North American Union will be the triumph of Manifest Destiny by stealth and end of Canada as a nation: European Union is composed of many small and big nations and not dominated by one single nation
Ottawa - Wednesday, June 6, 2007 - by: Mahmood Elahi
	While criticising people like Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians, Robert Pastor, director of the Center for North American Studies, (Fear-mongers blocking closer Canada-U.S. ties: expert ) fails to understand legitimiate concerns of smaller partners. The European Union is usually cited as an instance of a successful economic union of various Euroepan nations. But the European Union is basically the outcome of a desire to permanently put an end to nationalistic wars which led to two World Wars and economic cooperation is seen as a way to unite the European nations peacefully what Roman Legions, Napoleon's Grand Army and Hitler's Panzers had failed to achieve by force.
	The EU is also composed of many big and small nations which will not allow any single country to dominate. Germany's 80 million people are boradly matched by Britain's 60 million, France's 59 million and Italy's 60 million. This ensures that no single nation can dominate the EU. On the other hand, in any North American Union, the United States, with its 300 million people as opposed to Canada's 30 million and Mexico's less than 100 million, will completely dominate the union.
	Moreover, unlike wars between European nations, North American nations never faced such warfares on any massive scale. The military conflicts among North American nations belong to a bygone era and there is no fear of any future military conlict between North American countries. As regards facing competition from China and India, Canada dosn't face the same sort of competition from these countries. While the United States is running a huge trade deficit in its trade with China, Canada is actually a beneficiary from the Chinese economic growth. With its vast natural resources, Canada has been making windfall gains from rising demands from China. Canada, with its vast natural resources and a tiny population, will always remain an exporter of natural resources to China. In this regard, Canada resembles Australia which is booming because of huge demands of its natural resources from the growing Chinese economy.
	However, in the final analysis, it is Canada's future as an indepedent nation which is at stake. Since the inception, Canada has been facing the integrative pull from the United States. It may be recalled that on January 1866, the Chicago Tribune wrote: "The Canadians will stay out in the cold for a few years and try all sorts of expedients, but in the end will be constrained to knock for admission into the Great Republic." Mr. Pastor may be making a similar sort of argument in the guise of economic convenience. The danger today is that his ideas may be shared by some Canadians as well.
	Mahmood Elahi
References:
Ward, John, Fear-mongers blocking closer Canada-U.S. ties: expert (pdf) June 4, 2007, Canadian Press
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