With regard to joining Canada, Joseph Howe warned “Confederation with Canada would, if adopted, deprive the people of Nova Scotia of the inestimable privilege of self-government, and of their rights, liberty and independence, rob them of their revenue, take from them the regulation of trade and taxation, expose them to arbitrary taxation by a legislature over which they have no control, and in which they would possess but a nominal and entirely ineffective representation; deprive them of their invaluable fisheries, railways and other property, and reduce this hitherto free, happy and self-governed province to a degraded condition of a servile dependency of Canada.”
After all the revisionist Upper Canadian 1812 propaganda Nova Scotians’ suffered through this past summer, I fear Howe couldn’t have been any more correct.
We should be listening to Howe now more than ever and distancing ourselves as much as possible from an irrelevant country that has had its back turned towards us since before day one. We were once referred to as the 14th colony, an opportunity that would have led us to much immigration, wealth and opportunity. Nova Scotia should be actively working to restore our links with our southern neighbours—our future prosperity depends on it. —Dartmouthy
This article appears in Nov 1-7, 2012.
I think you’ve got a tough sell on this one, Dartmouthy
Why would any self-respecting American politician touch us with a 10 foot pole. They don’t need another West Virginia, even if it does come with beachfront property.
we could hook up with maine, they have lobsters too
What’s the lousiest road in this province? We could ask
LL Bean to open a factory outlet at the very end of it.^^
Love your avatar Painey. ♥
thanks, the dog’s name was gander
weakness for newfies….did you see the sweetheart on nsldn?
The only thing I want from our southern neighbors is perhaps a Denny’s and/or IHOP.
i’d like obama, if they don’t want him. and a southern slam from denny’s. yep. love that white gravy .
yes good dog, did you see the great dane? she has my name but don’t tell anyone. never had one of these http://www.gophoto.it/view.php?i=http ://d2tq98mqfjyz2l.cloudfront.net/image_cache/1308295448514454.gif#.UJgFiGlxtJE
http://www.gophoto.it/view.php?i=http ://d2tq98mqfjyz2l.cloudfront.net/image_cache/1308295448514454.gif#.UJgF6GlxtJE
ffs third one down http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/get-the-munch…
While I do agree with you Dartmouthy … & look at the fast one pulled on Newfoundlanders in the 40’s when they “voted to join” Canada!
I’ve got friends over there who call Canada Day , the day of shame.
But in reguards to your idea to join the Facist States of America … I’d rather see us join with Iceland or even better the Turks & Caicos Islands ~:)
nice sleek girlie there. chum is the spit of my molly. i spend half my time at the computer bawling.
you to eh? hows about bermuda mr more?
no bermuda. (you think peninsula rents are high? )let’s get the caymans, half canuck now anyway.
best tropical island in the world? anguilla!
I like Rick Mercer’s idea of “Canuba”, we’d have the States surrounded 🙂
“A LITTLE HISTORY”
“We should be listening to Howe now more than ever and distancing ourselves as much as possible from an irrelevant country that has turned its back toward us since before day one.” Dartmouthy
If Nova Scotians should be listening to Howe now more than ever then they would not be distancing themselves from “an irrelevant country” as Dartmouthy suggests but rather, on the contrary, giving it their full support. The quotation is from Howe’s anti-Confederationist speech of 1868 during the so-called “Confederation Debates” in the Parliament of Canada but he quickly changed his tune when he saw which side his bread was buttered on. He promptly accepted a cabinet post in John A. Macdonald’s government.
Does that tell us anything about Howe? Maybe. Does it tell us anything about Nova Scotians? Perhaps. But what it does tell us, unambiguously, is that Dartmouthy’s “a little history” is a dangerous thing.
Only one question: Is the phrase “before day one” coherent? What can it possibly mean? Day zero?
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
I’d rather clean up my own house than suck up to a selfish, overbearing neighbour to try and live in theirs.
they only love us because we have oil and water, and poutine
poutine and girls with chainsaws! (but i can’t find the image i want)
that’s a tall order good dog
i guess the old boy knew what he talking about. too bad we didn’t listen way back then.
I’m not a big fan of Bermuda Painy …I like the DR & Jamaica ,& lets not forget my trip to Hawaii great beaches, mountains & valleys … I found Bermuda to be like sable island …only warmer !
it’s not very far south, and like mad molly said, it’s expensive. even though it’s not particularly warm, i say we take alaska, we could sneak in by way of the beaufort sea
bermuda like sable island? well yes, there are a couple of sad worn out horses hauling the damn tourists around, but i would choose sable island any day over bermuda. bda’s way too crowded. and friggin cold in the winter. i had to buy a down quilt. busses are cute though.
moloka’i is nice. not touristy. helps to have the leprosy colony there. we should take alaska anyway. i believe it’s already quite ‘attached’ to us!
alaska should be a province, good sized border. i’ve never been to sable island
zZz, you forgot Popeye’s Louisiana Fried Chicken. NS had two choices, Canada or the US, we made the right choice.
we drove down to florida many times with the folks, all i can remember are stucky pecan logs and south of the border
Nova Scotia join those clowns? The US of A? I’d rather join Antarctica.The U.S. is an imperialist war-mongering nation. I don’t mind Americans but I despise their government and a lot of their culture. Joe Howe can get knotted.
montrealman”Only one question: Is the phrase “before day one” coherent? What can it possibly mean? Day zero?”
