Re: [FT][SG][DS] Canada and the leadup to the NAC (long)

Adrian Johnson wrote:
> 
> But what would we (Canada) really stand to gain by subsuming our 
> nation into a giant version of the UK, run (at least initially) by and

> for London?  I'm sure it wouldn't have happened that way.  

It's been a while since I looked at the GZG timeline so this may be in
conflict, but how about a scenario like this:

Early next century, Quebec finally manages to secede from Canada, badly
disrupting the economies of both Canada and the newly independent
Quebec.  Ill-feeling over the breakup causes both countries to raise
massive trade barriers against each other.  France then makes things
worse by pressuring the EU to raise barriers against Canada in order to
support the Quebecoi(sp?).  

Additionally, the breakup casts the entire Canadian union into doubt. 
Relations between Quebec and the U.S. also quickly sour, with Quebec
periodically disrupting trade along the St. Lawrence Seaway over various
real and imagined slights.

The Maritime Provinces (which have already petitioned for U.S.
annexation several times, finally get their way (the U.S. wants to be
able to put pressure on Quebec from both sides, and decides the
additional economic burden will be worth it).  Amid the wrangling over
whose fault the continueing breakup is, the Plains provinces follow
suit, leaving a sort of rump Canada composed of Ontario and the
Northwest provinces which is no longer even geographically contiguous.

After a few more years, Ontario, its economy battered from isolation,
finally gives in and joins the United States, leaving only BC, and the
orphan NW Territories as 'Canada'.

Tensions between the newly-enlarged U.S. and Quebec continue, now being
extended to France and the French-aligned members of the EU.  Meanwhile,
regional differences in the U.S. are exacerbated by the ongoing
linguistic and cultural Balkanization of the south and southwest regions
of the U.S.  The influx of former Canadians, with first-hand experience
of what too much multi-culturism can lead to, support a backlash which
reverses decades of bilingual policies.  The Official Language Act
(making American-English the sole language of the land) is finally
passed.  Unfortunately, this attempt at unifying policies is worse than
too late.

Thus, when the Second American Civil War rips the continent apart a few
decades later, most of what we now consider Canada was directly
involved.  Only the Canadian Northwest (industrialized now thanks to the
influx of Hong Kong capital and its connections with china and Great
Britain) is undamaged. The survivors were left with driving need for a
unifying cultural and political influence to unite the shattered
factions.  At the same time, Great Britain sees an opportunity to get
out from under a French and German-dominated EU.  

Despite opposition from France and a Germany that sees opportunity in an
economically prostrate North America, Britain manages to shame the EU
into providing large amounts of aid to rebuild the U.S., helped at first
by Europeans who feel this will finally repay the Americans' efforts
following the Second World War.  This sentiment doesn't last long once
the true scale of the necessary effort becomes apparent, but Britain
perseveres, with the vigorous members of the new generation of the Royal
Family (which I have to assume has somehow retreived its reputation in
Britain already by this point) taking an active and highly visible part.

The Mainstream Culture movement in the American Remnants fastens on the
Royal Family as the unifying symbol they have been looking for.  One by
one, most of the American (and former Canadian) Remnants join the new
NAC, with only California (and Texas?) refusing.  Anti-monarchical
sentiment in Texas is just too strong, and both regions have culturally
moved into the Hispanic/Central American sphere of influence anyway. 
(Does anyone know what the official language in California Free State
is?)  Maine and Florida also hold out for a while, but economic
realities soon force their submission.

What d'ya think?