Why there is a border between US and Canada? In Europe we don't have borders. We can travel and work free.

Question

Why there is a border between US and Canada? In Europe we don't have borders. We can travel and work free.

Answer 1

In order to make such an arrangement work, countries have to be willing to give up some of their own sovereignty.

There is little appetite for forming a "North American Union" that would make a border-free North America possible. It would be absurd for either Canada or Mexico to surrender sovereignty to a U.S.-dominated superstate. It would be equally absurd for the U.S. to surrender sovereignty to a superstate in which it held only a minority stake.

Answer 2

North Americans Are Crazy Thats Why Im One Myself

Answer 3

The Europeans have made an agreement about a free trade/free movement area in Europe. This has been made by fairly equal partner countries who have set rules and some smaller countries who have agreed to those rules.

Canada and the United States do not have such an agreement and are unlikely to arrive at one soon.

One of the complications is that, in size of population, the US is ten times larger than Canada. Another is that these two countries have very different forms of government, values and economies. Some people there think that an independent country is better.

Answer 4

Ah, you've got it wrong there. You have borders between all countries (even in Europe!). You are allowed to travel and work between the countries freely only because of EU and shortage of labor to some extent.

Answer 5

Because the Canadians want to protect themselves from all of us crazy Americans who would rather live there than here!



And I don't blame them one bit.

Answer 6

You have borders.  They are those dotted lines on the map. The difference is that you have trade and labour agreements between the different countries.

I think most Canadians would agree that we would not want an open border with the US. To an outsider, it probably looks like Canada and the US are very similar, but they are not.  Our people have very different values and beliefs.  Opening up the border would likely result in a riot.  

I am one of the most open-minded and understanding people I know, but until the US can stop making decisions based on fear I wouldn't want our residents co-mingling for fear that the American Way might rub off on the Canadian people. I would want the Canadian way of life protected at all costs.  There are, however, several other countries I wouldn't mind opening up borders with -- we'll share with Bermuda, and Mexico to start!