Right Side Of The White Line

http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/projo_20040804_4ctcan.2c0228.html Diane Cameron: Canada: White line in middle of road 01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 LAST WEEKEND, I sat in a restaurant with family and friends, sharing a heated debate about the election. Our appetizer was the increasing power of the religious right and the main course covered the lack of true party differences. For dessert we enjoyed a spicy analysis of the candidates' wives -- their hair, clothes, weight and wealth. No, this was not a preview of November. This dinner debate took place in Haliburton, Ontario, and it was a recap of Canada's recent national election. Yes, Canada has just had a federal election; it has a new prime minister and a new government. Yet, sadly, most Americans have no idea of this news from the neighbors. It's odd, really. Canada is the largest country in the Western Hemisphere, our most loyal ally, largest trading partner, top export market and the folks who share our northern border. That is the world's longest undefended border -- 3,987 miles -- and one of the reasons we should care about who lives next door. The truth is that I, too, was one of those Americans who thought of Canada as the "attic" for the United States, that big blank on the map above us where we could store our stuff if we needed space. Then I married a Canadian and acquired a Canadian family, a Canadian cottage and my own pair of Sorel boots, good to 40 below zero. I began to learn a few things: that Canada has provinces and a prime minister, not states and a president. And that we share so much history. Canadian soldiers have been first in and last out with the United States in every war -- except Iraq -- and yet we think of Europe as our ally. Most Americans can't remember that July 1 is Canada Day; or, worse, we describe it as "Canada's 4th of July," which is a little like saying that Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas. What's fascinating is that there are, especially this election year, so many parallels for the United States and Canada: worry over the far right's "family" agenda; the question of gay marriage; concern for the environment; and the big issue, even for Canada -- health care. What's telling is that Canadians know our candidates, our issues and the fine points of each party's evolving platform, while we know so little of theirs. It may be that when you live next door to a giant, you make it your business to know the giant's schedule and preferences. But it's more than that. One of the things I have learned from my Canadian family is that the Canadian social and political sensibility is about being a citizen of the world. Canadian media report the world's news all the time, not making a distinction. Imagine if our news were delivered as if we were just one of the major countries in the world, as if we were one among the leaders. Here's a picture that puts Canada in perspective for me: Americans typically get credit for the car culture; we had Henry Ford and Detroit and the romantic image of the long Western highway. But the Canadian contribution is the white line in the middle of the road. In 1930, the Ontario Department of Transport painted the first white line on a highway. The American drag-strip mentality celebrates individuality. But the white line is an acknowledgment that when lots of individuals do their own thing, it becomes a communal problem. The highway's center line is a social contract; everyone stays safe. Maybe we can borrow a cup of perspective from the neighbors. Playing nicely in the world's community does not have to make us smaller, and staying on our side of the road is not a lack of courage but rather part of the common good. Diane Cameron writes for The Albany Times Union.