Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - September 2007
Canadian values are still the most similar to American ones, according to a new survey conducted by Montreal's Association for Canadian Studies. When asked which nations shared Canada's perspective on international issues, over 85 per cent of respondents said that the United States had either very or somewhat similar goals. Britain, Australia and France were also perceived to share similar values. Respondents indicated the least affinity with Mexico, Israel and Lebanon.
These results come despite recent divisions between Canada and the U.S. over issues such as the war in Iraq and increased border security. Jack Jedwab, head of the Association who conducted the survey, stated that "we [Canadians] still see the U.S. as our closest ally and as our best opportunity for collaboration internationally."
Not all Canadians share this view, however. Approximately 88 per cent of French Canadians identify closest with the values of France. English Canadians were more likely to identify with commonwealth states. (When the two groups' responses are averaged, the U.S. comes out on top of the survey.)
Many factors account for our close relations with the U.S., according to Jedwab, including geographical proximity, the relatively unrestricted flow of goods and services across the border, as well as similar heritages and cultures. The disagreements over policy after the 9/11 attacks seem to have not irreversibly affected Canadians' perception of these ties.
Source: CanWest News Service
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=7bdd99c5-22fa-4607-8ad4-7a60ed6be46d&k=22569
