Canada's Caribbean Paradise?
City MP Peter Goldring mounts one-man crusade for union with Turks and Caicos Islands
by Ryan Cormier
The Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON - A series of Caribbean islands about 900 kilometres southeast of Miami may someday become part of Canada, if Edmonton MP Peter Goldring has his way.
The Conservative MP is currently in the Turks and Caicos Islands exploring the possibility of forming a union with the small British territory. In September, Goldring introduced a motion in the House of Commons calling on Ottawa to gauge support for the idea.
The proposal isn't new. The islands approached Canada in the 1980s about a possible annexation when the local economy was in a slump.
Goldring, who is spending $3,500 of his own money on the trip, thinks the third time may be the charm.
"It's time to take this decision out of the cabinet room and take a hard look at what the benefits are for Canada and the islands themselves," Goldring said Monday from the western tip of the islands. "The people that I talk to all ac**** Canada, including Edmonton, practically 98 per cent say that it's a fantastic thing."
Goldring said there would be numerous benefits to Canada, including a sunny vacation and retirement destination, corporate opportunities and "a secure place to travel in the
post-9/11 world."
During his trip, Goldring hopes to talk to government officials. He arrived last Saturday and will return to Canada on Saturday.
The Turks and Caicos Islands, which have a smaller land mass than Edmonton, are made up of about 40 islands, only eight of which are inhabited. Industry is largely made up of tourism, fishing and offshore banking.
On Monday, the temperature was about 26 C.
Goldring isn't the only Canadian exploring the possibility of pushing Canada's border roughly 3,200 kilometres south.
Richard Pearson, a University of Alberta graduate and now an executive with a mutual fund company, is exploring business opportunities on his web page A Place in the Sun.
"This can't be just a political initiative, it has to be a political and economic one as well," he said.
Although Pearson thinks the business potential is great, it won't happen overnight. "This isn't planning for the next five to 10 years, but maybe the next 15 to 20."
In 1973, New Democratic Party MP Max Saltsman introduced the first bill to annex the islands. In the 1980s, Conservative MP Dan McKenzie's effort failed as well, killing the issue until Goldring resurrected it last year.
Rosemarie Wilson, of the Canadian arm of the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board, said the territory's economy was in bad shape when it approached Ottawa in the 1980s. That's no longer the case.
"Right now, the islands are a very vibrant, high-end tourist destination," she said.
"Even if they became part of Canada, they will still remain a luxury destination. It wouldn't be for everyone."
Some people on the islands say the idea is worth considering.
Clifford Gardiner, owner of the Pelican Beach Hotel, hopes joining a larger country will bring better education and health care. There are only two small hospitals on the islands, which are not enough Gardiner said.
The islands have to import nearly all their goods, which would be easier if they were part of a larger nation.
The idea of coming into the chilly embrace of Canada is talked about by islanders, said Gardiner, and opinions go both ways.
"Some people are afraid we'd be overrun. People here are very relaxed and laid back. Our lifestyle is much different and Canada is more developed. We'd have a lot of catching up to do."
City MP Peter Goldring mounts one-man crusade for union with Turks and Caicos Islands
by Ryan Cormier
The Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON - A series of Caribbean islands about 900 kilometres southeast of Miami may someday become part of Canada, if Edmonton MP Peter Goldring has his way.
The Conservative MP is currently in the Turks and Caicos Islands exploring the possibility of forming a union with the small British territory. In September, Goldring introduced a motion in the House of Commons calling on Ottawa to gauge support for the idea.
The proposal isn't new. The islands approached Canada in the 1980s about a possible annexation when the local economy was in a slump.
Goldring, who is spending $3,500 of his own money on the trip, thinks the third time may be the charm.
"It's time to take this decision out of the cabinet room and take a hard look at what the benefits are for Canada and the islands themselves," Goldring said Monday from the western tip of the islands. "The people that I talk to all ac**** Canada, including Edmonton, practically 98 per cent say that it's a fantastic thing."
Goldring said there would be numerous benefits to Canada, including a sunny vacation and retirement destination, corporate opportunities and "a secure place to travel in the
post-9/11 world."
During his trip, Goldring hopes to talk to government officials. He arrived last Saturday and will return to Canada on Saturday.
The Turks and Caicos Islands, which have a smaller land mass than Edmonton, are made up of about 40 islands, only eight of which are inhabited. Industry is largely made up of tourism, fishing and offshore banking.
On Monday, the temperature was about 26 C.
Goldring isn't the only Canadian exploring the possibility of pushing Canada's border roughly 3,200 kilometres south.
Richard Pearson, a University of Alberta graduate and now an executive with a mutual fund company, is exploring business opportunities on his web page A Place in the Sun.
"This can't be just a political initiative, it has to be a political and economic one as well," he said.
Although Pearson thinks the business potential is great, it won't happen overnight. "This isn't planning for the next five to 10 years, but maybe the next 15 to 20."
In 1973, New Democratic Party MP Max Saltsman introduced the first bill to annex the islands. In the 1980s, Conservative MP Dan McKenzie's effort failed as well, killing the issue until Goldring resurrected it last year.
Rosemarie Wilson, of the Canadian arm of the Turks and Caicos Islands Tourist Board, said the territory's economy was in bad shape when it approached Ottawa in the 1980s. That's no longer the case.
"Right now, the islands are a very vibrant, high-end tourist destination," she said.
"Even if they became part of Canada, they will still remain a luxury destination. It wouldn't be for everyone."
Some people on the islands say the idea is worth considering.
Clifford Gardiner, owner of the Pelican Beach Hotel, hopes joining a larger country will bring better education and health care. There are only two small hospitals on the islands, which are not enough Gardiner said.
The islands have to import nearly all their goods, which would be easier if they were part of a larger nation.
The idea of coming into the chilly embrace of Canada is talked about by islanders, said Gardiner, and opinions go both ways.
"Some people are afraid we'd be overrun. People here are very relaxed and laid back. Our lifestyle is much different and Canada is more developed. We'd have a lot of catching up to do."
