U.S. A Theocratic State, Says Former Canadian Ambassador

By contrast, he said in a speech to a business audience hosted by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, "Canada is truly a secular state. Religion and politics do not mix in this country." McKenna was outlining differences between the two countries and urged Canadians to be more confident about their different "mind set" on social issues, their economic clout, and their grip on national sovereignty in relation to the United States. McKenna, deputy chairman of the Toronto-Dominion bank, served as Canadian ambassador to Washington 2005-2006. A prominent Liberal and former New Brunswick premier, he resigned from his diplomatic post after Stephen Harper's Conservatives won the last election. "It's just a dramatically different mindset in the United States," McKenna said, contrasting U.S. and Canadian views on public health care, gun control, capital punishment, same-sex rights, abortion and relations with Cuba. Despite the differences, McKenna said Canadians need not feel threatened. "Canadians often say the Americans want us to change our socially progressive programs and we just don't want to go there," he said. "We don't have to go there. We don't have to give up any sovereignty with respect to our social programs. Right now it's hard to imagine a time in our history when we've been more divergent in terms of our culture and social programs." http://www.canada.com:80/topics/news/politics/story.html?id=54dc1e4b-de0c-4feb-8c0b-93b8968d793e&k=76500

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