Thanks for this -- thought I knew it all, having lived in or spent a lot of time in all those regions, but it was great to see you line up the demographics with the geography and history. Re the 51st state business: Of course, we Canadians were amused, then appalled -- then enraged. It was fascinating to track in one's own heart the rise of nationalist fervour, which, since Canada is 'the mouse living next to the elephant', as Trudeau père said, is something we usually keep in check. But more coolly... if a unification were to happen peacefully, it would be absurd to create a state that was bigger than all the other states combined -- 13 states would make more sense, to match the number of provinces and territories. Quebec and New Brunswick would need to have French as an official language. The Electoral College would be upended -- I doubt a Republican would ever be President again. The Senate would get 26 more Senators -- 21 of them would be more 'liberal' than most Democrats. Universal publicly funded health care would be demanded.... and immediately save the USA economy money and deliver better services. Indigenous voices would be much stronger. And the Army might discover peacekeeping! Of course, if annexation were violent and unwilling -- well, the US occupations of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan might be a good guide to what would happen. Not sure if either model is attractive to USA-ers?
I agree, this wouldn't be easy... That's what Canada's hopes rely on. I think they're pretty strong, but you never know. The US is one Putin away from trying, and Canada would be easier to conquer than Ukraine... I'll explore this in the next article!
Great overview and use of maps to understand why Canadian population is located across Canada. I look forward to reading the next string of articles addressing the many interesting questions raised. Of course, one of them is particularly thorny, about the 51st state... as a naturalized Canadian myself, I've been amazed at the reaction to Trump's annexation discourse, which was first taken as a joke, then as a threat, and as a betrayal. In terms of scenarios, I agree with the comment below from Barry Stevens. Trump's approach has united Canadians (with the Liberals most likely retaining power, something unthinkable a few months ago), I do wonder about the strategy behind, like much of Trump's foreign policy.
One thing I'd like to point out in the article is this sentence, which I believe contradicts the explanations provided: "In other words: Canada’s population areas are extensions of US population areas!" Because of the current political sensitivity, I think this sentence can be misinterpreted, and I believe it is historically inaccurate, as the article demonstrates, i.e. cities in Canada were built along the St Lawrence's exploration from the Atlantic, it didn't come from the US up-north, as an extension of US cities...
I just got home from an afternoon concert of Carole King and James Taylor songs. I actually had tears in my eyes remembering the 70s when I lived in Montreal and spent time in New England. I look back on it as a magical time when America felt warm and welcoming. Canadians have so many friends and family in the U.S. Today, we don’t just ‘trade’ we have integrated our economy in a partnership of friendship. Now we mourn the broken trust and the loss of a friend.
What orange poison has entered into our hearts and minds and souls?
I hope, Tomas, as you continue your exploration of Canada you will highlight our origins - two losing peoples finding ways to live in peace. French Canada is older than the U.S. and it understood deeply that a French speaking, Catholic country could never proper in an English, protestant nation. Canada’s English population was reborn when a third of the U.S. crossed the border because it rejected the new, independent nation.
More recently, in 1867, Canada was forged as an independent nation when our southern neighbour was convulsed in its bloody and violent civil war - the first ‘modern’ war with killing on an industrial scale.
It is true the Canadian federation is fragile. We have had two peaceful referendums on Quebec’s separation - no shots were fired and French and English again found ways to continue to live in peace and prosperity. And recently, we used Truth and Reconciliation to begin a journey of peaceful accommodation with indigenous peoples.
It is true no one can ‘see’ our shared border. But I also see (with one exception) no one can ‘see’ your state borders either. So how about you turn your geographic lens to your own country? What keeps New England tied to Cascadia or Texas or Michigan? Why not new alignments all round - Canada’s eastern provinces with Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and possibly Massachusetts in a new Atlantis; B.C., Washington, Oregon and possibly California in a new Pacifica; Alaska, the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut (and yes, even Greenland) in an Arctic nation; Ontario with Michigan and Wisconsin and maybe Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, in a Great Lakes nation - a true reimagining of centuries old boundaries.
Be honest, Tomas, what keeps you together - as Trump dreams of a Monroe Doctrine 2.0 - is a partnership in domination and war. A celebration of violence from the loaded handguns on city streets to carnage across the world in never-ending American wars! A domination of the U.S. dollar, a weaponized international trading system and the imposition of crushing third-world debt.
Canada’s fragile federation is a testament to another way. That every person can be rich if he or she enjoys properly funded public services - for health, education, housing, transportation - for everything that makes life secure. That the American obsession with private wealth, impoverishment of the many for the absurd wealth of the few, for deaths of despair, massive incarceration and environmental wreckage puts Trump’s America on a path to ruin.
