Evening star., 1948-07-04
Canadians
Talk Merger
Economic Alliance Is
Hot Topic in
Dominion
By Robert bunneIIe

By Robert BunneIIe
OTTAWA.-Economic union with
the United States has become a
burning topic in Canada.
Trade ties steadily are binding
the two countries closer together
Some Canadians think abolition OF
tariff walls, with free trade between
Canada and the United States, is
the logical and inevitable solution
to Canada's dollar shortage prob
lem.
Many of these are willing to con-
cede that If economic union results
in a more intimate political rela-
tionship, that's all right, too.
But others, even more vehement in
their discussions, want no part OF
economic or any other kind of union
with the United States. They want
Canada to solve its own destiny as a
sovereign nation.
Nation Polled on Subject
Canadas two most widely read
magazines, MacLean's, a semi
monthly, and New Liberty, month
ly. have just published extensive
studies of the subject.
New Liberty made a nation wide
poll on the question Of outright
union with the United States. 1t
was conducted through the Elliott
Raynes, Ltd, organization, a firm
which sometimes makes surveys for
the Canadian government. 1t
showed % per cent Of Canada's IL
million people would like to join
the United States whole hog be-
cause:
I'VE could get all kinds Of things
we can't get now-kitchen utensils,
cheap cars, cheaper clothes ..
Together we would be the greatest
nation in the world -. Canadian
artists, writer's and show people
would have greater opportunities"
Eight per cent Of the people, the
survey reported, don't know what
they want. sixty-nine per cent
indicated they didn't want to join
the United States because OF Amer
lean racial bigotry," and "obnox-
ious foreign policy" politics too
open to graft, pressure" and because
all Americans think about is the
almighty dollar" The poll, how
ever, showed 80 per cent Of the Cana
dians would like to withdraw from
the British empire for complete
independence.
The MacLean's discussion was
written by Arthur r. M. Lower,
professor of history at Queens Uni
versity, Kingston, Ontario, author OF
the best selling Canadian history,
Colony to Nation"
Prof. Lower says bluntly the real
difficulty" about Canada's considera-
ton of economic union with the
United States lis the old bogey of
annexation .. One of the first
demands that would follow a Gus
toms union would be demand for
common citizenship" From then
on Canada would be in.
Integral political union with the
United States)," Prof. Lower warned
his Canadian readers, would in
volve acceptance of the American
Constitution in its entirety, Presi-
dent, fixed terms and all. Provin-
cial rights would be rearranged
'''. The special and official place
of the French language in Canada
would disappear -. There would
be no constitutional guarantees for
separate (parochiaD schools
On the Credit Side
On the credit side, however, he
said union with the United States
would make Canadians citizens of
a great power We would be-
come members of country which is
more of a grass roots democracy
than our own. And we might
as well have the game as the name
for) we certainly incur the results
of American policy, especially its
mistakes. Union would open
big careers to Canadians"
Among the newspapers which have
discussed economic union, the Of
tawa Citizen has commented tartly
that it would mean Canada's "eco-
nomic subordination" and ultimately
"our political obliteration as great
dominion. - = No one worthy of the
name OF Canadian should de-
sire that"
On the other hand, Elmore Phil
pott, West Coast columnist, recently
wrote in the Vancouver Sun, Can
ada is either going to have to fall
back on her own resources or call
1t quits and apply for admission to
the U. S. A."
The trend OF trade increasingly
has favored closer commercial rela-
tions between Canada and the Unit
ed States since World War II. In
the IL months ended last March,
Canada sold sl,114,6Oo,00O worth of
goods and bought $1,959 800 600
worth in the United States. During
the same period she sold her mother
country, Great Britain, only s784,-
100000 worth of goods and bought
only $2l1 100000 there.
Numbers of Canadian farmers ar
que that Canada ought to stop SELL
ing its farm surplus dts major ex-
port product) to dollar-poor Britain
and sell to the United States.
Precedent for Union
They complain that low price con-
tracts and advancement of big loans