AHC: Canada as the Premier Nation of North America

Could Alaskan annexation by Canada (and/or Britain to be turned over to the dominion) help drive immigration and settlement along the West coast. Also assuming for good measure that they find the mineral wealth very shortly thereafter.

Look at current Alaska- it doesn't have much population to begin with. The Klondike Gold Rush was in Canada and it didn't drive a significant long-term permanent population explosion. Mineral wealth doesn't make you a super power, though it doesn't hurt and can help with other things. Saudi Arabia and Iran aren't super powers but the oil does help them have a military and soft power larger than they'd have otherwise. Canada already has significant oil and mineral wealth, Alaska won't change much.
 
Here's my way of dramatizing the question: Have not the "man at right" but the "man second from right" be the "unidentified" one :D

UnknownCanadian.jpg
 

TFSmith121

Banned
How about this one?

Here's my way of dramatizing the question: Have not the "man at right" but the "man second from right" be the "unidentified" one :D

How about this one (thanks to UT):

e_kd_0012.jpg


Realistically, considering geographic claims, climate, and population growth (historically and potentially) Mexico - or some successor to New Spain - has a better chance at dominating North America than Canada - or some successor to British North America/New France - ever would have...

"Canada" as we understand it today (or anything that could be construed as a "Canada" that anyone would recognize, as opposed to Greater BNA or Le Grande France Noveau or whatever) is basically never going to be in a position to control much more of North America than it does historically; Greenland, St. Pierre et Miquelon and maybe Alaska, but that's really about it.

The "Dominion of Canada", in all liklihood, would not exist absent a United States as of 1860, which is way too late for any ambitions of the Ohio, Mississippi, or Missouri river countries... even Newfoundland is up in the air, to a large degree.

Couple those realities with the climate and weather of 95 percent of Canada today, and - although certainly a lovely place to visit at the right time of year - it's rather likel expecting Sweden to dominate Europe, rather than (take your pick) Germany, France, or Russia.

A "Greater Mexico" that got independence earlier than historically - so as to overcome the four-decade-long-head start on creating a nation state the U.S. - and managed to hang onto and settle/develop Texas and what became the Mexican Cession and the Gadsden Purchase would have been much closer to a peer competitor to the US than any sort of "Canada" could be ... even then, that requires a 40 year point of departure and a vastly different set of cultural and elite priorities in Mexico in terms of self-government, nationalism, and openess to immigration from Europe.

Best,
 

TFSmith121

Banned
Frozen four months out of 12?

Delayed Erie Canal, leading to the St. Laurence waterway becoming the premier trade avenue of the continent. It's a long shot, but is semi-plausible.

Frozen four months out of 12?

The Ohio-Missouri-Mississippi is much more likely, with New Orleans becoming a rival of New York.

Best,
 

TFSmith121

Banned
The Great Lakes freeze over

How far north is the big easy navigable? The St. Laurence can get things into the interior as well as out.

The Great Lakes freeze over in the winter (historically) so not only is the Saint Lawrence shut down to the Atlantic four months out of the year, the northern route doesn't do anything for the interior of the continent, either.

The upper Missouri and the upper Mississippi close in winter, as does the northeastern stretches of the Ohio; the shipping season typically ends around the beginning of December on upper portions of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois (re-opens in the spring, of course), but (typically) even in midwinter, much of the lower Ohio and the vast majority of the Mississippi are navigable, as are their tributaries. As an example, in 1862, Fort Henry and Donelson were fought with naval support in February.

New Orleans, of course, (like New York) is a year-round port; Quebec is not.;)

Best,
http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=...0TSbPsXhezgVNH4QW5up_f2g&ust=1447713892619289
 
The Great Lakes freeze over in the winter (historically) so not only is the Saint Lawrence shut down to the Atlantic four months out of the year, the northern route doesn't do anything for the interior of the continent, either.

The upper Missouri and the upper Mississippi close in winter, as does the northeastern stretches of the Ohio; the shipping season typically ends around the beginning of December on upper portions of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois (re-opens in the spring, of course), but (typically) even in midwinter, much of the lower Ohio and the vast majority of the Mississippi are navigable, as are their tributaries. As an example, in 1862, Fort Henry and Donelson were fought with naval support in February.

New Orleans, of course, (like New York) is a year-round port; Quebec is not.;)

Best,
http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=...0TSbPsXhezgVNH4QW5up_f2g&ust=1447713892619289

Thanks for the clarification.
 
1) Canada IS the Premier country of North America. The US and Mexico are President countries.

2) Canada regularly outdoes the US on livability indexes, etc.

3) when I was younger, people backpacking in Europe would specifically wear Canadian flags, so people wouldn't confuse them with Americans. Some were even Americans.

4) Canada is much larger than the US.

What does 'premier' mean?
 

TFSmith121

Banned
Presumably, based on the context of the OP,

1) Canada IS the Premier country of North America. The US and Mexico are President countries.

2) Canada regularly outdoes the US on livability indexes, etc.

3) when I was younger, people backpacking in Europe would specifically wear Canadian flags, so people wouldn't confuse them with Americans. Some were even Americans.

4) Canada is much larger than the US.

What does 'premier' mean?

Presumably, based on the context of the OP, somehow "surpas(sing) the United States in prestige, population, industry, and other factors ... (and) dominat(ing) the hemisphere ... (and) bonus points if that does not come with balkanizing the United States, or other cheat code possibilities such as that."

which is how most of the respondents seem to have read it.

Best,
 
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