John F. Kennedy speaking to the Canadian Parliament in 1961:

Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, I grew up closer to Canada than most Americans. As a result, I may have given Canada more thought than most U.S. citizens. And that means almost none. (Brief, simple quiz: How many Canadian provinces are there? Name them. How about the territories? Advanced placement: Name three of the governors, if that is the right term, of the provinces.) But our minority-vote-getting president-elect has elevated Canada in the national consciousness. Making Canada a U.S. state at first seemed a harmless bit of whimsy, but he keeps harping on it. Prominent Canadians have rejected the idea in colorful ways. But now that my attention has been directed to our northern neighbor, I am hoping that they will consider becoming part of the U.S. It is intriguing how they might change this country.

Canada’s population would entitle it to more than fifty seats in the House of Representatives. The size of the House has been capped at 435 since 1929. That number was temporarily increased to 437 in 1959 after Hawaii and Alaska became states, but it returned to 435 after the 1960 census. If that pattern were followed, the House size would temporarily increase and settle back to 435 after the next census.

Now. If Canada were to become a state and the House size remains the same, that would mean that fifty existing House seats would have to be eliminated. Perhaps Trump thinks Canada can become a state solely through presidential fiat, but in the past, it was clear that the Constitution required both houses of Congress and a presidential signature to create a new state. It is hard to picture the House voting for anything that would eliminate fifty existing House districts. That probably dooms Canadian statehood. But I assure you that if I could oversee which fifty would disappear, I would be an enthusiastic supporter of Canadian statehood.

The effect on the Senate would be less dramatic, but I say to Canada, Why not bargain, eh? Instead of joining the U.S. as one state, insist that each province come in as a separate state. (We can figure out what to do with the territories later.) That would be not two, but twenty additional members of the upper House. (Yes, there are ten Canadian provinces.)

And then there is the electoral college. Even if Canada joined the U.S. as a single state, it would still be the largest bloc of electoral votes, about a tenth of the total.

Canadians, if they used their power wisely, could control the House. If they could come in as ten states, they could probably control the Senate. And their influence in the electoral college would be immense. In other words, Canadians could control the North American continent from Key West to Hudson Bay (and perhaps Greenland, too.)

I see some benefits to that. Canada has stricter gun laws than the U.S. With Canadians as the power brokers, we could have them here. The government pays directly for much of Canadian healthcare. We could have that here. Canada has no criminal restrictions on abortion, and abortion is widely available throughout the country. We could have that here. And perhaps those snappy Royal Canadian Mountie uniforms could become standard in the U.S. The world, in my opinion, would be better with more Dudley Do-Rights.

There are a couple of things, however, that might be dealbreakers for Canadian statehood and a couple of other things I am not sure about. We would have to do something about Canada’s connections with British royalty. I know that there are many Americans who are inexplicably besotted with that royalty, but real Americans don’t want anything to do with a monarchy (even if some misguided Americans want Trump to be a monarch). While there might be some division on British royalty, there should be no debate on jettisoning the Canadian national anthem; it’s even worse than ours.

There is more to consider. Canadian statehood would probably increase the already large Canadian cultural influences on the rest of America. Do we really want more Canadian singers, comedians, and wrestlers than we have now? Can we have Canadian statehood without more Justin Biebers? On the other hand, I loved the Red Green show. Our economy as well as our culture will be affected. Certainly, Canadian companies will have a freer rein in the lower forty-eight than now. Would the wider availability of Tim Horton maple donuts and controversial Montreal bagels be a good thing, or would RFK ban those sugary treats and empty carbohydrates?

But even though there may be some undesirable consequences, better gun control, a different healthcare system, and abortion availability make Canada statehood worth it, and that is so even if I must hear “eh” more often. Please, Canada, don’t close the door to U.S. statehood. You have the potential to remake the United States into a better place. Please stand on guard for me.