"why does every article praising a Canadian have to compare and contrast hiom or her with an American?"
I don't know...when I see these kinds of things in article, I take it more as a compliment to the achievements of American individuals. I like Lightfoot too, but I had no idea he was still popular. Guess he's also like our..."Bob Seger". LOL. Sorry...couldn't help it.
Yeah, he hasn't been burning up the charts lately, though I really loved his 70's hits. In America he'd be just another singer-songwriter flogging his old stuff. At least he's not Celine Dion.