Based on something I wrote in Shared Worlds, what would happen if, for whatever reason, young men who fled the US to escape the draft during Vietnam had NOT gone to Canada, or were not given refuge by the Canadian government?
I'm tempted to say not much, though as I wrote on the SW thread, numerous of them became prominent in activism and academia, and in some cases, sparked a bit of tension with the Canadian left, especially the nationalist elements thereof. Some of the Americans took a less charitable view of Canada than the Canadians did, seeing it as another imperial power, in and of itself.
But I'm also wondering about the broader political and cultural effects. At the very least, it would butterfly away a fairly impressive list of Canadian cultural figures, not least of which would be adopted Torontonian Jane Jacobs, who followed her draft-age sons to Canada. Though it's difficult to say what the cumulative impact of all those absences would be. (Jane Jacobs, engaging as she may be, is not much known in Canada outside of interested circles, and you could probably say the same for a lot of her fellow expatriates.)
I'm also wondering if it would have any impact on American politics and/or society. Beyond there being a few more dead American boys.