The Lexicographer's Rules

"In the last half of the Twentieth Century, Canada effectively abandoned the vision of being an economic and military power separate from the United States. Recognizing that our north-south axis ultimately trumped our east-west arrangements, we accepted the continentalization of North American defence and the economy. The logic of the gradual erasure of the border for military and economic purposes always implied the idea of a North American perimeter. No one seems to know how Washington and Ottawa will tighten the perimeter in coming monthsÑCanadian sensitivities about sovereignty have to be respectedÑbut real tightening is inevitable."

—National Post. "The golden age of Canadian greatness was the decade or so after 1945. We had emerged from the Second World War as a significant military power, at one time the fourth mightiest military country in the world. Because of our fantastic resource base, we seemed an economic giant in the making. Our diplomatic corps, personified by Lester Pearson, was respected around the world. In international affairs, we were an important 'middle power,' and we liked to think of ourselves as the hypotenuse of a North Atlantic Triangle, helping the estranged Brits and Americans understand each other."'

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