Theme:
A country whose tranquil history and familiar geography have led many Americans (and Canadians too) to take the nation for granted, and thus to ignore it. But where recent events raise serious questions of national identity--and even questions as to whether Canada can continue to survive.
Sub-Theme:
As we have seen in many parts of the earth, serious political trouble nearly always has a basic geographic dimension--and Canada is no exception. But Canada illustrates some of the important ways that geography can form a backdrop for political tranquility.
Canada and the United States: some elementary remarks made necessary by Americans' monumental ignorance of Canadian affairs.
(1) The obvious reasons that Canada is important to the U.S.:
-- Simple proximity; the "miracle" of the undefended border -- Economics: Canada as market, and as source of valuable resources; a brief check-list: minerals (metallic and organic). Water. Power. Free trade.
The less obvious reasons: Canada as an Anglo-American country that has begun to solve problems that the U.S. has plainly failed to solve
-- The creation of civilized cities
-- A health care system that works
-- The precarious business of creating a multi-national state. Why the "problem of Quebec" is so important
(2) The obvious reasons that Canada finds the U.S. important--and is preoccupied with American affairs: or, how to sleep with an elephant
-- Some numbers: comparisons between Canada and the U.S. -- National area; size -- Population: size, distribution, and degree of urbanization -- American influence in Canada -- American capital in Canada -- American cultural presence: TV and Canadian nationality
Some basic facts of Canadian political organization: a brief excursion
-- Canada as independent member of the Commonwealth. The British North America Act (1867) as basic constitutional law until 1983 when the "constitution was brought home"
-- Federalism in Canada; contrasts with American forms. Quebec's special role.
-- Multi-nationalism within Canada vs US policies of assimilation; Native rights
-- Territorial status beyond the northern frontier; the idea of permanent frontier
The Making of a Fragmented Canada: the old story of the interaction of geography and history
Physical geography I: Climate, which helps explain why most Canadians live near the U.S. border
-- Canada's anecumene: "The North" and the Rockies
-- Climatic regions of the ecumene, how they differ, and how they are separated
-- The Maritimes and Newfoundland, and their strange role in contemporary Canada. Newfie jokes
-- The St. Lawrence Valley, and its similarity to New England
-- Southern Ontario, and its special position
-- The continental prairies
-- British Columbia's marine-west-coast
Physical geography II: Landforms and their geologic foundation, which help explain some of Canada's internal fragmentation. -- The Canadian Shield, an elementary fact in Canadian politics. The results: the elongate and discontinuous pattern of Canadian population. Permanent difficulties in keeping the country together. The Canadian government's use of public transportation and communication as devices to promote unity.
The emergence of Canada's contemporary human geographic patterns: an historic chronicle
(1) Early explorations in the Maritimes. Forms of settlement. Fishing, and the evolution of the Maritimes as Canada's Appalachia. Depopulation. Isolation.
(2) The French in the St. Lawrence, 1600 and after. The importance of France's early start. Who settled and who didn't, and for what reasons. Forms of settlement. Rural theocratic government, and its resemblance to Boer settlement in South Africa. How the French Revolution cut French Canada off from metropolitan France. Why the French laugh at Canadian French. Origins of the Cajuns.
(3) The American Revolution, and its overwhelming impact on Canadian affairs. Migration of the Loyalists; drawing the boundary between "Upper" and "Lower" Canada, and the persistence of the boundary to the present day. How French Canada was isolated from its only exit into Canada.
(4) The great migrations from Europe, and how they differed from similar migrations to the U.S. Selective migration of Protestant Irish and Scots.
(5) 1867: the British North America Act and Confederation. Railroad building as a political act to counter American westward expansion. (CPRR completed 1885) Quebec's special treatment within the Dominion of Canada. Support of Catholic schools in Quebec with public funds.
(6) Economic expansion--how it resembled that in the U.S., and how it differed. Wheat booms in the Prairies; minerals in the Shield.
(7) The Statute of Westminster (1931). Continuation of Quebec's special role.
(8) The new Constitution. Continuation of Quebec's special role and resentment of it.
The "New Canada"--and the emergence of Quebecois nationalism: some geographic straws in the wind.
-- Demographic changes; growth of French Canadian population. Emigration where?
-- Urbanism and modernism in traditional Quebec (and elsewhere in Canada): the spectacular growth of Canadian cities with Montreal in special position. Rise of liberal urban Catholicism. Trudeau's "new federalism." Expo (1967) and the Olympics (1976), both in Montreal, as symbolic events. Culmination of Quebecois political ambitions with the victory of the P.Q. in the Quebec provincial elections.
An independent Quebec? Failure of the 1980 "independence" referendum 60:40 the 1995 referendum by 50.5:49.5 and possible reprise. What the free trade act with the U.S. may mean. Some editorial speculations.
Canadians have generally not agreed on who they are, only on who they are not: Americans. Will that continue?
News items and miscellanea:
"After criticism by U.S., Mulroney jabs back," NYT 8Mr92, p.15 the prime minister defended Canada's new policy of relying more on UN peacekeeping activities than NATO deterrence to keep a peaceful and secure world. (!) The Canadians have a long and honorable history of contributing troops to UN peacekeeping activities.
"Canada: Nice country nice mess," The Economist 29Jn91 survey. "Even without Quebec's threat to secede, Canada would be examining its navel -- and finding it moving south to the United States...a country with a bigger identity problem than it realizes."
"Don't cry for Canada -- we'll pick up the pieces," The Washington Post, 17Jn90, outlook section. Joel Garreau, author of The Nine Nations of North America and a descendant of 10 generations of French Canadians talks (sort of) tongue in cheek about prospects of the U.S. picking up desirable pieces of our northern neighbor as it breaks up.
"Canada and the United States in the year 2092," NYT 21Oc92, p.a23 shows a tongue in cheek (sort of?) map of our part of the world a hundred years hence. Worth looking at for laughs and for more sober reflection.