Canada

I never thought of myself as a very nationalistic person. I know of the excesses of nationalism and how it can drive people unjustifiably angry. While I swore no allegiance to Canada, I like my country very much. I think the history of my country is fascinating and woefully underappreciated by the people that, by birth or by choice, inhabit it. We have, as of March 2025, the world’s ninth largest economy. We are the second biggest nation, and while a lot of the land goes unused, the land that we do live on is hauntingly beautiful. Canada has served as a vehicle to collect and renovate some of the finest cultures on this Earth, and if any other path was taken down by chance or by circumstance, it wouldn’t have been the same. Not as beautiful, not as prestigious, not as interesting. I believe that, despite some of the wrong that Canada did, the world has been made better with Canada’s existence. It is a fine country.

Today, I am appalled at how many people are trying to clamp down their fangs into Canada’s neck, both at home and abroad. My American friends, whom for quite some time lived the virtues of nationalism and pride in one’s country, has decided that Canada was no longer meant to be, other than integrated as yet another set of states. At first, it was all a joke—the President is just joking, of course—as the President likes to be funny at times and take his position less seriously. Then, as he repeated his desires again, it slowly transitioned from a joke to something “Canada should look into”. I no longer possessed agency in what my country was meant to be, because when the United States lifts a finger and declares that Canada’s right to exist shall be reassessed, we are expected to follow up and commit to some nebulous referendum.

My friends do not know that going from “a joke” to an inevitability, prompted entirely by nothing more but the ramblings of a foreign administration, is in itself horrible. They distance themselves from their support of the horrifying reality of annexation by asserting that Canada will have a choice in the matter, or that they at least wish Canada will have a choice in the matter. What they do not realize is they have, in that very statement, asserted what horrifies Canadians, which is that Canada will be subjected to this choice. A choice that wasn’t democratically prompted by Canadians tired of their country, but injected straight into our national politics by our neighbors in what amounts to a diplomatic spasm. “Don’t worry, Canada will be allowed to choose!” is not comforting, it is reaffirming that you intervened in the fate of our country and our national preoccupations.

But when I saught consolation from my friends of the other aisle, whom had always been critical of American foreign policy, I stood alone again. I am not allowed to defend my country’s existence because my country shouldn’t have existed to begin with, being created solely as an assembly of settler states. The colonisers are simply eating each other, so to speak. I was told that it is hypocritical for me to criticise what the United States are doing because my country has, in its history, annexed territory that didn’t belong to it, and in its place committed atrocities. Therefore, I must be indifferent to what comes next, regardless of context or severity. When Americans applies tariffs to my country, I must not care when my friends lose their jobs, or when the food banks run out, or when the immigrants that come here become unable to afford food. We must simply take it and shove it. In short, the mind of the average American has surprisingly aligned with the mind of many, many radicals.

And at home, the attitude is that of a poor beaten-down sod that has grown Stockholm syndrome. Some of those who have been supportive of the American president and desired an equivalent for Canada have of course rejected the idea of American annexation, but declared that all that will come next is entirely “of our own fault”. If we lose our jobs, that’s Canada’s fault. If we get annexed, that’s Canada’s fault. And any course of action we take to push back against this, or otherwise mitigate the consequences, short of complying with America’s demands including annexation, is wrong, torturous, and a waste of time. We pulled American alcohol from our shelves and many Canadians laughed at this, not because of some criticism of its diplomatic efficiency but because it apparently is a “weak” thing to do and it will allegedly worsen our position. When we investigated the possibility of cutting power to some northern American states, the same; wrong and ethically immoral, as if Americans hasn’t done something already wrong and ethically immoral. Rules for thee but not for me, or so they say.

It is our imperative to suffer through this. Yet, no one understands national suffering and the cleansing it accompanies. The nation—all nations—no longer understands the concept of hardship; if we have to go through a painful period, then whatever comes out of it, regardless of greatness, is never a consideration. We must avoid all pain and always take the easy, straightforward way towards leisure, comfort, and the principle of least effort. We must never face bullies and always give in if it means we won’t be hurt. We must not dare to downsize our economy for a better tomorrow, because what will happen to my seven hundred thousand dollars McMansion that I, lawful denizen of the late boomer generation, will sell for added vacation time before my children even inherits of it? Take us, dear Americans, and change our flags, our songs, even our language so that I, for a time, may continue to eat my steak and drive my RV down the lanes of a country that is no longer ours.

In Québec, many are suffering a brain short-circuit. It has never wanted annexation, including into Canada. Over three-fourths of the history we are taught has to do with our origins as a colony of France, our attempts to rebel against the British when they took over control of our land, our striving for independence culminating in the two referendums, and all the modern politics on sovereignty. The soul of Québec has incepted from the desire of independence, and yet, in the face of American annexation, all of this lost its weight. You have many Québécois overtly supporting our annexation by the United States simply because doing otherwise would be “following the rest of Canada”, or it would be weak. You have also many other Québécois that let go of their desire for an independent Québec, fulfilling their political thirst instead with a strongly united Canada; will this position hold, or will it be let go when these tensions are made away with? We are working towards breaking interprovincial trade barriers, but will you attempt to revive them when this is all done?

I’ve argued all of this with my friends, but most of them are still gripping their ideals strongly. Canadians desiring national suicide, Americans doubting the legitimacy of my country. They ping me with posts they deem funny on how crappy Canada is, how worthless our dollar is, how little and meaningless our culture is, how illegitimate and incorrect the drawn border is, how insufficient our border patrol is, how good it would be for Canada to join the United States, and all manner of bullshit they find funny. I’ve complained, but I learned that it was pointless to because it doesn’t change what they think, and they pretend that it was a nothingburger, that it’s mostly just a joke or that nothing will come to pass anyway. All of this, of course, does not last, and whenever the next X post comes up the gullet of almighty President, a new fresh opinion will develop like a Polaroid. I’ve been oft ridiculed for criticising the United States, and now I’m ridiculed for even daring to defend my country. You simply cannot satiate stubborn Americans.