we must return to first principles. The United States is a nation built on self-reliance, on a belief that prosperity is earned rather than distributed by the state. Canada, whatever its virtues, does not share this ethos. It is a nation that has long embraced a different social contract—one in which the government assumes the role of caretaker, provider, and benevolent overseer.

And so, to those still enchanted by the notion of Canada as our 51st state, I would gently suggest they consider what, exactly, they are proposing. To inherit a mountain of debt, to shoulder the costs of a sprawling welfare state, to absorb a political culture that would tip the balance of power permanently leftward—all in exchange for what, precisely? A larger map? A diplomatic oddity? A fleeting sense of geopolitical novelty? The United States has prospered not by accumulating burdens but by shedding them, not by enlarging its obligations but by refining them. To annex Canada would be to embrace a project of magnificent folly, a costly, cumbersome, and entirely unnecessary act of self-immolation. No, let Canada remain where it is—familiar, friendly, and, above all, foreign.