Will Our Public Broadcasters Please Stop Sanewashing This 51st State Bullshit

It's no secret around these parts that I have a lot of time for Steve Paikin. I enjoy him as a braodcaster, I like him as a podcast guest, and I consider him a friend. Steve has visited several times for Toronto Mike'd podcast recordings and he's even attended multiple TMLX events. But before I ever met him I thought he was a solid journalist.

When The Agenda aired an episode entitled "Canada As a 51st State?" I nearly blew a gasket. Why is our public broadcaster normalizing and sanewashing this rubbish? Canada as a 51st state is a non-starter and exploring the idea of what it would look like is highly offensive and hugely disappointing.

TVO framed the episode as so:

What if Canada became the 51st state, as president-elect Donald Trump has suggested? How would our lives be different? Could we maintain our distinct customs and policies?

What if TVO stopped legitimizing such illegal threats?

This week, Cross Country Checkup, a CBC radio program hosted by Ian Hanomansing, started promoting Sunday's episode entitled "What Would Canada as the 51st State Mean To You?". Again, a public broadcaster sanewashing annexation threats from the USA. The normalization of the ludicrous continues.

I have never met Ian Hanomansing, but we have communicated and he has promised to appear on Toronto Mike'd when in Toronto with an hour or two to spare. I respect the man, not just because he's got great taste in podcasts, but I think he's a solid journalist, not unlike Steve Paikin. But the framing of this episode infuriated me.

On Bluesky, Ian has shared that they're tweaking the title and framing because feedback has been so negative. I have an even better idea. Let's not discuss in any way, not even for a moment, anything that depends on Canada becoming a part of the USA.

Because that only happens if the US military is deployed, and if that happens...