Canada: more than America’s beaver hat

Thirty-three percent of American eighth graders think that Canada is ruled by a dictator. There are countless damning statistics about the American education system, but this finding from the 2014 National Assessment of Educational Progress report stands out in particular because it reveals a larger ignorance: we Americans know so little about our northern neighbor. Canada occupies, at best, a marginal place in the American mind.

Although this may come as some shock to a third of America's eighth graders, Canadians do elect their leaders. Canadian voters will go to the polls two weeks from today to pick their new government. For the past nine years, Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party has served as a competent, if uninspiring, prime minister. His critics deride him as an "American-style conservative"—yes, this is quite the insult in Ottawa—but even leaders with strong ideological convictions can only do so much, fiddling at the margins of their country's political culture.

Of all the countries in the world, Canada has the political culture most similar to that of the United States. Both countries employ federal systems to govern their vast territories, share a history of British colonialism and its liberal political institutions and have experienced successive waves of immigration that have gradually transformed the face of national identity. Where the United States and Canada diverge, then, sheds light on each country's distinct national identity, values and institutions. On the eve of the Canadian elections, at a time when Canadian voters and leaders are doing some soul-searching about the direction of their country, it's worth reflecting on what Canada does right.

1. Canada punches above its weight in the international system. It was a Canadian, John McCrae, who penned the famous poem "In Flanders Fields" to commemorate the dead of the First World War (Canadians entered that war in 1914, three years before the first American doughboys filed into the trenches of the Western Front). In 1956, Canadian Foreign Minister Lester Pearson proposed that U.N. troops be deployed during the Suez Crisis while a political settlement was being negotiated. Now, it is difficult to imagine the United Nations without peacekeepers. Canadian diplomats not only hatched a brilliant scheme to help six Americans escape from Tehran during the bleak days of the Iran hostage crisis, but also continue to serve today as effective negotiators who secure their country's interests in shrewd deals to expand trade and promote human rights. More recently, Canada was the first NATO country to join the United States in launching airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria. Canada stands as an exemplar "middle power" in the international system, widely admired for its benign influence overseas.
2. Canada combines economic freedom with financial regulations that work. According to the Heritage Foundation, Canada ranks 6th in the world index of economic freedom, higher than 12th-ranked United States. The Canadian federal corporate tax rate stands at 15 percent and Canadian businesses are among the world's most globalized, dynamic and innovative. During the 2008 financial crisis, Canada's banks were the most secure in the world and even used the recession as an opportunity to expand overseas. This is all thanks to simple, effective financial regulations that require Canadian financial institutions to maintain a 20 to 1 leverage ratio, meaning that banks must hold one dollar for every twenty they lend. The American investment bank Lehman Brothers, in contrast, had a leverage ratio as high as 44 to 1 when it collapsed in 2008. The stable capitalization of Canada's financial system has helped Canada earn the honor of a first-place ranking in the World Economic Forum's assessment of "soundness of banks."
3. Canada recognizes how much immigrants can contribute to national success and prosperity. The United States certainly deserves the distinction of being a "nation of immigrants," as about 13 percent of Americans were born in another country, according to the 2010 Census. In Canada, however, immigration is on another level entirely. Over 20 percent of Canadians were born somewhere else, making Canada a hyper-diverse polity with a strong and growing tradition of pluralism. While American politicians dither over whether to build a fence to keep immigrants out, Canadians have opened the gates to immigration and see the benefits.

An arch stands astride the border of British Columbia and Washington State. Dedicated in 1921 to commemorate the end of the War of 1812, the Peace Arch serves as a testament to the enduring friendship between Canada and the United States. Fitting for a monument along the world's longest undefended border, the arch's inscription reads: "May these gates never be closed." Through the development of Great Lakes shipping, the parallel industrialization of the two countries and the signing of NAFTA, these gates have opened wider and wider. Today, Canada is America's largest trading partner and most significant oil supplier. President Kennedy said it best when he addressed the Canadian Parliament in 1961: “Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder.”

Above all, Canada is worthy of America’s respect. As Canadians go to the polls in the next two weeks to elect their new parliament, it is worth paying attention to our northern neighbor. Canada is not America’s “51st state.” It is a distinct, dynamic place with its own government, culture and history—a place we should know better. A stronger ally, more willing partner or more compassionate friend of the United States can scarcely be imagined.

Matthew King is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs on alternate Mondays.