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It is ironic that while Americans are encouraged daily to “buy American,” and proudly do so, Canadians, like most nationals in countries where Starbucks and McDonald’s have wiped out local competitors, eagerly embrace these American institutions with nary a thought paid to the effect their choices have on their communities.

It is horribly unfashionable to even criticize the incremental takeover of industry by such a phenomenon, and anyone who suggests that a degree of economic patriotism is called for is dismissed as a socialist, protectionist, or worse. But the progress toward becoming the 53rd U.S. state through this style of corporate colonization is nothing more or less than a ceding of Canadian autonomy and control over its economic future.

Think about it. If the options for entry-level employment are dictated more and more by globalized corporates deploying algorithms to determine the minimum wage payable, hiring “part timers” to avoid full-time payroll obligations, and exporting profit to American bank accounts, what will the economic landscape in Canada look like in 20 more years?