Canada and the United States have followed
cultural paths that have sometimes intersected but which have remained separate
on account of historical, philosophical, geo-political and economic differences which have become
cultural and emotive, over time. The development of two cultures within a single continent and sharing a very long border indeed, points to the importance of exploring past distinctions, some of which are apt to continue having their bearing upon the future. As the concluding sections of this paper explain, Canadian distinctiveness is in large part carried on in a comparative way, in relation to a much stronger nation which is perceived as an external and sometimes threatening power.