Someone sent this to me this morning, as a once proud Canadian I thought it was worth posting here. it may be long but is worth the read as many of my fellow countrymen feel the same way:
Don Graves, of course, is the well-known Canadian historian.
>
> ==============
>
> > The Saturday Ottawa Citizen carried an editorial which sums up the mood
> > of many Canadians, including me. Having spoken about the growing pro-war
> > movement in Canada, the writer talks about the changes in this country
> > from that of his birth until now and how he misses
> > The Canada of my parents, and of their parents, the Canada that
> > remains in my heart. Of my grandfather who saw Vimy Ridge, and my dad
> > who learned to fly a Spitfire. The Canada that came before the Canada of
> > today, before the Canada of Jean Chretien -- before this New Canada that
> > makes me heartsick, as it does several millions of my fellow Canadians
> > -- that fills us with such a deep sense of shame.
> > This New Canada, and these New Canadians -- who can no longer look
> > an American, nor a Briton, nor an Australian in the eye. This Canada
> > that dispatched its few remaining available soldiers hurriedly to
> > peacekeeping duties in Afghanistan, as a kind of insurance, in case the
> > Americans asked for help [in Iraq] ("Sorry! We gave at the office.").
> > "How dare you!" I have felt, listening to the latest poll-driven
> > volte-face from the most contemptible prime minister this country ever
> > had; or to the little anti-American licks from the lickspittles who
> > people his office and benches -- Francois Ducros ("moron"), Benoit Serre
> > ("trigger-happy"), Colleen Beaumier ("How many children?"), Carolyn
> > Parrish ("bastards"), Herb Dhaliwal ("let the word down"), and Mr.
> > Chretien himself. "Not everyone around the world is prepared to take the
> > word of the United States on faith" -- and he said this in Chicago.)
> > If any American, or Briton, or Australian, or free man or woman
> > should happen to be reading this, I want you to know that I am not
> > speaking only for myself, I am speaking on behalf, quite literally, of
> > millions of Canadians, who are very bit as disgusted as you are with our
> > country. You have the same kind of people -- you will know perfectly
> > well -- within in your own countries. The difference is, in Canada, they
> > are in charge.
> > In this particular moment of truth, and for all time, America had
> > a Bush, Britain had a Blair, Australian had a Howard -- each one of them
> > willing to stand, and face the music; each one a politician, but also a
> > man. In this same moment of truth, and in the histories forever, Canada
> > had the scuttling Chretien.
> > We elected him, and his party. The shame is ours to redeem.
> > To which I can only add that although I feel the shame, I had nothing to
> > do with putting Jean Chretien in office as I have been voting against
> > his party since I was old enough to vote (in fact, I live in the only
> > Canadian Alliance riding in Ontario).
> > What the hell is happening to this country? We are currently facing
> > the most serious crisis since the 1970 October Crisis and, one way or
> > another, we are fast reaching a decision point about Canada's future.
> > For four decades we have bent over backward to placate Quebec, in the
> > process transforming what was a fine and decent nation into something
> > quite other -- Trudeau-topia -- and I think it is about time that, far
> > from worrying about Quebec leaving Canada, English Canada should think
> > about leaving Quebec. They have never been happy, they are currently
> > unhappy and they never will be happy. Let them go and the political
> > blackmail which has marked Canadian federal politics since the 1960s
> > will disappear.
> > In order to placate the Quebecois our government has landed us in an
> > impossible situation with our traditional allies. Canadians did not want
> > this war, they wanted the UN process to work but now that that process
> > ended in failure, I think it grieves many to watch coalition soldiers,
> > who are far closer to most English Canadians in their attitudes and
> > views than the Quebecois and the so-called "new Canadians," fighting to
> > overthrow a government that has to one of the most despotic and terrible
> > regimes since the Third Reich. We may have disagreed with Britain and
> > the US in the past (the Suez Crisis and Viet Nam) but we have always
> > been there alongside them when faced with a serious challenge, as they
> > have been with us. Don't kid yourself that Canada does not have a stake
> > in this war because this war is about removing a serious threat to the
> > stability of the western world and don't fool yourself that this
> > conflict will end shortly. The inevitable fall of Iraq, to borrow
> > Churchill's phrase, will not be the beginning of the end, it will only
> > be the end of the beginning.
> > To put it simply, these people hate us for religious and racial
> > reasons and they will not stop attacking because Canada has done them
> > "no wrong." They must be fought and it is far better to fight in the
> > middle east than in North America. Yet, we have a government of
> > lick-spittles (the editorialist's word, not mine, but I do not think it
> > is strong enough) who truly believe that Canada is not threatened, that
> > we do not need armed forces, that we should not stand beside our
> > traditional allies and that we can protect ourselves through "UN
> > multilateral action." If we have not done anything wrong, it is because
> > we have done nothing, absolutely nothing and, as to the UN, anyone who
> > watched that farce at the Security Council last month knows about how
> > effective the UN truly is when faced with a crisis.
> > I think it is time that English Canadians (and I use the phrase
> > deliberately because the national term of Canadians has been co-opted by
> > the Trudeau-topians) woke up and tried to get this country back on
> > track.
> > I am open to suggestions as to what we should do but at this point,
> > my only suggestion is to not vote Liberal in the next election, no
> > matter who is running that party, because they have smeared a once-proud
> > country with the mark of shame.
> >
> > D.E. Graves
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > I hate to say it but I think we would be far better off as part of the
> > United States than living in Trudeau-topia governed by this gang of
> > clowns. Recently I have learned that Jean Crouton has aspirations to
> > become the next secretary-general of the UN and I can only reply that an
> > organization of the calibre of the UN deserves a leader of the calbire
> > of Jean Crouton.
> >
> > DG
> >
> >
Editted to add: I agree with most of what is said here, with the exeption of us being better off as part of the US....