OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a letter regarding President Trump's claims of annexing Canada and making it the 51st state.
Everything that was said about the U.S. constitution, the Canadian constitution is absolutely correct and true.
However, in the grand scheme of things in regards to Mr. Trump's current presidency, constitutional law has very little bearing on his decisions. He has demonstrated a clear lack of respect for the rule of law both domestically and on the world stage. To suggest that such limitations would deter him from his goals, is on its face not logically sound reasoning.
First of all, the U.S. is mirroring Russia in their goals. All these things that Mr. Trump is doing are very similar to what Putin did before invading the Ukrain. While the Ukraine was isolated from the protection from Europe being outside the EU, and NATO, Canada is isolated from any possible assistance from our allies geographically.
If the United States were to invade, Europe is too far away to mount a defence for us, and likely would have a lot on its plate from pressures over Greenland, and from stern warnings about interfering from Russia (risking a global shooting war). Economic sanctions would have very little impact. We would likely be on our own.
Trump used some very specific language in his inauguration speech, most notably the phrase Manifest Destiny, the belief that North America was given to the American nation by God.
By invoking this phrase, Donald Trump is attempting to re-ignite this belief. If Canada were taken by the U.S. we would not be “a state”, but a “protectorate”, similar to Puerto Rico. Trump does not need to declare war, only Congress can declare war. He can take a military action, (similar to Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and the Gulf War)
Make no mistake, the Canadian people are of no interest at all to Trump; he wants the water and rare earth minerals inside our borders. This is the issue that is forgotten, all the rhetoric is not aimed at our culture, or our lifestyle, but our land. The cost of him getting it would be our culture, our way of life.
I know that we like to think that legal protections in both countries would be a safeguard, but Donald Trump himself (on Truth Social) has said. “He who saves his country, violates no law” a quote from Napoleon. Donald Trump sees imperial expansionism as a way to save his country.
Brad Johnston
Orillia
