Resisting Political Coercion: 51st State Rhetoric Narrative

I'd want Puerto Rico to become the 51st state of America. ~ Ricky Rossello

I don't think that the Scots are happy to drift into Britain becoming the poorest of the poor, sub-American 51st state. ~ Irvine Welsh

"The truth is that neither British nor American imperialism was or is idealistic. It has always been driven by economic or strategic interests." ~ Charley Reese

"The essence of neo-colonialism is that the State which is subject to it is, in theory, independent and has all the outward trappings of international sovereignty. In reality its economic system and thus its political policy is directed from outside." ~ Kwame Nkrumah

In recent months, political rhetoric on the part of certain American individuals has indicated that Canada would be better off as the 51st state of the United States. Although such rhetoric is easily dismissed as political theatre, its continuance gives rise to some very troubling questions regarding Canadian identity, sovereignty, and the ability of media and corporate interests to influence public opinion. By drawing on the themes of literature, Canada may find lessons from which to draw in resisting such rhetoric and asserting its independence.

These lessons form the foundation from which to counter the pressure towards Canada's inclusion in an American-led narrative of being forced economically to become the 51st state.

Canada needs to understand the strength of media narratives and take a stake in independent journalism that can push back against foreign influence. The U.S. media environment, fueled by political polarization and commercial interests, tends to narrate international relations on terms favorable to American interests. If Canada cannot take control of its own narratives, there is a risk that it will be swallowed up into a wider American perspective where economic and military integration is presented as too powerful to fight against.

Canada must beware of the narrative that poses deeper integration as an economic imperative alone, refusing the cultural and political stakes. It must emphasize instead the judicial, social, and historical distinctions that Canada's sovereignty represents.

US-American discourse on Canadian assimilation too readily casts it as a logical next step for trade agreements like NAFTA or the renegotiated Trump 2018 USMCA. Yet, such justifications frequently conceal even more profound power grabs, where "equality" is merely a precursor to sociopolitical and economic domination.

It is necessary for Canada to respond to this rhetoric by exposing its contradictions. While U.S. politicians may imply that annexation would benefit both countries, the character of American government, its healthcare, divided democracy, lower rated public education from K-12+ college, and corporate lobbying, would undermine many of the social policies Canadians hold dear.

A confident and consistent counter-narrative should underline these issues, illustrating how Canadian government, for all its faults, offers a more stable and inclusive model.

The notion of Canada as the 51st state is not a political trick, but lies more fundamentally linked to economic dominance over raw materials, oil, natural gas, and rare minerals and of course 41 million well educated people as a resource to the American economy. American business already has significant control over Canadian enterprise, and further economic reliance could undermine Canada's potential to withstand political coercion.

Canada must improve its own economic sovereignty by investing in its own industries, by expanding its trading relations beyond the U.S., and by making sure that key sectors of its economy, such as energy, technology, manufacturing, and agriculture, are in Canadian hands. The lessons from the teachings of The Grapes of Wrath are the avoidance of economic manipulation risks and the danger of corporate control of public life.

Canada needs to safeguard its political and cultural sovereignty by ensuring a robust national identity that is resistant to American assimilation. This implies promoting Indigenous self-government, bilingualism policies, and national arts initiatives that promote Canadian viewpoints. To be honest what is the Canadian identity? All the Canadian political parties provincially and federally have never promoted a Canadian identity because it's been watered down through inclusiveness of multiculturalism to a degree that it's multi-nations, multi-cultures, multi-identities, fractured within a nation-state called Canada.

Rhetoric by American politicians will minimize the danger of integration, but Canada needs to be aware that harmonizing legal and political systems with the U.S. may erode rights and liberties Canadians assume.

The idea of Canada as the 51st state is not just a political dream, but a mirror of underlying economic and ideologies that need to be actively resisted. Some of the issues are the themes of information control, economic autonomy, political accountability, and cultural sovereignty.