EDITORIAL – For our economic security, we’ve got to stop subsidizing Alaska
A nice place to visit, but why don’t we own it? (Mel Rothenburger photo)
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
IT’S HIGH TIME we corrected a long-standing nomenclature injustice — the Gulf of Alaska must be rebranded to the Gulf of Canada.
There are good reasons for this. Mainly, it would be a beautiful thing, and very appropriate besides. The gulf touches only one U.S. state, while its shores run along two Canadian jurisdictions — British Columbia and Yukon.
We need it for national and economic security. At the same time, another grievance needs to be addressed — the Alaska Panhandle. We were ripped off when the lines were drawn for that one. The 1903 Boundary Commission that agreed on it included three Americans, two Canadians, and a Brit. True to form, the U.S. appointed politicians as its representatives while Canada and the British appointed experts. What the British fellow was doing there in the first place is a good question, especially since he sided with the Americans. We were simply outnumbered.
Talk about short end of the stick. The U.S. got the goldmine (literally); we got the shaft.
If you’ve ever looked at a map, you’ll know how stupid that panhandle is. Even renaming it the Canada Panhandle wouldn’t be enough. It needs to be part of Canada.
As things currently stand, you can’t even get to some parts of it unless you sign up for a so-called “Alaska cruise” — Juneau, the state’s capital, has some nice souvenir shops but no roads connecting it to anywhere.
Speaking about cruises, all those ships either connect through, or start from, Vancouver and go up our Inside Passage. We’ve been subsidizing them for too long. Slap a 25 percent tariff on them, right now.
If you want to talk about Alaska, well sit down and let’s talk. How did Alaska ever become part of the U.S.? Again, look at a map. Do you see any connection at all between Alaska and the United States of America? No. The two aren’t in the slightest bit united. Check your history books — the only reason Russia sold it to the U.S. was because the U.S. didn’t want Canada to have it and jumped in ahead. (By the way, the Americans paid a paltry $7.2 million. It’s hard to believe Trump wasn’t involved.)
Anyway, once again, we got screwed. Alaska should be a territory of Canada. Maybe, if they play their cards right, it could be our 11th province. Get rid of that artificial line on the map.
But we can’t expect these changes without offering something in return. We’ll give them Alberta.
Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Point Roberts, with it’s popular watering hole theReef which we of the lower mainland often frequented in those days of yore was not mentioned in this long discusion?? As for Alaska,well I for one am very satisfied with it,s being Yankee territory. So what if we don,t own the panhandle. We don,t have Putin on our doorstep.I would guess that I’m one of the guys old Karl would include,eh Mel and Sarah Palin is one damned fine looking woman despite her political short comings.
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Unable to respond to your last comment
“For something to be humorous, two people need to be laughing” George Carlin
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‘Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.’ – Karl Marx
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As a student I lived though the McCarthy era where inquisitions, fallout shelters civil defense drills, loyalty oaths, compulsive patriotism , and blacklists fed to us in school, car radios and the Vancouver sun that I delivered did this to us Returning back to this deception is not humorous for me as I see it in several Op Ed articles more recently by Charbonneau and Johnson on this blog. Our present mess has a history and its incumbent on us to understand the way forward from the Media betrayals in the past.
How else are we (you and I and the rest of polity) going to move forward when we/they have no idea that they have been betrayed. Our press and broadcasters are at it again revising and telling us a nuclear war can be won. Only someone who has nor seen photos of Hiroshima and does nor know that present nukes are many times more destructive and one rocket can carry multiple warheads each capable of destring a city lake NY and Trump with all his faults has opened the door on revival of honest journalism where even he will not escape.
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And yet, it’s healthy to pause occasionally and acknowledge the absurdity of politics with a little humour.
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Unfortunately, Mel the freedom of the press is only theoretical not practical. Our society praises utility of intelligence but the media does not want ordinary people to think for themselves because the media providers felt that people who think are unable to understand the complexity of government.
However, when people like Snowden and Assange revealed what the mainstream hid the controllers of the Media realized that the people understood that the voices in the shadows (independent media) were telling the truth, so Assange was jailed and Snowden exiled and both were silenced.
I don’t think Snowden or Assange found their predicament humours, particularly when they were abandoned by the media that became passive spectators, and in many cases, active participants in hiding institutional corruption and government injustice. There are lots of places for humour in the media but there are lots more places for informed reporting.
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Glad to see you acknowledge that humour has a place.
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Yes, humour has a place when teaching or writing about events in history. Political humour like political cartoons which serve as primary sources, offer direct insight into the attitudes, concerns, and biases of the time. Political cartoons and music provide a window into public opinion, political climates, and cultural norms that open a door for understanding facts about historical events. Political Cartoons and songs like “Imagine” often deal with specific fact, events or point of view, sometimes with exaggeration or bias. This can lead to discussions about different historical narratives, societies and ideologies and the importance of multiple perspective and since the media is an educational instrument which should present all available perspectives not just how we see it.
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‘A person without a sense of humour is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.’ – Henry Ward Beecher.
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Lighten up, Walter. You need to get some more humour in your life.
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Premier Sarah Palin?
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I appreciate the dedication you show towards your content I believe that ensuring the accuracy of what you print can significantly enhance the credibility for the answer. of “how did Alaska ever become part of the U.S.?
There are several reasons why Russia sold Alaska to USA and it had little to do with “U.S. didn’t want Canada to have it” The sale had much more to do with geopolitics rather than likes and dislikes. Politics of the day were somewhat similar to the proxy war in Ukraine today. Alaska was sold to USA in 1867 the year Canada was created. This was ten years after Russia was defeated in the Crimean Wars
Under Catherine the Great (Prince Potemkin) built a modern port at Sevastopol with a large fleet of ships and expelled the Turks from Russia. Russian intent to free the Balkan People form Muslim rule and retake Constantinople (Istanbul) the center of Greek (Russian) Orthodox Church was seen by Britain as a threat to her imperial rule and ambitions in Africa and Asia, and by supporting the Turks they also controlled the Russian exit into the Mediterranean..
The Crimean War (1853-1856) was the main reason for the Russian decision to sell Alaska. Russian Fort Ross in California was sold some years earlier. Russin fort Elezabeth in Kauai Hawaii named after the wife of Alexander I of Russia has a similar history somewhat earlier.
The Crimean Peninsula provided Russia with a strategic location for naval bases, notably Sevastopol, which could threaten British interests, especially the routes to India through the Eastern Mediterranean and the Suez Canal (which would later be constructed).
Destroying Russian naval power in the Black Sea was a key British objective Russia’s defeat in the Crimean War by an alliance of France, the Ottoman Empire, the United Kingdom, and Sardinia left the Russian Empire financially strained and wary of its ability to defend its far-flung territories like Alaska, especially against a potential British threat from British Columbia. Like in Canada the fur trade was not profitable so the Russians sold it fearing its loss to a British invasion.
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I like my version better
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You can like it but its historically false.
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History is what we make it.
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So, if this is satire — and I may or may not agree (it’s very good!) — so then is the diatribe Trump spouts at increasing loudness as day passes day! — Someone ought to tell him that he’s a satirist.
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LOL Good one with many good points, I hope our officials take this up when bargaining with trump.
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Awesome editorial Mel … Alan
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Because some people actually need to be told …
This is satire, otherwise known as /s
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