Canada -- pas si pire que ca

In yesterday's post, I lampooned Canadians for (according to a recent poll) overwhelmingly opposing the U.S. foreign policy goal of promoting democracy in other countries. It isn't the first time I've beat up on Canadian attitudes or policies, and that fact wasn't lost on my proudly Canadian parents, whom I dearly love. They noted that I've been awfully one-sided in my treatment of the Great White North, freely dishing criticism and seldom meting out praise. They're right. Sorry, Mum. Sorry, Dad.

I therefore resolved to post something nice about Canada, particularly as pertains to its views on and behavior toward its neighbor to the South. So I Googled the phrase [Canadians "united states" Americans Canada] with the intention of blogging about the first positive news story I hit upon. After sifting through the first 100 results, I gave up. Good news is no news, it would seem, and all the stories were about trade disputes, foreign policy disputes, cultural disputes, or negative personal attitudes.

But hey, there are plenty of things that I adore about Canada, particularly the Montreal area where I grew up. I sorely miss being able to drift between Anglo-Canadian Culture, French-Quebecois culture, and the magical Montreal netherworld that exists between the two. There's something particularly enjoyable about conversations that routinely switch back and forth between languages in the middle of sentences without skipping a beat.

I'm nostalgic for the automatically positive reaction that foreign citizens have upon meeting Canadians. While I might now pin an American flag on my lapel while traveling in Europe, I wouldn't expect to be greeted in quite the same way as when I wore a maple leaf a decade ago. (That is not to say that I think the ubiquitous negative feelings toward the United States are justified. I don't).

I could go on, but suffice it to say that there are plenty of things I think Canadians can be and should be proud of. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop needling Canadians when I'm disappointed by some action or attitude, but it should be taken as well-intentioned chiding from someone who cares about Canada, and who would like to see mutually positive relations re-established between our two countries.