Buchanan on Manifest Destiny

Contrary to what Patrick J. Buchanan (“Manifest Destiny, Northern Vision,” Op-Ed Page, April 15) would have us believe, Americans would be wasting their time by dreaming of annexing Canada. Even if the Meech Lake Accord (which would give Quebec formal recognition as a “distinct society” within Canada) is not passed, Quebec will not secede from Canada. Quebecers have voted against secession despite the absence of “distinct society” status in the past and would continue to do so in the future. The French Canadians saw how quickly big business took its investments out of Quebec when their independence movement was threatening in the 1970s. Having finally calmed businesses’ fears and smoothed out their economy Quebecers will be in no rush to cause another tremendous exodus of wealth from their province.

As far as Western Canada is concerned, if Buchanan believes that Westerners would abandon Canada because 17 million Eastern Canadians “exploit” Western resources, what makes him think that the West would join the U.S. where 250 million Americans would exploit them.

Finally, the anti-American sentiment of Canadians should not be so readily ignored. Americans hold their own nation in such high regard that they find it hard to believe that other countries wouldn’t want to be just like them (or part of them); however, Canadians who want to be annexed by the U.S. are virtually non-existent. The single greatest issue that holds Canadians together is their dislike of the States and their fear of being absorbed into it. The breakup of Canada is not imminent and U.S. expansionists will have to look elsewhere to make the 21st Century the “Second American Century.”

JEFF CORY

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada