I was greatly amused, but not at all surprised to see Canada portrayed as "paradise north" in the show. Canada is the great "escape" for citizens of the nation of Gilead (formerly the USA) - a violent theocracy which came to power after birth rates plummeted and procreation became a rarity. Citizens attempt to escape to Canada "the land of the free".
Thoughts:
Fleeing north is somewhat reminiscent of southern slaves and the Underground Railroad. What's ironic about that however, is that Canada also had slavery which was only abolished due to British law; and was the consequence of being a British colony. While it's true that Canada's slavery never reached the levels of the USA, as we now know - this was only due to the wretched poverty of Canada's poor laborers and its relative poverty to the far wealthier United States. Canada also practiced slavery with Aboriginals (something which also happened to a limited degree in the USA).
Other comparisons can be made: African Americans in the USA were legally guaranteed the right to vote in 1965. Status Indians in Canada were able to vote in 1960. The Inuit are generally accepted as having legitimately 'gained the right to vote' in 1962. (source)
In 1920, women in the USA were given the right to vote (the 19th Amendment). Twelve states held out on ratifying the amendment - dragging it out for decades more. Prior to the amendment, 18 states had granted women the right to vote.
In Canada, women's right to vote varied by province. The first province to grant voting rights was Manitoba in 1916. The last province would be Quebec in 1940. (source)
The closer one looks at these neighboring nations, the more one begins to glimpse the parallels and commonalities. Far from being ethically superior, Canada begins to look disturbingly similar to America. Lean in closer to observe the historical and legal cracks in its claims to higher enlightenment.
In the USA, women's rights to abortion varied by state prior to 1973. A federal law (Roe vs Wade) came into effect that year guaranteeing national rights, brought on by a plaintiff from Texas. Abortion only became fully legal in Canada in 1988. Previously the Criminal Code had been amended (1969) to allow abortion if a woman's life was in danger or a board of doctors signed off. In 1990, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney attempted to criminalize abortion again - but failed. Accessibility to abortion services tended to vary by province, and abortion was not available in the province of Prince Edward Island until 2016.
In the interest of time, I will briefly mention there have been some differences in religious beliefs and movements between the USA and Canada - a topic I will leave for another post.
Religious fervor versus wimps:
Reflecting on the matter, despite more fundamentalism in the United States - I believe that Canada is a far more likely candidate for a dystopian theocracy than the US. First, there are the numbers: 35 million inhabitants being far easier to dominate and control than 320 million. Second, there is the geography: Americans being spread out over a vast terrain of diverse lands, while nearly all Canadians live grouped together along the southern border in limited regions.
Third, Americans have the right to self-defense enshrined into their constitution through the Second Amendment which says in part ... "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed" and which was upheld by the Supreme Court, guaranteeing Americans the fundamental right to bear arms for protection.
In the United States there are an estimated 270 million guns, conservatively. It's believed just over roughly a third of citizens own a firearm. (source) That's approximately 96 MILLION individuals that own firearms.
The United States is often lambasted for its internal divisions, but in this case it may be a blessing in disguise. The country tends to be very divided politically: mainly between Republicans and Democrats; each group fiercely unapologetic about its beliefs. It also tends to be divided socially: between the more conservative religious base, and the liberal-progressives. If a theocracy or autocratic regime were to attempt to establish itself then roughly half the nation would oppose it - creating a momentous civil war.
In order to establish dominance a regime would have to resort to destruction on an unprecedented scale, which is in fact simpler in theory than action. Take for example the guerrilla warfare well known in other areas: Ireland, South America, Israel and Palestine, to name but a few. Hold out factions of rebels, criminals or other groups can last decades; Afghanistan comes to mind.
Meanwhile in Canada, residents aren't even supposed to have pepper spray. Guns mainly belong to law enforcement, hunters and farmers, while the words "self defense" induce liberal gasps of horror among the self-proclaimed intelligentsia. Canadians can hardly run a bath, let alone a rebellion.
And so the two nations carry on along their parallel paths, but Canadians lack Americans' rights to self defense, bearing arms, free speech; not to mention their combativeness, blunt honesty and rebellious nature. Canadians still have MONARCHY in the 21st century - something Americans abolished two centuries ago!
If anybody is going to live under the thumb of lunatics - it will be Canadians far before Americans, in my humble opinion.
