Scholars, artists and politicos issue warning about Trump’s threat to Canada
Health Coalition chairperson Jason MacLean joined many well-known Canadians pledging to defend Canadian sovereignty against attacks from American President Donald Trump. The list of signatures includes former politicians from all parties, cultural icons and artists, scholars, Indigenous leaders, and athletes.
“The threats of economic coercion from the United States, our neighbour and leading trading partner, pose serious risks to the well-being of all Canadians and to our sovereign right to determine our political, economic, social, and cultural destiny,” reads the Pledge for Canada, launched at an Ottawa press conference on Friday.
President Trump has been urging Canada to join as the “51st State” and argued that as Americans, we would pay less taxes and receive “better health coverage.” But the truth is the U.S. health system is far worse than Canada and joining the United States would mean higher costs and barriers to receiving care for millions of people.
A study published by Materia Socio-Medica, one of the oldest public health journals in Europe, found, “Compared to the U.S. system, the Canadian system has lower costs, more services, universal access to health care without financial barriers, and superior health status. Canadians and Germans have longer life expectancies and lower infant mortality rates than do U.S. residents.”
The average U.S. consumer spent around US$5,300 on health insurance and medical services in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Notable signatures on the pledge include David Suzuki, Kim Campbell, Cindy Blackstock, Ron Sexsmith, Mark Tewksbury, Lloyd Axworthy, Maude Barlow, Noah Richler, Allan Rock, Danny Williams, Kathleen Wynne, Loreena McKennit and many others.
Left-to-right: David Suzuki (photo: David Suzuki Foundation), Ron Sexsmith (photo: ronsexsmith.com) and Cindy Blackstock (photo: McGill University).
Everyone is invited to add their name to the pledge at https://engagement-canada-pledge.ca/
