McMillan's Canadian Perspective

• Canada Compared To Australia

  The comparison is not flattering.

  Australians are unabashed about flexing their muscle. "We're all very proud to be punching above our weight," says Susan Windybank, head of foreign policy research at Sydney's Centre for Independent Studies. "We don't want our backyard to become a junkyard."
  . . . . .
  
  Despite his skepticism of Australia's over-arching ambition to be in the big leagues, Harries is contemptuous of Canada's more cautious foreign policy. "I don't admire Canada's foreign policy very much. For a country of its weight, it should be doing more than engaging in good works."

  Kate's conclusion:

  Though, perhaps it's more than the umbrella provided by a big, powerful brother to our south - the difference in our national sense of responsibility can be partially attributed to our contrasting national evolution. Austrailans worked their way up from what began as a colony of criminals, while Canadians seem content to be governed by one.

• Canadian Military Intelligence

Something learned while checking on the tense situation on Hans Island:

The fact the Canadian navy has no warships with ice-protected hulls is another knock against the country's Arctic ambitions, said Fairley.

The Canadian government is planning to defend its northern coastline from warmer southern waters.