How much more powerful would Canada be if it had posession of Alaska?

If Britain had purchased Alaska from Russia and incorporated it with Canada what would have been the impact on Canada's development, aside from maps looking better?
 

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Canada would have almost a million extra people, be a little richer by roughly the GDP of Alaska, and would have a larger military due to having a direct 'border' with Russia. The US and Canadian militaries would be more closely integrated.

There might have been larger Anglo-Canadian expeditions into Siberia during the Russian Civil War.

The Alaska Highway and similar infrastructure would be almost exactly the same as long as the US and Canada remain close in this timeline. The natural resources from Alaska going mostly to Canadian firms than American firms mean additional investment in the rest of Canada but not by much. Knock-on butterfly effects on the development of entire industries and maybe there are a few more Canadian MNCs focused on mining and oil.

The province of Alaska would be fertile ground for the bloody expansion of Tim Horton's dominion.
 
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In reality, while it would be nice, Canada would not be any more powerful from incorporating Alaska, even as a territory (which is what it would remain as). The only thing would be oil, but even then there are other places in Canada that are not as remote in terms of oil production, and mining operations would be similar to next-door Yukon. Even with a direct border with Russia that would not change much (the US military does not have a massive buildup IOTL in Alaska as a result of Russia). So Alaska would have as much impact as Yukon, which is to say not much.
 
Canada would have almost a million extra people, be a little richer by roughly the GDP of Alaska...
I disagree. Without Alaska being America's "last frontier", there would be a lot less people moving up there. Alaska would be a backwater (or even more of a backwater depending on how you look at it) compared to OTL.
 
Alaska would be a territory, while the panhandle would probably be ceded to British Columbia at some point.

I disagree. Without Alaska being America's "last frontier", there would be a lot less people moving up there. Alaska would be a backwater (or even more of a backwater depending on how you look at it) compared to OTL.

Agreed, and even if the population remained the same, an extra 800,000 people won't make much of a difference to Canada. The population is already growing by about a million every two years already.
 
In reality, while it would be nice, Canada would not be any more powerful from incorporating Alaska, even as a territory (which is what it would remain as). The only thing would be oil, but even then there are other places in Canada that are not as remote in terms of oil production, and mining operations would be similar to next-door Yukon. Even with a direct border with Russia that would not change much (the US military does not have a massive buildup IOTL in Alaska as a result of Russia). So Alaska would have as much impact as Yukon, which is to say not much.

I think BC would be more developed without Alaska keeping it as hemmed in as it is in OTL.

I agree with those who think that Alaska would be less developed in TTL, but would it be offset by BC being stronger? I think yes, but marginally.

And it could easily be further offset by butterflies affecting the US-Canada relationship.

fasquardon
 

SwampTiger

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The ability to finance any oil/gold/mineral development of Alaska would be similar by less with Britain/Canada footing the bill. Population would be tied to the boom-bust nature of extractive economies. The Native population may be worse off. No Alaskan highway. This helps BC, but undercuts Yukon and NWT. So, a small boost, maybe.

Also, you would need to get Russia, with its historical enmity towards Britain, to sell.
 
It depends on how everything shakes out, but I could envision Alaska territory gain the Stickeen Territory in the 1850s and later the Yukon. If that happens, there's an off chance it could get provincial status along with Alberta and Saskatchewan. And if that happens, there might be an actual push for settlement and mining from the provincial government. It could be a bigger boon to Canada and make Canada an even more valuable destination for mining and oil investment. The Mackenzie Valley Pipeline may get built, and Alberta having a provincial ally that has tidewater access would make a big difference in parliament even if the population numbers are small.
 
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