Back in the 1980s, before many of you were born, we had in Canada a national debate about free trade with the Americans. It became a central issue in the 1988 federal election. Opponents of free trade said that it would cost Canadian jobs and ultimately threaten Canadian sovereignty. If North America became one big integrated economy, why would it be necessary to have two countries?
In a leader’s debate in the ‘88 election, Liberal leader John Turner arguably won the debate and nearly the election when he said Canada was built on a historic east-west axis and free trade would turn that axis north-south and eventually erase the border. Proponents of a free trade agreement said there would be some disruption, but ultimately it would be a win-win for both sides of the border.
Talk of the America taking over Canada was patently silly in the modern world and was just pandering to traditional knee-jerk Canadian anti-Americanism. Given the globalization of the 90s, free trade across North America was necessary and inevitable. But that doesn’t mean the opponents were all wrong.
Jobs did go south. (Unfortunately for our American friends, they kept going south to Mexico or across the Pacific.) Today, it is often easier for a Province to trade with an American state to the south than another Province to the east or west. As for the Americans taking over, still patently silly. Yet here we are.
A PostScript to the above. While on the topic of history. Many are annoyed that Alberta seems more interested in selling oil to the Americans than standing up for our country. For the answer, suggest Googling “National Energy Program Canada”.