Quote:
Originally Posted by Taeolas
Well, it wouldn't happen, but I'm sure we would welcome our Mainiac neighbours as the 11th state and 4th Maritime Province. Hell, we'd welcome New Hampshire and Vermont at the same time as #12 and #13 too. Beyond that would take some more negotiations I'm sure.
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Going with my theme of amalgamation being the key to make New Brunswick better... NB and Maine combining would make quite an interesting province with a lot of map presence, and make us feel a little less small compared to the gargantuan provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
NH and Vermont joining Canada would be interesting too, but somehow Maine just seems more possible geographically, as Canada already surrounds most of its land borders. Obviously it's incredibly unlikely, as there's no mechanism for a US state to secede from the Union, and Trump won't be selling.
The return of passenger rail service and a new leg of the TCH across northern Maine could solve the 150+ year challenge of northern Maine separating most of New Brunswick from the rest of Canada. Even if the "New Maineswick" union never happens, perhaps we will see some sort of economic union, currency union, or open borders with the US in the future... meaning more integration and connections with our neighbours in New England.
The return of passenger rail service between Montreal and Saint John across Maine would be a worthy venture for New Brunswick, Maine, and Quebec, but a bus service could be up and running in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost of passenger rail. Just because Donald Dummy is in the white house for 4 more years shouldn't mean NB should abandon the relationship with its closest neighbour for the duration of his second Presidency.
Watching Maine's governor get attacked from Trump like that makes me feel like it wouldn't
actually be such a bad thing to take a trip to Maine during these very strange times between our two countries, but I wouldn't be making any stops until I hit Bangor, or the Maine coastal highway.
The last time I drove the Airline highway, after Trump's 2020 loss, I saw multiple Trump flags still up flying along the route, and when I stopped for gas and snacks the vibes felt more like West Virginia or Mississippi than Maine 😅 , but I guess that's just Appalachia... New Brunswick isn't much different in some parts.
Donald Trump won't be President forever, I hope 4 more years of him in the White House doesn't mean 4 years of unproductive relations between New Brunswick/Maine and The Maritimes/New England. I think MonctonRad was right to correct me in another thread that Nova Scotia
should continue to send a Christmas tree to Boston, despite Trump's craziness.
It would be great if Nova Scotia wrapped up the tree in
gigantic Canadian flag this year, and include some big, maple leaf ornaments.