You won’t hear Mark Carney say it.
Pierre Poilievre won’t say it either.
Even Doug Ford, who coined the phrase Fortress AMCAN, hasn’t said it out loud.
But the conversation is coming. It’s already happening behind closed doors.
Will Canada adopt the U.S. dollar?
The Price of Affordability
Canada is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis — one the Bank of Canada seems powerless to correct. Interest rates remain high. Inflation is persistent. Housing affordability is at historic lows.
The average home in Canada, as of April 2025, costs $679,866 CAD.
In U.S. dollars? That’s approximately $500,000 USD.
And that’s the quiet truth behind this week’s Beyond Queen’s Park:
If you earn in U.S. dollars, Canada is a bargain.
Groceries, housing, energy, and even $6 milk — suddenly look cheaper once converted.
So ask yourself: if Fortress AMCAN moves toward economic alignment, why wouldn’t currency come next?
A Dollarized Canada?
Some call it “dollarization.” Others might brand it “integration.” But here’s what it would mean:
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Canadian consumers would pay less in real terms, as imported goods and services stabilize under a stronger currency.
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Homeowners wouldn’t see housing prices collapse — they’d adjust relative to the new currency, preserving equity.
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Tourism to the U.S. would likely surge as Canadian spending power increases.
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Cross-border trade becomes seamless without the friction of exchange rates.
The argument, politically, would be simple: This makes life more affordable.
It would also be one of the most radical sovereignty concessions in Canadian history.
What Canada Would Give Up
This isn’t like the eurozone. European countries gave up control — but kept representation in the ECB. Under dollarization, Canada would simply inherit U.S. decisions.
But could that change? Possibly.
If Fortress AMCAN evolves into a formal economic union, Canada could negotiate a voice in monetary governance — either through a seat on a newly formed North American Monetary Council, or through direct representation in a restructured Federal Reserve system.
After all, Donald Trump’s “51st state” comments imply something deeper. Every U.S. state has representation. If Canada is to be integrated, the logic follows that it too would have a voice — or no deal would survive public scrutiny.
That may be the price of political survival — and the only way to make dollarization democratic.
Trump’s View: Just Fold the Border
Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to the Canada–U.S. border as “an artificial line.” In his vision of Fortress AMCAN, economic integration is just the beginning. If people and goods can move freely, why not money too?
For him — and for many U.S. policymakers — Canada adopting the U.S. dollar isn’t a loss of sovereignty. It’s a correction of history.
Whether Canadians see it the same way is another story.
Final Word
A shared currency wouldn’t just lower prices.
It would make Fortress AMCAN real — not just a policy, but a framework for how we live, spend, and relate to the world.
Canada wouldn’t lose its anthem.
It wouldn’t lose its flag.
But unless negotiated carefully, it could lose control of the most powerful lever in economic life: its own money.
This isn’t just about affordability. It’s about authorship.
If Canada is to adopt the U.S. dollar — or any unified currency — it must demand a seat at the table.
Otherwise, the nation won’t just change its bills.
It will have changed its future — by design, or by default.
📍 Beyond Queen’s Park is GTA Weekly’s weekly lens on Fortress AMCAN — the emerging vision of a North American economic and security union.
Follow us @GTAWeeklyNews for more every Tuesday.
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