The Essential Canada-United States Difference

In an article today, "Hating America's Success," I call the United States a "boisterous experiment that makes ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' its official goal." A Canadian reader responds by pointing out that the Canadian Constitution, in section 91, on the powers of parliament, presents "Peace, Order, and good Government" as that country's goals. That neatly sums up the differences between these deceptively similar places.

To which another reader adds: "One of the main symbols of the U.S. is a cowboy. One of the main symbols of Canada is an Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. A world of difference in symbols!" (October 12, 2004)

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