Whatever our geography, I reject what America has become. I want no part of it, either as a citizen of a 51st state or disenfranchised (as in Puerto Rico) or as a participant in massive environmental wreckage of Canada to feed the maw of a failing Empire.
Tomas, what orange poison has entered into your heart, mind and soul is called Evil!
It was a real revelation to see how truly French speaking it is. Its almost like a country within a country. And the city of Quebec is about the closest thing to a European city in North America. The USA will cast off this cheap buffer of a reality show president way sooner than people think 😎
I was born French and Spanish! I think Trump is dumb and the 51st state idea ridiculous! But I also thought Putin was dumb and invading Ukraine was ridiculous.
Thanks for this . As an 85+ yr old Canadian from the Toronto area I really never knew a fraction of this - and found it very interesting to dig into. I look forward to learning more.
Love the article but I believe you’re missing or softening key aspects:
1. Governmental Mismanagement:
Canada could have decentralized and expanded further north with modern technology… but bureaucratic control, cost of living, and taxation crushed northern development incentives.
2. Resource Lockdown:
Massive swaths of Canada’s land and resources are locked up in regulations, “protected areas,” indigenous land claims, and environmental red tape, deliberately limiting settlement.
3. Political and Economic Barriers:
- Canada didn’t “accidentally” end up underdeveloped north of the Shield.
- Federal policies like carbon taxes, property restrictions, anti-infrastructure regulations have frozen expansion beyond historic zones.
4. Dependency on US Trade:
The article hints at Canada being an “extension” of US settlement… but doesn’t explore how deeply dependent Canada has become on US trade routes, security guarantees, and economic frameworks.
5. Cultural Fragmentation:
- It glosses over how fractured Canada is culturally:
East = French and bureaucratic
West = Individualist and entrepreneurial
North = Indigenous dominance with political leverage but little development
6. Population vs Immigration Games:
- Canada’s housing crisis and immigration boom aren’t because of lack of land
- They’re by design to concentrate wealth, jack up urban real estate, and create a serf class dependent on the government.
Thanks for this -- thought I knew it all, having lived in or spent a lot of time in all those regions, but it was great to see you line up the demographics with the geography and history. Re the 51st state business: Of course, we Canadians were amused, then appalled -- then enraged. It was fascinating to track in one's own heart the rise of nationalist fervour, which, since Canada is 'the mouse living next to the elephant', as Trudeau père said, is something we usually keep in check. But more coolly... if a unification were to happen peacefully, it would be absurd to create a state that was bigger than all the other states combined -- 13 states would make more sense, to match the number of provinces and territories. Quebec and New Brunswick would need to have French as an official language. The Electoral College would be upended -- I doubt a Republican would ever be President again. The Senate would get 26 more Senators -- 21 of them would be more 'liberal' than most Democrats. Universal publicly funded health care would be demanded.... and immediately save the USA economy money and deliver better services. Indigenous voices would be much stronger. And the Army might discover peacekeeping! Of course, if annexation were violent and unwilling -- well, the US occupations of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan might be a good guide to what would happen. Not sure if either model is attractive to USA-ers?
I agree, this wouldn't be easy... That's what Canada's hopes rely on. I think they're pretty strong, but you never know. The US is one Putin away from trying, and Canada would be easier to conquer than Ukraine... I'll explore this in the next article!
Great overview and use of maps to understand why Canadian population is located across Canada. I look forward to reading the next string of articles addressing the many interesting questions raised. Of course, one of them is particularly thorny, about the 51st state... as a naturalized Canadian myself, I've been amazed at the reaction to Trump's annexation discourse, which was first taken as a joke, then as a threat, and as a betrayal. In terms of scenarios, I agree with the comment below from Barry Stevens. Trump's approach has united Canadians (with the Liberals most likely retaining power, something unthinkable a few months ago), I do wonder about the strategy behind, like much of Trump's foreign policy.
One thing I'd like to point out in the article is this sentence, which I believe contradicts the explanations provided: "In other words: Canada’s population areas are extensions of US population areas!" Because of the current political sensitivity, I think this sentence can be misinterpreted, and I believe it is historically inaccurate, as the article demonstrates, i.e. cities in Canada were built along the St Lawrence's exploration from the Atlantic, it didn't come from the US up-north, as an extension of US cities...
I think "extension" can be misinterpreted here. Not as "appendages that come from the US" but as "regions continuous to existing ones in the US"
I just got home from an afternoon concert of Carole King and James Taylor songs. I actually had tears in my eyes remembering the 70s when I lived in Montreal and spent time in New England. I look back on it as a magical time when America felt warm and welcoming. Canadians have so many friends and family in the U.S. Today, we don’t just ‘trade’ we have integrated our economy in a partnership of friendship. Now we mourn the broken trust and the loss of a friend.
