America has had it rough over the past decade. The nation is over $17 trillion in debt, the middle class is shrinking, and the country’s dysfunctional political system is getting in the way of solving the myriad of economic crises at hand. What’s a country to do? Merge, says geopolitics expert and author Diane Francis.

In her new book Merger of the Century: Why Canada and America Should Become One Country, Francis argues that both the U.S. and Canada have a lot to gain from joining forces. America would have access to the vast natural resources to the north, including land, water, oil, and gas -- something that would greatly help in paying down the nation’s debt.

Canada in turn would be able to draw upon the U.S.’s immense military, capital, and workforce. Together, the two countries would have an economy larger than that of the European Union, or of the economies of Japan, China, Germany, and France combined.

While Francis recognizes that an official merger might be a pipe dream, she points out that change of some kind needs to happen soon. At their current trajectories, both nations stand to lose out to the growing superpower to the east: China.

Could we be saying “U-S-Eh” anytime soon? Are you convinced by Diana Francis’s economic argument that the U.S. and Canada should merge? If not, would you at least support a joint venture between the two nations?

Guest:
Diane Francis, journalist, broadcaster, entrepreneur, and author of Merger of the Century: Why Canada and America Should Become One Country. She’s also a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada.