Diane Francis’ U.S.-Canada merger idea draws negative reaction
Posted October 9, 2013 10:42 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – One of Toronto’s most prominent business knows Canadians might not support it, but she is proposing a Canada-U.S. merger in a new book that is generating a lot of buzz online.
It is being denounced as “treason” by some on social media but National Post editor-at-large Diane Francis makes a strong case for the merger in The Merger of the Century.
She said the idea is getting a lot of resistance — especially from Canadians.
“In 1985, when Donald MacDonald came out with a shocking idea and that was Canada’s only hope — free trade with the Americans — same, exact reaction.”
Francis said she explores several merger models that could address the differences between the two nations.
“You do a joint venture, you do a German reunification full-on merger where you become 13 states and then you govern together or do you move very quickly toward a European Union model?”
Francis said a true business model merger or buyout by the U.S. might mean each Canadian gets up to $500,000.
“I did a corporate investment merger model and it looks at valuing the assets — the relative assets the two populations bring.”
“That’s where I came up with the figure that Canadians are worth roughly $500,000 in assets — more than the Americans, so that would have to be somehow compensated for if it was a business merger,” she said.
A merger, Francis said, would create a giant North American economic powerhouse that can compete with the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations.
Listen to political affairs specialist John Stall’s interview with Diane Francis below:
