Turks & Caicos to Canada? (merged)
- Thread starter Enzo
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Hmmm if its true it would make a great southern naval base for us. 
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Well this time we‘re asking them. In the 1970‘s they asked us and Trudeau said no. BTW the first PM to come up with the idea was Bordon in 1915 I think.
They really don‘t need us as badly as we do them now. unlike the 1970‘s they have a thriving tourist economy and off shore banking.
I doubt it will happen, too bad as it‘s a nice place. the wife and I were there last Feb. Beautiful, friendly people, but as pricey as the Caymans.
They really don‘t need us as badly as we do them now. unlike the 1970‘s they have a thriving tourist economy and off shore banking.
I doubt it will happen, too bad as it‘s a nice place. the wife and I were there last Feb. Beautiful, friendly people, but as pricey as the Caymans.
J
jimbunting
Guest
In my opinion, this scheme would be a win-win for both sides. Canada would gain a tropical province, with open access to a great winter climate, and the Turks and Caicos would gain access to Canadian education, job training and economic support.
Someone mentioned that the T&C have a number of "offshore banking" operations there. I can assure you that these do NOT contibute much if anything to the people, only to the few who get a local job there. The vast majority of the jobs created are going to foreigners, who are there on work permits, for a period of two to three years.
The T&C do not have any of the following public services...........NO health care plan, no post secondary education, or skilled jobs training, no treatment programs for aids/hiv, no drug treatment programs, no care centres for burns or major trauma, no help for the blind. Any citizen of the T&C who needs such services has to go outside the country, at their own expense, or simply suffer at home. They also are in need of water purification and de-salination plants, school modernisation, road improvemts, sewage teatment facilities, and electric generation plants that do NOT burn coal to produce power.
All of the above could be accomplished with resultant economic benefits, if the T&C became a Canadian province or territory. Operating on the Canadian dollar, this new province would result in Canadians being able to go, with out Customs or Immigration inspection, to the Carribbean, and spend their money at no discount, whatsoever. Caandian investors would be able to invest in the T&C as if they were building a project in Canada.
The benefit for the people of the T&C? Better education, better health care, improved futures for their kids and an assured source of capital to make theirs the best islands chain in the whole Carribbean Sea.
I strongly support this concept.
Jim Bunting. Toronto.
Someone mentioned that the T&C have a number of "offshore banking" operations there. I can assure you that these do NOT contibute much if anything to the people, only to the few who get a local job there. The vast majority of the jobs created are going to foreigners, who are there on work permits, for a period of two to three years.
The T&C do not have any of the following public services...........NO health care plan, no post secondary education, or skilled jobs training, no treatment programs for aids/hiv, no drug treatment programs, no care centres for burns or major trauma, no help for the blind. Any citizen of the T&C who needs such services has to go outside the country, at their own expense, or simply suffer at home. They also are in need of water purification and de-salination plants, school modernisation, road improvemts, sewage teatment facilities, and electric generation plants that do NOT burn coal to produce power.
All of the above could be accomplished with resultant economic benefits, if the T&C became a Canadian province or territory. Operating on the Canadian dollar, this new province would result in Canadians being able to go, with out Customs or Immigration inspection, to the Carribbean, and spend their money at no discount, whatsoever. Caandian investors would be able to invest in the T&C as if they were building a project in Canada.
The benefit for the people of the T&C? Better education, better health care, improved futures for their kids and an assured source of capital to make theirs the best islands chain in the whole Carribbean Sea.
I strongly support this concept.
Jim Bunting. Toronto.
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http://www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id=AA780476-1883-43C8-A831-DBABCBEDC701
Turks and Caicos: a Canadian island paradise?
Danielle Smith
Calgary Herald
Saturday, February 07, 2004
ADVERTISEMENT
Most self-respecting countries have a tropical island paradise to call their own. France has Martinique, the Dutch have Aruba, the U.S. has the Virgin Islands and New Zealand has the Cook Islands. Canada has a host of Arctic territories too cold even to visit in the summer.
But among the extensive list of dependencies associated with the United Kingdom, there is a tiny chain of islands known as the Turks and Caicos, which is about to become of particular interest to Canadians.
Last season, Global Sunday aired a show about Canada‘s aborted attempt at uniting with this tiny chain of islands back in 1987. Back then, two T&C businessmen came to Ottawa to see whether there was any appetite to discuss forging closer economic and political ties. Ottawa took it seriously enough to produce a white paper on the proposal, but ultimately rejected the concept.
Although the report raised many areas of potential conflict -- the island‘s status as a tax haven, import tariffs, Haitian illegal immigrants, and the need for economic aid -- the biggest barrier seemed to be a fear among officials that Canada would appear neo-colonialist. The report concluded the matter should be left in the hands of the islanders -- Canada would consider talks only if they approached us, and if Britain agreed to let them go -- and since there was such obvious goodwill toward Canada among islanders, we should give them development assistance anyway. How Canadian.
