Canada’s View on Social Issues Is Opening Rifts With the U.S.

A long running joke among Americans has been that Canada will eventually become the 51st state, so alike are the attitudes and attributes of the two populations. In recent years, however, a chasm has grown between the neighbors with issues such as gay marriage, drug use, and church attendance revealing growing division on fundamental values. Canada has increasingly taken the progressive route, becoming the third country - after the Netherlands and Belgium - to legalize same-sex marriage as a matter of civil rights and pushing a bill to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. Trade disputes and the war in Iraq, where Canada refused to send troops, have also fueled the discord and made many Canadians increasingly outspoken about what separates them from Americans. Not all analysts believe the rift will last, however. Newscaster Peter Jennings points out that "Canada, as it is with some of the European countries, is trying to balance some of the market forces with public policy," but believes the two countries have actually drawn closer in many ways. - YaleGlobal