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Comment by tmh79 | Hacker News Reader

Interesting question: Do you think the Canadian government has the power to deny entry of US citizens into Canada? I don't think they'd be able to do it.

[edit] I think any Candian government who actually did it would see an economic shock and loss of legitimacy so large that none of them would risk it.

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U. S. citizens get turned away at the Canadian border every day. Are you suggesting that Canada has lost its sovereignty?

Why do you think that? The Canadian government absolutely could and already does on a selective basis daily.

I mean, they definitely could in a legal sense, but then the reaction from the US would likely be extreme and putative, it would likely cause a huge shock to the Canadian economy, and it would risk a sharp decline in the legitimacy of the canadian government.

Speaking as a Canadian: the current US government being angry at us would only increase the legitimacy of our government in my eyes.

The decline in legitimacy would come from the devastating effects of shutting down trade with Canada.

To clarify - shutting down trade isn't on the table right now - all trade lines will be kept open for the immediate future.

This announcement was solely about persons moving for non-logistical reasons.

Shutting down trade would be stupid, but it wouldn't have any effect on the legitimacy of the government. We are pretty damn secure about the legitimacy of our electoral process.

The ban is on travellers, not trade. There will still be goods imported and exported all over the world, just not humans.

There is already a huge shock to the global economy.

American opinions of the Canadian government matter very little as they can't vote in our elections.

This happens all the time, to famous and non-famous people. US citizens have no rights to enter Canada. Also the right to refuse people actually further legitimizes the Canadian Government.

You do realize Canada is a first world country just like the US is right? They have strong relations but they still are separate countries.

yes, I totally understand that. While they are separate countries, their economies and supply chains are extremely closely tied together and closing the border to US people would cause an extreme econ shock in both countries. Retaliation from the US would probably be stupid, out of scale, and make the situation much worse. My whole point is I don't think Canada would risk it.

>My whole point is I don't think Canada would risk it.

Fuddle duddle.

I hear you and I think that's part of the reason US folks are still being allowed up - but honestly, there's a pandemic on, Canada shouldn't be held responsible for making sure Trump doesn't look bad and end up flipping out unreasonably - that's America's problem.

You don’t think it’s possible because... why?

???

Why wouldn't they?

They may not on an ordinary day, with our agreements being what they are; but I'm pretty sure in this circumstance we have the ability. It just won't really matter, since our borders need to be porous in practice, especially when we need supplies.

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