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From BBC North America:
As Scotland pushes for a second referendum on independence, one man is asking the previously unthinkable - if you're going to quit the UK, why not join Canada?
As Scotland pushes for a second referendum on independence, one man is asking the previously unthinkable - if you're going to quit the UK, why not join Canada?
Canadian writer Ken McGoogan says the unorthodox alliance makes sense.
"I think it would be terrific for both Scotland and Canada,"
he says.
McGoogan first laid out his proposal in an opinion piece published in Canadian
newspaper the Globe and Mail, where he argued that advancements
in telecommunication technology and transatlantic travel have rendered pesky
things like geographical boundaries "irrelevant".
Besides, he points out, Scotland is closer to Newfoundland than Hawaii
is to California.
Last week, the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of asking the UK
government to allow a legally-binding referendum on independence.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said the vote should wait until after
Brexit.
Mr McGoogan says he sympathises with the angst that many Scots are
feeling over Britain's decision to leave the EU.
"The Scots aren't happy right now, and I don't think they're being
treated especially well."
Mr McGoogan says that if Scotland were to join Canada, it would enjoy a
lot more independence and hold a lot more power than it currently does with
Great Britain.
Scotland would be Canada's third largest province, with 5.3 million
people, which would give it significant political sway. Add to that the
millions of Canadians who, like Mr McGoogan, have Scottish ancestry, and you'd
have a national-ethnic bloc about 10m strong, he reasons.
More importantly, Canadian provinces are in charge of more aspects of
governance than Scotland has been afforded as part of the UK.
Canadian provinces are in charge of their own courts, health-care,
systems and educational institutions. Some provinces also have their own
immigration programmes, a fact that has already piqued the interest of a number
of British and Scottish MPs.
Brexit "would never happen in Canada," Mr McGoogan argues,
without the permission of all the provinces.
But the arrangement wouldn't only benefit Scotland, he argues. By making
Scotland Canada's 11th province, Canada would gain a foothold in Europe. Far
from abandoning any future Scottish bid for the EU, Mr McGoogan argues that
Scotland could apply to join with Canada.
Mr McGoogan's ideas may shock some, and would certainly require years of
back-and-forth negotiations with both Scotland and the UK, he readily admits.
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