Canadian interest in US politics

As a Canadian interested in politics, I often find myself commenting on political issues that are really only relevant to our American friends.

The responses tend to range from treating the opinion as any other to, fairly regularly, the point that as a Canadian that I have no interest in what happens south of our border. That is a valid point to make, if a person has no vested interest in a topic of debate, then what is the purpose of discussing the topic.

The thing is; politics in Canada are tame, with fewer political scandals and the majority of issues being either the result of or a response to something going on across the border. When the economy is considered, a large segment of the Canadian economy depends on the US economy.

Ultimately, while motivations might vary for individuals, but for me, it is significant to know that whatever is going on south of the border has a great impact on life in Canada. If the US were to fail and become a third world country, that would severely harm the standard of living in Canada as well.

To our American friends; it may not be realized but so much media content comes from south of the border that an organization was made to guarantee that at least a certain portion of Canadian broadcasts be Canadian content. (This is why Canadian Netflix sucks relative). A large segment of the Canadian economy depends on trade with the US, depending on the calculation ranges between 40-60%. Also, even Canadian politics often gets debated in terms of a response to something going on down south.

So, we should know that Canadians regularly discuss American politics, not even as an attempt of manipulation, but it comes from a place of concern (selfish concern maybe) that if the US does poorly, that has a negative impact on Canada as well. We want you doing well so that things are easier on us.

Thanks for reading