A visit by the Premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands to Parliament Hill on Monday has re-ignited Conservative MP Peter Goldring’s dream to annex the islands and make it Canada’s 11th province.
“Canada really needs a Hawaii," Goldring told reporters. “The United States has a Hawaii. Why can’t Canada have a Hawaii?”
The gain would be more than just a hot holiday spot. Goldring believes the islands could act as a gateway to South America and potentially be a great base for military support, including parts of the Disaster Assistance Response Team.
There have been at least three attempts over the past 100 years to have this archipelago of 40 Caribbean islands east of Cuba, officially join Canada. However, these attempts have been rebuffed by either Canadian or British officials and the islands remain an autonomous British Overseas Territory.
The meeting on Monday between Turks and Caicos Premier Rufus Ewing and PM Stephen Harper was simply to discuss tourism, economic development and trade issues.
However, during the press conference on Parliament Hill, Ewing was repeatedly asked questions about whether his country might become Canada’s first Caribbean province someday.
“Our first step toward any kind of relationship should be one whereby we can discuss and discover areas of mutual interest between both countries, watch that relationship grow and nurture as we go through a period of courtship, and see where it takes us,” Ewing said. “I cannot state beyond that right now.”
When asked if his comments mean he is closing the door on the idea of Canada annexing his nation of 35,000 residents, Ewing replied: “I’m not closing the door completely. It’s not my mandate to close the door.”