What orange poison has entered into our hearts and minds and souls?
I hope, Tomas, as you continue your exploration of Canada you will highlight our origins - two losing peoples finding ways to live in peace. French Canada is older than the U.S. and it understood deeply that a French speaking, Catholic country could never proper in an English, protestant nation. Canada’s English population was reborn when a third of the U.S. crossed the border because it rejected the new, independent nation.
More recently, in 1867, Canada was forged as an independent nation when our southern neighbour was convulsed in its bloody and violent civil war - the first ‘modern’ war with killing on an industrial scale.
It is true the Canadian federation is fragile. We have had two peaceful referendums on Quebec’s separation - no shots were fired and French and English again found ways to continue to live in peace and prosperity. And recently, we used Truth and Reconciliation to begin a journey of peaceful accommodation with indigenous peoples.
It is true no one can ‘see’ our shared border. But I also see (with one exception) no one can ‘see’ your state borders either. So how about you turn your geographic lens to your own country? What keeps New England tied to Cascadia or Texas or Michigan? Why not new alignments all round - Canada’s eastern provinces with Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and possibly Massachusetts in a new Atlantis; B.C., Washington, Oregon and possibly California in a new Pacifica; Alaska, the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut (and yes, even Greenland) in an Arctic nation; Ontario with Michigan and Wisconsin and maybe Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, in a Great Lakes nation - a true reimagining of centuries old boundaries.
Be honest, Tomas, what keeps you together - as Trump dreams of a Monroe Doctrine 2.0 - is a partnership in domination and war. A celebration of violence from the loaded handguns on city streets to carnage across the world in never-ending American wars! A domination of the U.S. dollar, a weaponized international trading system and the imposition of crushing third-world debt.
Canada’s fragile federation is a testament to another way. That every person can be rich if he or she enjoys properly funded public services - for health, education, housing, transportation - for everything that makes life secure. That the American obsession with private wealth, impoverishment of the many for the absurd wealth of the few, for deaths of despair, massive incarceration and environmental wreckage puts Trump’s America on a path to ruin.
Whatever our geography, I reject what America has become. I want no part of it, either as a citizen of a 51st state or disenfranchised (as in Puerto Rico) or as a participant in massive environmental wreckage of Canada to feed the maw of a failing Empire.
Tomas, what orange poison has entered into your heart, mind and soul is called Evil!
I love Canada but especially Quebec .
It was a real revelation to see how truly French speaking it is. Its almost like a country within a country. And the city of Quebec is about the closest thing to a European city in North America. The USA will cast off this cheap buffer of a reality show president way sooner than people think 😎
I was born French and Spanish! I think Trump is dumb and the 51st state idea ridiculous! But I also thought Putin was dumb and invading Ukraine was ridiculous.
Another great article!!
Thanks for this . As an 85+ yr old Canadian from the Toronto area I really never knew a fraction of this - and found it very interesting to dig into. I look forward to learning more.
The night light shots clearly tell quite tale.
Ron Sinclair
Love the article but I believe you’re missing or softening key aspects:
1. Governmental Mismanagement:
Canada could have decentralized and expanded further north with modern technology… but bureaucratic control, cost of living, and taxation crushed northern development incentives.
2. Resource Lockdown:
Massive swaths of Canada’s land and resources are locked up in regulations, “protected areas,” indigenous land claims, and environmental red tape, deliberately limiting settlement.
3. Political and Economic Barriers:
- Canada didn’t “accidentally” end up underdeveloped north of the Shield.
- Federal policies like carbon taxes, property restrictions, anti-infrastructure regulations have frozen expansion beyond historic zones.
4. Dependency on US Trade:
The article hints at Canada being an “extension” of US settlement… but doesn’t explore how deeply dependent Canada has become on US trade routes, security guarantees, and economic frameworks.
5. Cultural Fragmentation:
- It glosses over how fractured Canada is culturally:
East = French and bureaucratic
West = Individualist and entrepreneurial
North = Indigenous dominance with political leverage but little development
6. Population vs Immigration Games:
- Canada’s housing crisis and immigration boom aren’t because of lack of land
- They’re by design to concentrate wealth, jack up urban real estate, and create a serf class dependent on the government.
Very interesting indeed. Will touch on some of these!
Adam Tooze has a complementary post on Canada in his Chartbook Substack today. Good stuff from both of you.
Ah thank you, will read and incorporate!
Beautifully written as always!
Shhhh the US administration is night overhear 😎
Because it's so fucking cold in the north?
Loved it Tomas, also we just spent two weeks in Córdoba, a blast.
Thanks-very interesting. I’ve spent time in Ontario but never realized the bigger picture.
TL; DR: cold.