Publisher's Synopsis
Canada and the United States share 5500 miles of border and a rich history going back to the Revolutionary War. Yet Americans in general are ignorant about Canadian politics, culture, economics and even the nature of the people themselves who are often thought of as "quasi" Americans. We have established trade relations through NAFTA--$160 billion in goods flow annuallly across the Detroit/Windsor Bridge--but some of this is threatened by the election of President Donald Trump who has promised to "renegotiate" the trade relationship. (Obama had a state dinner for the new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and declared that Canada and the U.S. were "one big town." But that was then, this is now.) The possibilities for a stronger union beyond NAFTA are explored in this book and a whole chapter is devoted to one prominent dual citizen's proposal ("thought experiment") for an actual merger between the two countries, at least eventually. In the meantime, as AmeriCanada? reveals in detail, Americans can learn from Canadians whose reputation as a democracy darling around the world has been growing steadily. (The Economist cover story of November 4, 2016 was titled "Liberty Moves North".) Increasingly, Americans are considering moving northward to take advantage of Canada's liberal single payer health care system, educational facilities on par with America's, a lower crime rate, less punitive laws, a high standard of living and secure banking policies that "trumped" America's during its Great Recession. Whether moving or not, Americans can benefit from this book by learning what Canada is doing as a country to become a shining star at a time when turmoil is rocking the lower 48 states (plus two).
