The possibility of a union between Canada and multiple Caribbean nations has been proposed several times in the past. How could these proposals become successul, would the consequence be of a Canadian-Caribbean union?
You need a Canadian government with balls...
Frankly, Canadians tend not to want to rock the boat (I say this as a Canadian), so that's why I say the above about a Canadian government willing to do something 'crazy.'
I seem to remember a timeline (truth be told it might have been an HOI AAR) that had Borden getting the Caribbean as a mandate after Versailles. I can't recall the particulars, sorry.
That seems the most likely time. Canada gets the West Indies as a mandate along the same lines as Oceania for Australia and New Zealand at Versailles. One interesting development might be the improvement of the RCN during the interwar period. With territories in the West Indies, there would be more of an incentive to maintain a decent surface fleet for patrolling, etc. Perhaps there would also be an earlier influx of Caribbean populations to Canada.
Both ways. I could see the Canadian Snowbirds going to Jamaica or Bahamas or some of the other islands instead of Florida. And that would probably drag social services, infrastructure and investment down with them.
The first question for me on this one is when does this happen, and what the terms are.
If the Caribbean territorites are just a mandate, I would still expect the islands to want independence, and they will probably be treated in a similar way to how Australia led Papua New Guinea until it got independence in 1975. Canada will surely work on developing them, of course, and you can bet that there would be lots of tourists arriving from Canada, and yes the possibility of there being plenty of new arrivals to Canada from the Caribbean is quite high.
If its a full-on annexation into Canada, that changes matter somewhat. Racism was not dead in Canada at the time, and while people like Marcus Garvey would likely gain respect from the Canadians, whether that in the short term changes things that much for the Caribbean islands is an open question. After World War II, however, all bets are off, and if those areas choose to continue sending MPs to Ottawa, the area will quite quickly become a big investment project for the Canadian government and its businesses.
The first question for me on this one is when does this happen, and what the terms are.
If the Caribbean territorites are just a mandate, I would still expect the islands to want independence, and they will probably be treated in a similar way to how Australia led Papua New Guinea until it got independence in 1975. Canada will surely work on developing them, of course, and you can bet that there would be lots of tourists arriving from Canada, and yes the possibility of there being plenty of new arrivals to Canada from the Caribbean is quite high.
The timing on this would be important. King swept Quebec in the 1921 election and tended thereafter to tailor his foreign policy to accomodate Quebec's isolationist and anti Empire tendancies. If Canada accepted a mandate prior to this I would expect it to become an election issue which might force a divestiture after the election.
Perhaps, but the best bet for this to happen is in late Robert Borden era, so it would likely be an issue in 1921. That said, Canada was still close enough to Britain at that point that even if King was to propose divesting themselves of it, London would freak and that would be the end of that idea. More to the point, I would not expect Quebec to be against the idea for too long, simply as the Caribbean being a part of Canada would reduce the majority held by Ontario and the provinces that are deemed to be the opposition to Quebec. Once Duplessis is firmly in charge in Quebec, the issue becomes pretty much a non-issue.
As a Mandate, the territories would not become part of Canada but would be a quasi colonial appendage. A perfect target for anti-colonial and anti-Empire factions and not much of a counterweight to Ontario as there would be no representation in Parliament.
I would agree that once Canada accepted such an arrangement there would be no going back but I would expect it to be disruptive in terms of domestic politics because of the colonial appearance. The attitude of those in the Caribbean would probably be key here depending on if they indicate a preference for closer ties or independence.
Interesting thought although other than Cuba all of the islands were colonies of someone. I just don’t see France or the Netherlands, or even Great Britain, going along with any of this.
Interesting thought although other than Cuba all of the islands were colonies of someone. I just don’t see France or the Netherlands, or even Great Britain, going along with any of this.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic were also independent; and had become so earlier than Cuba.Interesting thought although other than Cuba all of the islands were colonies of someone. I just don’t see France or the Netherlands, or even Great Britain, going along with any of this.
Another problem is the difference between islands. Iotl, they couldnt make the west indies federation work, i dont think theyd be any happier as a single province. And they are certainly not going to each be a province.
All in one province is tough to pull. A province per island is impossible indeed.
Perhaps 3 provinces:
- Jamaica + Cayman
- Bahamas + Turks & Caicos
- Leeward + Windward islands?