I’m not sure if it was coherent, lol, probably not. What I meant was that before the domineering nature of Upper Canada and Canada today, we had England. Instead of fighting for something, we just sort of rolled over and took it, but from the “losing” side, Canada.
They didn’t celebrate “Dominion Day” In Dartmouth until around the turn of the century, and even then real patriotism was pretty pale. It wouldn’t take much to peel the thin veneer of Canada away from Nova Scotia. The actions of Canada’s style of federalism on this place are apparent, just look around.
So we joined Canada, but it is still the United States who runs the show. Except we watch from a lesser status than even Puerto Rico, which at least during this election may vote themselves congressional representation. What do we get again? The ships Contract and a few federal offices which are almost gone? The railway 3 days a week? An airport that pays exhorbidant rent and taxes to the feds just for the right to be an airport in this country?
We are dominated by the United States, whether we’re a part of America or Canada. Our economy depends on America, and always will. Wouldn’t it be better to have a vote with them, and an interstate highway lol and proper infrastructure – than what we’ve got now? Don’t they kinda want more blue states?? lol.
If we wanted, the Articles of Confederation do still guarantee us access. Are those still legally binding or possible I have no idea I’m no constitutional scholar or lawyer. Certainly from a trade perspective, we should be looking to New England more than we are and harmonizing regulations whenever possible. They were our true buddies, not “Canada”…
I’d say we should join Quebec but then we’d be excluded from playing McDonald’s monopoly…
1 in 4 is a winner! Downside is you may have to actually purchase 4 things or more to get something free…. ug.
Cuba’s nice but some of their rules are crazy there.
I vote Bahamas…. that way we can go to atlantis and ride the crazy sharky waterslide.
Nova Scotia deserves a decent waterslide.
let’s not forget greenland, we could share pickled fish recipes with the danes
RSVP
: Dartmouthy (11/06, 4:45PM)
Unfortunately the “points” you raised for Nova Scotia separating from Canada have little more coherence than your reference to “the day before day one,” i.e., none. A quick review will show that your post is little more than a combination of unsupported generalizations and/or simple incoherence.
1. “Instead of fighting for something, we just sort of rolled over and took it, but from the ‘losing side,’ Canada.”
What can that sentence possibly mean? What are you talking about? Fighting for what? Just “sort of rolled over”? The “losing side?” Try supporting your empty claims with a modicum of evidence, a scintilla of explanation.
2. “The actions of Canada’s style of federalism on this place are apparent, just look around.” What are you talking about? What “style of federalism.” Okay, let’s “just look around.” What do we see? Who knows? You don’t seem to have any idea.
3. “What do we get again”? Well, the “ships Contract” saved the Halifax Shipyards, that’s what. What “federal offices” are “almost gone?” What are you talking about? The daily railway is Nova Scotia’s economic lifeline after, that is, hefty equalization payments from Ottawa. An airport that pays “exhorbidant” rent & taxes? What are you talking about? The federal government OWNS all major Canadian airports.
4. “Our economy depends on America and always will.” What are you talking about? Do you mean the Nova Scotian economy? That is just false. Nova Scotia’s economy depends on Canada. Do you mean the Canadian economy? Canada and the US are the world’s largest trading partners but to say that the former “depends” on the latter is to distort the relationship.
5. “If we wanted, the Articles of Confederation do still guarantee access.” What are you talking about? By the “Articles of Confederation” do you mean the sections of the British North America Act? Will you explain how the BNA Act “guarantees access” to the US? That is just incoherent. What are you talking about?
6. Yes, I can see that you are no constitutional scholar or lawyer. That is abundantly clear. If you were you would know that Canada already has “harmonized trade relations” with the US. It’s called NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. So, for the last time, what are you talking about?
As I say, your post is little more than a combination of unsupported generalizations and/or incoherence. Like knowledge, a little history is a dangerous thing.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution.
http://www.usconstitution.net/articles.htm…
“Canada acceding to this confederation, and adjoining in the measures of the united States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this union; but no other colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine States.”
RSVP
:Dartmouthy (11/07, 12:44PM)
It was unclear what you meant by “The Articles of Confederation” in your previous post since, while the US like Canada is a federation, it is not, unlike Canada, normally referred to as a “Confederation”.
The fact is that British North America was an integral part of the British Empire – indeed, Nova Scotia in general and Halifax in particular were the heavily fortified military outposts of that Empire in North America after the fall of Louisbourg in 1758 and Quebec in 1759. The passage of the Quebec Act in 1774 which guaranteed the largely French population of British North America their language, laws and religion, erased their fears of assimilation into the United States and secured their loyalty. To suppose that they would then seek admission to the Thirteen Colonies is absurd. The reference to Canada’s admission in “The Articles of Confederation” was just a bit of hopeful kite-flying by the Americans.
Indeed, those in the US who were in doubt about this quickly changed their minds after the defeat of the American Revolutionary army after their unprovoked attack on Quebec when they briefly occupied Montreal (1776-7). Their change of mind was confirmed by their subsequent defeat in the War of 1812 when, once again, they attacked British North America and had the White House burned down for their pains. In view of the past history of Canadian-American relations your suggestion that Nova Scotia should now apply for admission to the US in 2012 is, in addition to the points I raised in my previous post, equally absurd.
Like a little knowledge in general, a little knowledge of history is a dangerous thing.
A pleasure as always.
Cheerio!