Time for a truce between nationalist and internationalist Canadians?
On the one hand we have the nationalists. They oppose immigration and free trade and want to assimilate everyone or at least give the dominant ethnic groups an advantage (Indian Act, Official Lannguages Act, separate school system, Bill101, etc.).
On the other hand we have the internationalists. They want open borders, meaning a more liberal trade and immigration policy, more liberal language and ethnic policy, etc.
Some political parties lean more towards the one, others more towards the other, probably all presenting a mixed bag to try to win the broadest spectrum of votes. Canadian policy shifts every four years to ten years between a more nationalist one to a more internationalist one and back like a seesaw, both sides always fighting over it.
So, would it be possible to try to satisfy all sides by providing both? For example, supposing that the port cities of Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver should be classified as International Cities. In short, Canada's language, trade and immigration policies would not apply there. Anyone with a valid passport could do business or work there in any language and import and export anything he wants short of what is sanctioned by the UN. These cities would also be free to negotiate free trade and common labour market agreements with other states.
When Parliament would vote on language, trade and immigration laws, the MP's representing these cities would not be allowed to vote and the rest of Canada would be free to adopt the strictest language, trade, and immigration laws if that's what they want. They could even ban the niqab if they want.
This way old stock Canadians who just want to live among other old stock Canadians could just move out of these cities to the rest of Canada where immigrants could no longer bother them.
Those who want to profit from a more open market could just move to the international cities and so not be bothered by the those among the old stock who refuse to associate with them.
We could even consider establishing 'National Cities' that would be allowed to raise tariffs and quotas and block immigration to their heart's content even beyond what other cities require.
This all Canadians could have their way.
On the one hand we have the nationalists. They oppose immigration and free trade and want to assimilate everyone or at least give the dominant ethnic groups an advantage (Indian Act, Official Lannguages Act, separate school system, Bill101, etc.).
On the other hand we have the internationalists. They want open borders, meaning a more liberal trade and immigration policy, more liberal language and ethnic policy, etc.
Some political parties lean more towards the one, others more towards the other, probably all presenting a mixed bag to try to win the broadest spectrum of votes. Canadian policy shifts every four years to ten years between a more nationalist one to a more internationalist one and back like a seesaw, both sides always fighting over it.
So, would it be possible to try to satisfy all sides by providing both? For example, supposing that the port cities of Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver should be classified as International Cities. In short, Canada's language, trade and immigration policies would not apply there. Anyone with a valid passport could do business or work there in any language and import and export anything he wants short of what is sanctioned by the UN. These cities would also be free to negotiate free trade and common labour market agreements with other states.
When Parliament would vote on language, trade and immigration laws, the MP's representing these cities would not be allowed to vote and the rest of Canada would be free to adopt the strictest language, trade, and immigration laws if that's what they want. They could even ban the niqab if they want.
This way old stock Canadians who just want to live among other old stock Canadians could just move out of these cities to the rest of Canada where immigrants could no longer bother them.
Those who want to profit from a more open market could just move to the international cities and so not be bothered by the those among the old stock who refuse to associate with them.
We could even consider establishing 'National Cities' that would be allowed to raise tariffs and quotas and block immigration to their heart's content even beyond what other cities require.
This all Canadians could have their way.
