With the US election ramping up, the question we often hear ramps up with it: 'why write about the US vote? Why would Canadians care?' Well with a neighbour that size and a border that size, we'd always care. That's amplified amid the health & economic crisis of a pandemic+
HOW we write on it matters. Washington bureau chief @thekeenanwire is observing the US vote with a firm eye on how it effects issues here. Like the economy: 'Our proximity to the US is a huge source of our prosperity. People shouldn’t underestimate that'+ https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2020/09/24/if-donald-trump-drags-the-us-economy-down-canadas-economy-is-going-along-for-the-ride.html
Other ripple effects include immigration, and asylum+: https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2020/09/22/we-have-a-maniac-in-charge-what-donald-trumps-immigration-policies-have-done-to-canada.html
And climate: “In Canada, people are quick to say we cannot have more stringent regulations than the US, because trade-wise, then we are disadvantaged because our environmental measures cost some money'+ https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2020/09/28/donald-trumps-denial-of-climate-changes-puts-him-at-odds-with-canada-a-joe-biden-win-might-clear-the-air.html
And pandemic: 'Seldom in our history has an issue galvanized public opinion like the resolve to keep the border closed to pandemic-stricken Americans. Recently, 90 per cent of Canadians in a poll said they want to keep strict border restrictions'+ https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2020/09/22/as-the-pandemic-rages-canadians-prefer-a-closed-border-with-donald-trumps-america.html
Democracy: 'It comes from watching a neighbour, the country that has been Canada’s closest friend in the world and partner in democracy, go through a crisis that increasingly feels like it could end in chaos, authoritarianism and even a kind of civil war'+ https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2020/09/21/donald-trump-has-taken-the-us-down-a-dark-path-and-these-canadians-are-scared-of-where-it-leads.html
The Canadian government is watching, as @SusanDelacourt writes: 'Canada’s prime minister is sending some strong signals that what’s happening in Donald Trump’s America is putting his closest neighbours on edge'+ https://www.thestar.com/politics/political-opinion/2020/09/28/in-donald-trumps-america-justin-trudeau-takes-a-veiled-shot-at-the-president.html
And sometimes responding, as @TondaMacC writes: 'Blair denied that Canada is seeking to reopen the border, noting that the restrictions are still allowing essential goods and workers to cross'+ https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2020/09/25/donald-trump-says-canada-wants-to-reopen-its-border-with-the-us-not-so-fast-says-bill-blair.html
Doug Ford has weighed in on border and trade issues also+: @robertbenzie https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/07/10/were-going-to-war-doug-ford-comes-out-swinging-at-donald-trump-over-tariffs.html
As some of our closest neighbours roil, reporting, like an ongoing series by Alex McKeen looks to shed light on what's happening behind the headlines. She explains in this thread+: https://twitter.com/alex_mckeen/status/1310623097234452480?s=20
That's why we're writing about the US election. Because what happens there effects us here on many vital fronts, from economy to climate, immigration to democratic process, trade to pandemic progress. It's not because we don't care about Canada. It's because we do+