[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.

[IvanT]

You make good points. There is always pressure on Canada to 'integrate' which we have done to a great extent both culturally (we get alot of American products and television up here) and economically, hence the free trade agreement. Of course, the socialism BS I agree with you 100% on. Believe me, I am dismayed with Canada today, especially what the Libs have done to our military, and the behaviour they've exhibited towards America since GWB came to power. As for WMD, let's hope they dig something up, otherwise we'll never hear the end of it. That said, simply deposing Saddam is good enough reason for me, and I'm not quite sure why Bush and Blair felt the need to harp on the WMD issue so much.