One of Canada's more frequently quoted political malapropisms is attributed to Robert Thompson, who sternly reminded his fellow parliamentarians in 1973 that "the Americans are our best friends, whether we like it or not." This cross-border friendship is partly expedient, partly geographic, partly genuine, sometimes one-sided, and almost always problematic. Yet despite our habitual distrust of Americanization, how our indigenous problems and proposed solutions are constructed is unavoidably shaped by the American debate. This sway continues to affect every policy issue, from gun registration to the selection of Supreme Court justices to school choice.