Public Media from Michigan State University

“Oh say, can you see…We stand on guard for thee”: exploring a hypothetical US-Canada merger

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The United States and Canada face a lot of problems, but getting along with each other, for the most part, isn’t one of them. Canada is our biggest trading partner, the border is long and mostly safe, and millions of Americans and Canadians live and work in each other’s countries. But could America and Canada be even closer?A prominent Canadian writer is promoting a bold linkage between the U.S. and our neighbors to the north. Diane Francis says it’s time for us to rethink that.

Francis calls herself a “merger”. Born and raised in Chicago, she married a Canadian at the age of 19 and has lived in Canada ever since. She’s based in Toronto where she’s editor-at-large for the Financial Post, but she keeps a place in Manhattan. Francis has written a book suggesting a merger between allies. It’s called “Merger of the Century: Why Canada and America Should Become One Country”.

She tells Current State that with Russia and China looming around us, the U.S. and Canada need each other economically.

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Scott Pohl is a general assignment news reporter and produces news features and interviews. He is also an alternate local host on NPR's "Morning Edition."