Why do 56% of Canadians have a negative view of the US?

So why do so many Canadians have a negative attitude toward America?

Americans are proud of being American, and Canadians are proud of not being American!

Most Americans, even most conservative Americans, have a high opinion of Canada because we’re similar. We share a language, a culture, and a history. We had one war back in 1812, before Canada was technically a country, and have been at peace ever since, with a border that might as well not be there. And we are part of the same military alliance, NATO, and the same trade agreement, USMCA.

America and Canada are about as close as any two countries can get, and the American attitude toward Canada reflects this.

It’s because Canada is always the weaker partner in any dealing with America. Canada is part of NATO, which is America’s military alliance. Canada is part of USMCA, which is America’s economic alliance.

Canada is dwarfed by America in terms of GDP, population, and technological and cultural output. Canadian artists go to America to become famous. Canadian inventors go to America to become rich.

Canada was founded after America, became independent after America, and spent most of its history as a British agrarian colony that was forcibly prevented from industrializing. So that when they did, their industry, culture and government were built up along American lines.

In a genuine sense, there is no uniquely Canadian culture. There is no founding myth. There are no great statesmen. The only unique thing that binds Canadians together is the desire to not be Americans. But they haven’t figured out what they want to be beyond that.

And this has given rise to a very strange nationalism among Canadians. They’re not proud of being Canadian because they don’t understand what that means. They’re just proud of not being American.