. . . they’re trying to figure Americans out:
Pierre Bechard, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, said Millward Brown Goldfarb was paid $49,543 for the October report and focus groups. He said the findings will act as a base for the consulates to work to understand how much Americans understand about Canada and how they feel about their relationship with their northern neighbours.
As an American who has spent a little time in Canada with Canadian relatives, I could have saved these people $50,000: Americans, for the most part, don’t have a clue about Canada, nor do they care.
Apparently, this report makes for some funny reading though:
Canadians should be careful not to appear “boastful” to Americans, who are insecure because of the war in Iraq and admit they are annoyed by northerners showing off the red maple leaf on their luggage when they travel, a recent federal report warns.
. . .
“Some participants expressed a certain amount of annoyance at what is perceived as a systematic attempt by Canadians to make the statement that they are not Americans by sporting the maple leaf,” said the recently released report. “This underscores the American sensitivity at feeling rejected by the rest of the world. . . .”
. . .
The report says even Americans who blame the Bush administration to some extent for the country’s poor relations with the world, do not seem to understand why friendly countries and neighbours such as Canada would want to distance themselves from Americans.
I understand why we are rejected. The world doesn’t like: (1) Bush’s unilateral approach to everything; and (2) an unchecked world superpower.