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“Canada really needs a Hawaii. The United States has a Hawaii. Why can’t Canada have a Hawaii?” Goldring said Sunday in a telephone interview from Ukraine, where’s he’s helping election observers.

However, he acknowledges the latest mission to Canada will likely see Turks and Caicos officials focus on strengthening tourism, social ties and trade relations. The annexation debate is likely on the sidelines, at least for now, he said.

“They have come to Canada three times to ask to join and have been turned down. There is a sense they don’t want to come again and be turned down again,” Goldring said.

The dream of somehow directly linking Canada with Turks and Caicos dates back almost a century, when then-prime minister Robert Borden first suggested in 1917 that Canada annex the islands.

But Canadians can certainly still dream of having a tropical getaway to call their own, especially after what was a particularly brutal winter.

The islands (only eight of which are inhabited) have more than 300 kilometres of beachfront, are home to approximately 30,000 full-time residents and attract more than 200,000 tourists annually.

The average temperature ranges between 29C and 32 from June to October, and 27 to 29 from November to May.

Canada is the second-largest source of tourists to Turks and Caicos, and has the greatest number of foreign direct investment flowing to the islands.

Goldring believes there’s much more to be gained than simply a holiday hot spot if Turks and Caicos were to become a Canadian province one day.

The islands would prove to be valuable representation for Canada in the region and also act as a gateway to South America, he said, and potentially be a great base for military support, including parts of the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).

“Let’s see where it goes,” he said.