Canada warms to idea of a tougher ‘perimeter’ –Star Dec. 27th

[Letter to the editor]

And it’s about time. The days of defining ourselves as “not American” belong to another era.

We Canadians have always been ambivalent about our relationship with the US – a kind of sibling rivalry with our bigger brother to the south. We pretend that our “culture” is different and must be protected –at any cost. We worry about being swallowed up by the huge entity south of our borders, all the while selling them everything from soup to nuts; and hollering “uncle” when they balk at buying our stuff, as in “Buy American”; or put an import duty on our lumber export. We often act like spoiled brats, wanting all of the benefits but none of the responsibilities that go with a fair, neighbourly relationship. We gladly take the protection the American can give us, as long as they don’t step on our “toes”, or as we say, “sovereignty”.

Prime Minister Harper had that one right: “Threats to the Unites States are threats to Canada”. Let’s take our fair share of the burden of defence; we are two democracies with much in common, both economically and culturally. A common defence perimeter and an open border is a good start.

Yankee gun boats off Newfoundland? What about Portuguese and Spanish trawlers cleaning out the cod on the Grand Banks? Guns flowing northward –who are we kidding? They are flowing now, nay, it’s more like a torrent.

If Europe, with its many languages, different cultures and history of wars can get together with a common border and currency; should not we, North-Americans, with a common language ( mostly) and history, manage to do as much? What do you think would happen to us if Americans really closed the border? They can do without us –we cannot do without them. Sell more to Europe? Trudeau tried that and failed miserably, and he did not even have the European Union to contend with. Get real, Canadians; remember the old adage “you cannot have your cake and eat it too!” Be grateful that we have a strong, peaceful neighbour to mollycoddle us and let us have our vaunted Medicare and social safety net, while giving pittance in return.