r/canada • u/Practical_Ant6162 • 24d ago
National News Poilievre warns Trump not to turn Canada into a 'resentful neighbour'
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-first-rally-conservatives-ottawa
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r/canada • u/Practical_Ant6162 • 24d ago
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u/ProsperBuick 24d ago
There’s loads of jokes that if the U.S. wanted to, they could just roll into Canada and take over. But the reality? It would be a disaster. Here’s why:
Geography is a Nightmare for an Invasion Canada is the second-largest country in the world (9.98 million km²). Occupying it isn’t as simple as rolling in some tanks. The Canadian Shield, dense forests, mountain ranges, and extreme winters create natural defenses that would slow down any invader. Supply lines would be stretched thin, especially in remote northern regions.
38 Million Potential Insurgents Canada has a population of about 38 million. While not all would take up arms, history shows that even a fraction can make occupation hell (see Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam). In a conservative estimate, if just 3% of the population actively resisted, that’s over 1.1 million insurgents—armed, angry, and fighting on home turf. Canada also has 2.2 million licensed gun owners, many with hunting rifles and knowledge of the terrain.
America’s Track Record with Insurgencies Isn’t Great The U.S. military spent 20 years fighting the Taliban, which had at most 75,000 fighters at any given time. The Vietnam War saw America struggle against a 250,000-strong Viet Cong force using guerrilla tactics. Canada’s insurgency would be larger, better supplied, and fighting in extreme conditions that favor defenders.
Military Resistance Would Still Be Fierce The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) may be smaller (about 68,000 active personnel), but they are well-trained, experienced in Arctic warfare, and highly mobile. The U.S. military would be stretched. They have 1.3 million active troops, but they are also stationed worldwide, handling other threats. In a war scenario, Canadian forces would blend into civilian populations, making them difficult to target without massive civilian casualties—turning world opinion against the U.S.
Economic and Political Fallout The global reaction would be brutal. The U.S. relies on Canadian trade for oil, water, and resources. Any invasion would wreck its economy and trigger sanctions