Thanks for posting that, Scott.
There was a lot of over-the-top sentimentality there, nonetheless I wish more Canadians would view it. There is certainly more that unites Canada and the US than divides us. This web site is a perfect example of that. But for some reason, we have this unfortunate knee-jerk anti-Americanism among many Canadians, particularly whenever there is a Republican administration in Washington. It is borne of a paradoxical mixture of arrogant superiority and paranoia.
There are many points of significant difference between Canada and the US. One of our politicians once described the relationship from the Canadian perspective as like being a mouse in bed with an elephant. As the mouse, you just hope the elephant doesn't roll over.
By and large, we are more socialist and secular in our domestic affairs than the US. We are also less inclined to engage in foreign adventurism (we stayed out of Vietnam & Iraq) but when we decide freedom and civilization are truly threatened, we fight like Hell.
These differences are important, but none of them justify the America-bashing many here engage in.
You have no idea how frustrated I get when I see prominent Canadians taking the side of various tin pot dictatorships and totalitarian tyrannies against the US just because they can't get past their seemingly congenital need to oppose Washington at any cost.
For me, the bottom line is this; Canada, the US and our other liberal democratic allies remain places that have to build walls to keep people out because our freedom and tolerance are so appealing that we would otherwise be overwhelmed. The oppressive regimes and mis-governed kleptocracies that the America-bashers here champion have to build walls to keep their people in. End of debate.
If we could just keep reminding ourselves of that common touchstone of our shared respect for individual freedom and human rights, the relationship between Canada and the US would be a lot closer to the ideal described in the video.