"I've never seen the country so divided."
We heard this conservative talking point ad nauseam thanks in part to the parroting of the line by Canadian journalism. Those who repeat it know nothing about Canadian history.
The battle over the Constitution in 1982. The Meech Lake Accord in 1987. Quebec referenda (referendums?). Getting the single-payer health care system implemented. The FLQ in Quebec during the Quiet Revolution. Conscription during World War I and World War II.
The phrase means that Alberta and Saskatchewan are angry. No one asks the Atlantic provinces if they are angry. Manitoba is west but is usually ignored. British Columbia is west but too far west.
Alberta under Rachel Notley was upset and angry but Notley didn't use her power as premier to yell and make threats. British Columbia did hear a threat but a measured one.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, who was hiding harder and longer than Doug Ford (Ontario) during the 2019 election, popped his head out of the gopher hole to rabble along with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Yes, Alberta and Saskatchewan are angry. Their leaders are angrier. Other places in Canada are also angry. The people, not the leaders, have every right to be angry.
That anger deals with affordability, not feeling like they are being heard in the process, a lack of understanding for what they are going through in their lives. As much as the anger is legitimate in Canada, the idea that Justin Trudeau is completely to blame is shameful. The problems Canada has had were there long before 2015 and will remain for some time.
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Like the United States, Canada often pokes fun at different regions of the country. Assumptions are made about those from British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and Alberta. Some are accurate, others are tired cliches.
Americans not from California will poke fun at those from California. They will also help them out when earthquakes and wildfires happen. The difference is Americans visit California and Florida, and Texas and New York. Canadians are often frustrated because they really don't know each other. Canadians find traveling within their own country rather difficult.
Canadian airport fees have been rather high. In 2015, Canada was ranked 130th out of 138 countries in this realm, according to the World Economic Forum's Travel And Tourism Competitiveness Report. If Canadians are driving across the border to fly out of U.S. airports, they aren't flying back to other Canadian cities.
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While the Canadian dollar is weaker than the U.S. dollar and certain political concerns make traveling to the United States more problematic, Canadians still make those trips. Miami offers better weather and cheaper NHL ticket prices.
If you live in Ottawa, an airplane ticket to New York is cheaper than a trip to Calgary and a lot more tempting. If you can fly to London or Paris cheaper than to go to Halifax, guess where the luggage is going.
Canadians do drive longer distances and can see their country by car. The gas prices make that kind of a trip rather prohibitive unless relatives are involved.
Spending time in another part of Canada is helpful in terms of increased tourism and word of mouth. As an example, I've been to Calgary, Lake Louise, Banff, and Edmonton in an Alberta trip a few years back. I have lovely anecdotal stories and a few strange ones from that trip. Those memories shape my reflection of Alberta.
I've also been to the Atlantic provinces and have driven in each of them, which brings more enhanced memories of 110 km speed limits and watching out for potential moose crossings.
Canadians I talk to marvel at how much of Canada I have seen. While I haven't been able to travel as much lately, I have lots of great travel stories about Canada.
An American who travels from Des Moines to New York City might poke fun at the Big Apple but also has memories and a connection to a place where they have been.
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We praised Andrew Scheer's idea of meeting with premiers to eliminate provincial trade barriers. Scheer had noted that some Canadian businesses find trading with the U.S. and Europe easier than with their fellow provinces.
You might not like British Columbia but you might like the province if they get to drink wine from the province. Opening up trade and travel barriers will help the financial bottom line of the provinces and give a better impression of each other.
Justin Trudeau needs to meet with the premiers. The premiers need to be open and work with the prime minister without the rhetoric of anger and threats.
The regions of Canada will still squabble over equalization payments and how best to process a national pharmacare system. Ontario wine, Alberta beef, Nova Scotia lobster, and Quebec beer will help toast the differences and similarities.
map credit: Ezilon.com
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