Previously on “The Secret History of Vermont”

Introduction
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Chapter 8: International Relations

There’s a sign at the Alamo Shrine in San Antonio, Texas that says that Texas is the only state to have been an independent country when it joined the Union. This is incorrect because the Republic of Vermont joined the Union as the 14th state in 1791 before Texas was even discovered.

Ethan Allen’s reputation never really recovered from his support for joining the Union and the wisdom of the idea is still debated among Native Vermonters who, in any event, never gave up the apparatus for international meddling.

The first task of the Vermont Department of International Management was to sort out the squabble between New York and New Hampshire who both claimed the exclusive right to tax the Republic (of Vermont). This was handled skillfully by Ethan Allen who alternately played one side off against the other when he wasn’t claiming that he had arranged for bigger countries to provide protection from both. Eventually the two U.S. states decided it was best if the small, but rambunctious, Republic was just ignored.

The VDIM helped arrange the terms for joining the Union and then turned its attention almost exclusively to what eventually became the unhappy Canadian Province of Quebec. Vermont’s first concern was to reassure Quebec that trade across the Vermont border would continue unhindered regardless of any silly rules, regulations, or tariffs set up by the U.S. Federal Government.

Poor Quebec. The proud French colony was essentially traded to England as a minor peace treaty concession and the psyche of the region never recovered. Quebec never had its fifteen years of Statehood. Surrounded by its traditional enemies without support from its progenitor the best Quebec could do was to try to maintain its culture while making the Rest of Canada (a proxy target with England being beyond reach) pay and pay and pay.

This suits Vermont just fine. In terms of honorable commerce, Vermont counts Fair Trade to be second only to Fair Trade with a Partner With Unfortunate Internal Difficulties.

Canada was confederated in 1867 and still doesn’t have its economic act together. Canada is full of smart and industrious people and has vast natural resources and is still sort of a minor economic appendage to the U.S., like an extra toe on one foot. Every time the Canadian economy starts to get a little momentum Quebec pops up and stops it in its tracks.

When the economy is slow Quebec hunkers down and lives off its generous Canadian federal subsidies. When the economy is revving up Quebec asks “Who needs Canada?” and starts talking about independence. Neither state is attractive to disappointed investors who would otherwise flood Canada and Quebec with money.

On the other hand Unfortunate Internal Difficulties is attractive if one’s goal is to buy stuff cheap, and Vermonters have traditionally tended towards the philosophy of “get rich by spending less” rather than “get rich by investing more”. Vermonters like it when their dollar is worth $1.30 in Canada and want to see it stay that way.

Canada is a small country, as countries go, but Vermont is an even smaller State, as states go. There’s very little that Vermont can do to impress Canada. Quebec by itself is huge compared to Vermont but Quebec is desperate for international recognition and tends to treat other non-sovereign states the way it wishes it were treated. Therefore Vermont’s influence is much greater than it should be. Vermont’s French speaking population, mostly in the Towns along the Quebec border, helps a lot too.

The U.S. Federal Government takes a dim view of its states prosecuting their own foreign policies so the Vermont Department of International Management has to be subtle. Most of the VDIM’s work is propping up the Parti Quebecois (the Quebec Independence Party) when its spirits or finances are flagging. Does the PQ need funds? Then Vermont signs an expensive contract for electricity with Hydro-Quebec, a division of the Quebec provincial government, which is usually run by the PQ. Is Canada’s legal maneuvering getting the better of Quebec? Then Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor gives a speech (in French) to the Quebec’s provincial legislature (the “National Assembly”) on the benefits of free trade.

Vermont thinks of Canada and Quebec like a maple sugar boiling table. With an unlimited supply of sap (Canada’s native resources) and a well tended fire (Unfortunate Internal Difficulties) Vermont can extract as much maple syrup as it wants.