In the summer, Canada has a bountiful offering of provincial natural treasures to explore and enjoy. Whether it is reading a book on the iron-red beaches of P.E.I., climbing the rocky mountains in Banff, surfing in Tofino, lazing by a dock in the Muskokas, or glamping in a yurt in Charlevoix, our country, from coast to coast to coast, is superb from the late spring all the way through the early fall months.
But what about the rest of the year?
The cold-blue ocean waters and blanketed snow-white beaches of P.E.I. in January don’t compare to the warm sun, white beaches, and turquoise water of tropical Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI). Canada, for many reasons—great weather during the winters being primary—should revisit a once-popular proposal for the Caribbean country to join Confederation.
Let’s face it, Canada needs its own domestic tropical getaway like Korea’s Jeju; Japan’s Okinawa; France’s Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Polynesia, and Réunion; the U.K.’s Bermuda, Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos (for now, until Canada offers a better deal); the Netherlands’ Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire; and America’s Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands.
People on Salt Cay, Turks and Caicos Islands, on March 8, 2011. Harry Hamburg/AP Photo.
A willing partner?
Unlike President Trump’s MAGA-lomaniacal attempts at territorial expansion, Canada, in cordial contrast, might just have a willing partner in these 40 paradisiacal islands. The people of Turks and Caicos have previously expressed a desire to become fellow Canucks.
Though they haven’t been officially surveyed in over two decades about joining Canada, there has been a century of talks on the matter already. As recently as 2023, 60 percent of the islanders wanted unification with Canada, while back in the 1990s, a super majority of 90 percent were in favour of dropping their country’s status as a territory of the U.K. and joining our nation.
Canada should consider making the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) its 11th province, since it would provide Canadians with a domestic tropical getaway, boost the Canadian economy, and offer TCI residents the benefits of Canadian citizenship and healthcare. There already exists a historical desire for TCI to join Canada, with past surveys showing strong support. While there may be potential financial costs, this would be a “win-win” scenario and a bold move for a more ascendant Canada.
Should Canada annex Turks and Caicos for a domestic tropical getaway?
What are the main economic benefits and risks of Canada absorbing TCI?
How might the UK react to TCI joining Canada, and what are the political implications?
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