The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador says he found it 'incredibly concerning' to hear senior staff from U.S. President Donald Trump’s office convey that the commander-in-chief is 'very serious' when he talks about annexing Canada.
Actually, if this rhetoric gets much worse, I’ll be in favor of a succession “dead man’s clause”. We could put forward a referendum question on the next state ballot to explicitly ask the public, a question something like “In the event that the federal government were to declare war on Canada, or demand territory from Canada, or assume control of Canadian territory or engage in military action against Canadian forces or civilians, are you in favor of recognizing federal authority to make such actions, or conversely, are you in favor of denying that authority and refusing to participate in or support any such actions.”
I mean, that’s just off the cuff, you would of course still need to get real specific with all the language and make it absolutely clear what a yes vote or no vote does. But if states ran referendums like that, it would make it exceedingly clear to our governors and sensors where the public’s opinions fall, and what their duty should be. And so then if something that truly idiotic were to happen, we’d all be prepared.
Why not secede?
Actually, if this rhetoric gets much worse, I’ll be in favor of a succession “dead man’s clause”. We could put forward a referendum question on the next state ballot to explicitly ask the public, a question something like “In the event that the federal government were to declare war on Canada, or demand territory from Canada, or assume control of Canadian territory or engage in military action against Canadian forces or civilians, are you in favor of recognizing federal authority to make such actions, or conversely, are you in favor of denying that authority and refusing to participate in or support any such actions.”
I mean, that’s just off the cuff, you would of course still need to get real specific with all the language and make it absolutely clear what a yes vote or no vote does. But if states ran referendums like that, it would make it exceedingly clear to our governors and sensors where the public’s opinions fall, and what their duty should be. And so then if something that truly idiotic were to happen, we’d all be prepared.