[IvanT]

Just thought in light of the fact that there is so much hatred and malice directed towards Canada, I'd post an article with a more positive spin. I know you all will hate it. Fire away!

[mitchbert]

Great find, Ivan. The pity is that so much of what's in it, particularly the military history, would come as a total surprise to the majority of Canadians.

[Moose4]

When it comes to the perfect doughnut, Canada is the unquestioned world leader.

Ahem...two words. Krispy Kreme.

Guess we're going to have to kick Canada's ass in the donut department too...

}:-)4

[Alberta's Child]

Like Britain, Canada has become a decidedly secular country. It is also a model of multicultural integration. The critics who complain that it is too European only in economic terms — high-tax, low-growth, and stifled by socialist regulation — are simply uninformed. True, there is great regional variety, but Alberta has almost the lowest taxes in North America, and no provincial sales tax whatsoever.

With all due respect to the author, his statement is not a valid one because he has missed a very crucial point here. From an economic standpoint, Alberta isn't even part of Canada anymore and therefore can't be held up as an example of a "strong-growth, free market economy in Canada." Just about every single measure that the Alberta government has taken to lay the grounds for a robust economy has been done under strong opposition from Ottawa.

[vin-one]

another liberal media report claiming no WMD's

According to the National Post newspaper, the Canadian government reviewed the so-called ‘dossiers’ on Iraq and dismissed the hype about weapons of mass destruction as unjustified by the facts. In retrospect, we can see that they were right,

it's only been a couple of weeks, spent looking for WMD's
and Saddam had 12 years to hide them
time will tell

[Grig]

Canada has a lot in it's history that it can and should be proud of, and a lot in it's present that is shamefull and painfull for a partriot to bear.

[americanSoul]

Let me see now, where can I start.

OK, our military history is a proud one, but it is history.

With the start of the reign of the Prince of Darkness, economic moron, intelectual poseur, accomplished sophist, America hater, marxist pur laine - Trudeau - (Carter and Castro both came to his funeral), our military has steadily declined. We now are reduced to having to depend on other nations for troop/equipment transport.

Additionally, he imposed what is essentially preferential treatment in all walks of life for francophones through his bilingualism/bicultural legislation. This had a devastating effect, especially on the military. Meritocracy went out the window.

We now depend on America for our national security.

Socialized medicine: people die on waiting lists, lack of modern equipment, Canadian educated MDs (the best and the brightest) leaving for the USA, and those that are able, are increasingly going to the US for needed and timely treatment.

Ivan, the Spectator is a socialist rag - it is definitely no Daily Telegraph.

As for Mark Steyn, in my book, to quote George Jonas in today's National Post, he is the Mozart of political columnists.

G-D Bless America.

[Gritty]

Canada’s commitment to worldwide peace and disarmament is no less fervent than Tony Blair’s

You gotta hand 'em that.

After all, this is the country that turned a "simple" universal gun registration plan (eventual disarmament of their subjects) into a multi-billion dollar boondoogle.

Also, don't forget their advocacy of "peace" by making hate-filled Bible-mongers stop preaching Biblical proscriptions against homosexuality under penalty of going to jail!

[Lazamataz]

Canada will kneel, sundered, before us. They will lie, defeated, before the might that America will bring to bear! We will annex British Columbia! DEATH TO THE GREAT SATAN, CANADA!

[from occupied ga]

The real Canada stands on guard for North American modernity combined with European social enlightenment — and better doughnuts.

Translated "We think we do marxism better."

Paul Robinson is assistant director of the Centre for Security Studies at the University of Hull. He has also served as an intelligence officer in the British and Canadian armies.

In short he is a government bureaucrat and socialist parasite whose livelihood is dependent on the Canadians who actually do productive work for a living. From the point of view of the beneficiaries of massive taxation, not a single penny is unnecessary - after all it goes to them.

[Right Wing Professor]

Paul Robinson is assistant director of the Centre for Security Studies at the University of Hull

The fact this Canada-booster chooses to live instead in a grey town in the Northeast of England should probably be taken as a reflection on his sincerity.

[desertcry]

Which Canada is Mr. Robison talking about? As many of us know, there are 2 Canadas, one loves Americans, the other hates the USA. Unfortunately the mouth piece and has control of Canadian politics is the Eastern and the more frenchy variety.

[Snowyman]

This is happening in Toronto . A million dollar dinner with Harper. And they're not coming from the West to chow down at the Royal York. These are the dreaded Easterners. Those Eastern, cowardly, secret closet Liberals with money . The scum bags of Ontario that everyone likes to bash.

Or maybe just Ontario Conservatives putting their money where it counts.

A miracle or a sign of things to come ?

The Canadian Alliance will hold its largest fundraiser in almost three years at a dinner with party leader Stephen Harper on June 16.

All 900 tickets -- at $1,000 each with a few seats at $500 -- have been sold, said Linda Frum, co-chair for the dinner, to be held at the Royal York Hotel.

[gcruse]

enormous pressure to integrate with its gigantic neighbour

              Bull puckey. Enormous pressure from whom?

a society which combines prosperity and opportunity for the individual with socialised medicine, a successful system of public education, and far-sighted subsidies to the arts and cultural groups.

             Socialism, public education, far-sighted subsidies...This article is
             bordering on damnation by faint praise.  So sad.

The fact is that while others sat out the first few years of both world wars...

              All the more reason to be dismayed at the Canada of today.

dismissed the hype about weapons of mass destruction as unjustified by the facts

             Well, no.  Chretien said Canada would go to war if the UNSC voted to do so.
              The author's  unintentional point, then, is that Canada doesn't have
               a sense of right or wrong, but what every one else is doing, she'll do.

[Beck_isright]

"More seriously, there seems to be a widespread delusion that because Canadians are Nice, the sort of people who invent UN peacekeeping,"

FYI, "UN Peacekeeping" is the code phrase for "cough up more money you wealthy American capitalist pigs" so more of our taxdollars can go to waste.