The US, partnered with Mexico, is not planning a secret invasion and hostile takeover of our northern neighbors in Canada , a State Department spokeswoman clarified during a daily press briefing.
The clarification sparked laughter among the press corps in attendance, reports NBC News . Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland’s remarks were meant to address a question regarding a secretive meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mexico Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa on Tuesday. Specifically, the press was curious as to what was talked about, potentially signed, and why a ceremony involving Espinosa wasn’t open to the press.
“I think it’s an update on Merida, but I will get that for you,” Nuland said, speaking to the Merida Initiative to combat organized crime.
“This isn’t some secret thing … to invade Canada or something like that?” asked one journalist.
“No, no, no. It’s not anything classified,” Nuland responded amid laughter.
A potential invasion of Canada by the US frequently pops up as a satirical trope in pop culture in films like John Candy’s black comedy Canadian Bacon and South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (which featured a song called “Blame Canada”), but the idea does have some factual basis. There was a secret plan to invade Canada crafted by the US in 1935, codenamed “War Plan Red,” which was accidentally published in part by the New York Times.
There’s even a satirical website called www.invadecanada.us which calls for a complete takeover of the True North, for reasons like “they’re just a little too proud,” and “they stole our basketball teams.”
Do you think that the US should invade or annex Canada?
