An Open Letter from Manitoba to the People of Minnesota

PROVINCE OF MANITOBA

Office of the Premier

An Open Letter to Our Neighbours

Dear Minnesota,

We've been neighbours for a long time now. Our grandparents were neighbours. Their grandparents were neighbours. The border between us is the longest undefended border in the world, and that's not just geography—it's trust built over generations.

We share lakes. We share winters. We share that particular way of saying "oh, for sure" that people from other places find endearing or confusing. We've always understood each other.

We've been watching what's happening to you. We've seen the news. We've seen the fear. We've seen families torn apart and communities living in terror of a knock on the door.

We want you to know: we see you, and the door is open.

What "Friendly Manitoba" Means

Our license plates say "Friendly Manitoba." It's not just a slogan. It's a promise we made to ourselves about who we want to be.

Being friendly means:

• When a neighbour is struggling, you check on them
• When someone is afraid, you offer shelter
• When a family needs help, you don't ask for their papers first
• When a community is hurting, you show up

Minnesota, you're hurting. We're showing up.

What We're Offering

This adoption proposal—yes, it started as something lighter, a thought experiment about what it would mean to truly be one community. But the world has changed, and so has the offer.

We're offering:

• Safety. In Canada, immigration enforcement doesn't happen the way it's happening to you now. Our system isn't perfect, but it's not this. No one should live in fear of being taken from their family at a traffic stop.
• Healthcare. No one in Manitoba goes bankrupt from getting sick. No one delays seeing a doctor because they're afraid of the cost. That would be yours too.
• Community. We already share so much. The same lakes, the same love of hockey, the same understanding that -30°C is just "a bit cold." Joining us wouldn't feel like leaving home. It would feel like home getting bigger.
• Dignity. Every person deserves to live without fear. Every family deserves to stay together. Every worker deserves to be treated as a human being. These aren't radical ideas. They're just... decent.

We Know It's Complicated

We're not naive. We know that an actual change like this would be extraordinarily complex—constitutionally, politically, practically. We know that many Minnesotans love their country and want to stay American. We know there are no easy answers.

But we also know that sometimes, when things are hard, it helps just to know that someone cares. That there's a neighbour who's paying attention. That the door is open, even if you never walk through it.

Consider this letter that neighbour, paying attention.

To Those Who Are Afraid Right Now

If you're reading this and you're scared—for yourself, for your family, for your neighbours—we want you to know:

• You matter.
• Your family matters.
• Your community matters.
• You deserve to live without this fear.

Whatever happens with borders and politics and legal frameworks, please know that just north of you, there are people who see you, who value you, and who believe that how we treat the most vulnerable among us defines who we are.

We're trying to be who we say we are. Friendly Manitoba. The door is open.

With genuine warmth and neighbourly concern,

The People of Manitoba
Through the Office of the Premier
Province of Manitoba, Canada

"Gloriosus et Liber"
(Glorious and Free—and we want that for you too)