The exercise wasn‘t a total bust, however. It spurred a massive interest in the island on the part of Canadians. Not only do 16,000 Canadians a year trek to the island for a winter getaway, 30 per cent of the hotels and resorts there are owned by Canadians. The political ties may have fallen flat, but the economic and cultural ties have flourished.
Not surprisingly, after airing the show in the spring, Global Sunday was inundated with calls and e-mails from Canadians who were outraged the Mulroney government had let the deal fall through. So, we decided to conduct our own fact-finding mission to see whether islanders felt the same way, and travelled down to the Turks and Caicos in January. (I know what you‘re thinking: Investigative journalism can be ****.)
Today, the island boasts the third fastest growing economy in the region, it runs a balanced operating budget, and financially, it is self-sufficient. Indeed, the T&C performs so well relative to its Caribbean neighbours that Britain provides it with not a shilling in financial support.
The dissatisfaction with Britain on the islands is palpable. Governor James Poston, who declined an on-camera interview, assured us that Canada would not create an international incident if it pursued closer ties with the T&C. In fact, it‘s something islanders want.
In May, the islands elected a chief minister, Michael Misick, on a platform of change. No wonder. Considering the absence of support, the British governor exerts a surprising degree of control over island affairs. The governor has the power to veto or introduce legislation, he makes key appointments to the public service (including the commissioner who oversees internal security), and he even chairs the local government‘s executive meetings. Imagine our Governor General calling Paul Martin‘s cabinet to order. To add insult, the island must pay for the lion‘s share of the governor‘s office out of internally generated revenues.
Misick believes his people are ready for something new. He wants to see the T&C develop a "free association" with a North American partner, either the United States or Canada. Under this arrangement, the island would become responsible for all internal matters and thus gain full autonomy over making laws that affect its citizens. Areas where Britain has sole authority -- defence, security, trade and other international matters -- would be decided collaboratively, with input from the island government.
As for financial support, the T&C‘s needs are modest. They need infrastructure grants to build a $25-million hospital, so they no longer have to fly patients to the U.S. for treatment. They need $150 million to expand the highway and build bridges linking the six largest islands together. They also need money to upgrade their deep-sea port to facilitate greater trade. A couple hundred million all told -- a rounding error in the Canadian federal budget.
So politically and economically, it‘s doable. But do the advantages outweigh the risks? More on that, next week.
[email protected]
More on this topic can be heard on Global Sunday, hosted by Danielle Smith, Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
© Copyright 2004 Calgary Herald
Turks and Caicos: a Canadian island paradise?
Danielle Smith
Calgary Herald
Saturday, February 07, 2004
ADVERTISEMENT
Most self-respecting countries have a tropical island paradise to call their own. France has Martinique, the Dutch have Aruba, the U.S. has the Virgin Islands and New Zealand has the Cook Islands. Canada has a host of Arctic territories too cold even to visit in the summer.
But among the extensive list of dependencies associated with the United Kingdom, there is a tiny chain of islands known as the Turks and Caicos, which is about to become of particular interest to Canadians.
Last season, Global Sunday aired a show about Canada‘s aborted attempt at uniting with this tiny chain of islands back in 1987. Back then, two T&C businessmen came to Ottawa to see whether there was any appetite to discuss forging closer economic and political ties. Ottawa took it seriously enough to produce a white paper on the proposal, but ultimately rejected the concept.
Although the report raised many areas of potential conflict -- the island‘s status as a tax haven, import tariffs, Haitian illegal immigrants, and the need for economic aid -- the biggest barrier seemed to be a fear among officials that Canada would appear neo-colonialist. The report concluded the matter should be left in the hands of the islanders -- Canada would consider talks only if they approached us, and if Britain agreed to let them go -- and since there was such obvious goodwill toward Canada among islanders, we should give them development assistance anyway. How Canadian.
The exercise wasn‘t a total bust, however. It spurred a massive interest in the island on the part of Canadians. Not only do 16,000 Canadians a year trek to the island for a winter getaway, 30 per cent of the hotels and resorts there are owned by Canadians. The political ties may have fallen flat, but the economic and cultural ties have flourished.
Not surprisingly, after airing the show in the spring, Global Sunday was inundated with calls and e-mails from Canadians who were outraged the Mulroney government had let the deal fall through. So, we decided to conduct our own fact-finding mission to see whether islanders felt the same way, and travelled down to the Turks and Caicos in January. (I know what you‘re thinking: Investigative journalism can be ****.)
Today, the island boasts the third fastest growing economy in the region, it runs a balanced operating budget, and financially, it is self-sufficient. Indeed, the T&C performs so well relative to its Caribbean neighbours that Britain provides it with not a shilling in financial support.
