Inviting Iceland inIn October of 2008 Iceland was undergoing a financial meltdown, and it struck me as pretty similiar to the situation in Newfoundland in the 1940's. My suggestion that Canada should offer provincehood to Iceland was the letter of the day in the National Post, it even got a pretty picture. The letter got some play:
It even looks CanadianSince the article at the National Post seems to be unavailable, here's the text they published: Iceland, in the words of its president, is facing the "very real danger" of national bankruptcy. If the situation deteriorates, Canada should invite the small island nation to join our confederation, just as we did sixty years ago with another island in the Atlantic facing bankruptcy. Canada is far larger and more economically diverse, and thus is far less likely to suffer huge shocks from a single bank failure. We also already have an existing concept of distinct "nations" within it masquerading as provinces that could accommodate Iceland. After all, Iceland is only as far away from Ottawa as Vancouver and has a largely English speaking population (and a healthy dose of French speakers) -- in fact Canada is the first choice of Icelandic emigres with thousands of them in this country. A NATO member with no army of its own, Iceland is already functionally defended in part by Canada, and would cement our claims to the Arctic as well as providing a link towards Europe. With a population almost as large as Newfoundland and larger than PEI and the territories combined, with a strong history of self sufficiency, Iceland would likely neither be a long-term drain, nor swallowed up in a melting pot. Most importantly, it's the polite thing to do. |
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