Raiding The Icebox

Washington Post Story


Anyone who was born and raised in northern NY might be vaguely aware of the United State's plan to invade Canada. The story at the above link mentions a circa 1930's plan of invasion. This is all well and good for those who live outside the area and does provide a bit of amusing chatter but let us now get to the REAL story behind any plans to invade Canada.

First as us northern New Yorkers are aware of there is Ft Drum. Ft Drum was strategically placed in this area for a reason. It just so happens that Ft. Drum is positioned between Canada's two population centers which are Toronto and Montreal. The initial planning of Ft Drum took this into consideration if there ever were a time we needed to invade, troops as Ft Drum would spearhead the invasion.

Yes times change and relations grow and over the years the emphasis has been diverted, maybe. In the 80's during the time when the Bloc Quebecois was promoting it's separatist agenda, our old plans for invasion were dusted off and brought up to date.

The economic circumstances of the late 1970's and early 1980's brought a profound shift in policy. America, cut off from its supply of cheap middle eastern oil needed a reliably consistent supply of energy for the country. With the separatist movement gaining ground in Canada, officials here in the US met in secret with their counterparts from Bloc Quebecois and forged a plan.

If Quebec's referendum on separation passed the US would immediately recognize the new country. Quebec would then request US military aid and through Ft Drum it would come to provide a buffer zone between Quebec and Ontario Provinces. In exchange for the recognition and military support Quebec would ship the majority of energy that had gone to Ontario and the rest of Canada to the NE US power grid.

The immediate effects would be that electric rates or "hydro" as it is known up north would be cut in half. It was widely assumed that Maritime Provinces would seek stronger relations with the US by the very nature of our proximity rather than stay within Canada.

Fast forward to today to the continuing call of some politicians within Canada calling for the sale of their oil to the highest bidder outside the hemisphere and the growing proven reserves of oil and gas in the Canadian west and the past plans for invasion are revisited and updated.

In the spirit of the Guinness beer... BRILLIANT!!