The dissatisfaction with Britain on the islands is palpable. Governor James Poston, who declined an on-camera interview, assured us that Canada would not create an international incident if it pursued closer ties with the T&C. In fact, it‘s something islanders want.
In May, the islands elected a chief minister, Michael Misick, on a platform of change. No wonder. Considering the absence of support, the British governor exerts a surprising degree of control over island affairs. The governor has the power to veto or introduce legislation, he makes key appointments to the public service (including the commissioner who oversees internal security), and he even chairs the local government‘s executive meetings. Imagine our Governor General calling Paul Martin‘s cabinet to order. To add insult, the island must pay for the lion‘s share of the governor‘s office out of internally generated revenues.
Misick believes his people are ready for something new. He wants to see the T&C develop a "free association" with a North American partner, either the United States or Canada. Under this arrangement, the island would become responsible for all internal matters and thus gain full autonomy over making laws that affect its citizens. Areas where Britain has sole authority -- defence, security, trade and other international matters -- would be decided collaboratively, with input from the island government.
As for financial support, the T&C‘s needs are modest. They need infrastructure grants to build a $25-million hospital, so they no longer have to fly patients to the U.S. for treatment. They need $150 million to expand the highway and build bridges linking the six largest islands together. They also need money to upgrade their deep-sea port to facilitate greater trade. A couple hundred million all told -- a rounding error in the Canadian federal budget.
So politically and economically, it‘s doable. But do the advantages outweigh the risks? More on that, next week.
[email protected]
More on this topic can be heard on Global Sunday, hosted by Danielle Smith, Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
© Copyright 2004 Calgary Herald
N
nbk
Guest
If the islanders want us, how can we not accept?
I doubt it would be a huge strain on this nation to have a wee little colony. Its more of a novel thing for us really...a little vacation island of our own.
Hey I could move down there, get out of the snow, and I would not even have to change citizenship...
If any country has to become colonial...why not it be a great and respected country like Canada?
I doubt it would be a huge strain on this nation to have a wee little colony. Its more of a novel thing for us really...a little vacation island of our own.
Hey I could move down there, get out of the snow, and I would not even have to change citizenship...
If any country has to become colonial...why not it be a great and respected country like Canada?
M
mattoigta
Guest
What could it give back to Canada?
M
mattoigta
Guest
figured as much
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"What could it give back to Canada?"
"A viable tourism economy?"
Scarlino, what‘s wrong with that. Canadians spends a lot of money to get on the snow each year, and right now that money leaves the country. Having the Turks and Caicos included in Canada would keep that money in country. I think its a great idea. I‘ld be the first to sign for a posting there.
"A viable tourism economy?"
Scarlino, what‘s wrong with that. Canadians spends a lot of money to get on the snow each year, and right now that money leaves the country. Having the Turks and Caicos included in Canada would keep that money in country. I think its a great idea. I‘ld be the first to sign for a posting there.
M
mattoigta
Guest
No i didn‘t mean "figured as much" in a negative way, but when i originally asked i ignored the "tourism" answer cos i figured it was obvious - i was thinking more on the lines of natural resources, fishing, etc
Actually, I believe that the T&C officials are approaching Canada this time (not 100% certain, I‘ll try to find some proof). The reason for this is that the last time when Canada said no, a stipulation was made that the idea would not be considered again unless Turks & Caicos approached Canada with the prospect, that the T&C citizens were in favour of such action, and that the UK is willing to release their association with the T&C. Also, I think that the main reason for the refusal in the ‘80s was that such action would have indeed seemed too imperialistic for the simple reason that the T&C were not doing at all well economically. This time around is a much different situation. T&C‘s economy is booming. Islanders, in general, want an association with Canada. The T&C government wants more autonomy than they currently experience as the association with the UK gives the UK Governor an extraordinary amount of influence in national decisions. Also, the UK is willing to let the T&C go. There are many benefits to both nations pending such an association and these have been mentioned in this thread already. One thing to note, though, is that the T&C would not become a province or territory of Canada. Rather the association would still be extremely autonomous.
I‘ll see if I can dig up some actual facts to support these words. Feel free to set me straight.
J
jimbunting
Guest
I‘d just remind everyone that Newfoundland voted to join Canada in 1949. Before that time, Newfoundland, like the Turks and Caicos, was British Crown Colony, with a British Colonial Govenor.
My point? If Newfoundland could VOTE to become a Canadian Province, why not the T&C?
Jim Bunting. toronto.
My point? If Newfoundland could VOTE to become a Canadian Province, why not the T&C?
Jim Bunting. toronto.
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Aren't most of Goldring's arguments favouring annexation of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) actually applicable to all of the UK's remaining territories in the Caribbean, from Bermuda to the British Virgin Islands?
National Post link
National Post link
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Yes a very interesting prospect indeed. If only I had the cash to scoop up some property. But I don't think a 4th times the charm.
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