There's lots there for some good talk about what makes Canadians Canadian and Americans American, Ed. The thought that appealed to me was whether Canada would be any different today had the French not lost on the Plains of Abrahams. On the evidence, if Napoleon had been astride the continent from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico, it could have been a different North America today.

Your thoughts miss an important point, though: Americans fought their bloodiest war to keep their country together, and the French exhausted thermselves with countless republics, communes and emperors. Canada sort of muddled through with moderation, a sense of proportion and compromise to keep their country together, one of the oldest and most stable democracies in the world.

As the world's second-oldest federation, Canada has been a less disruptive force in world affairs than most of the European big nations, with a system of government that endured while theirs did not, and a record second to none in defending its values when fascism, with the most skilful and powerful military in history, started throwing its weight around.

Canadians are a different people, of both French and English descent, from Americans, historically and from your own observations among your Canadian friends in the Caribbean. Canada sees a greater public role in protecting the vulnerable and innocents of society. A tenth the population of the US, it has no overseas ambitions but honours its military commitments.

As for Quebec, which is defined by our federal government as a nation within Canada, it's the second-biggest French-speaking TV and radio production centre in the world, and its people a cultural jewel. Canada's multicultural policies are under strain, as they are everywhere, but envied by the world. French is an official language. Immersion courses in English Canada can't keep up with demand.

And, finally, there's our independence, Ed. We live next to a giant but we don't do lying low. We have a different system of government. When our prime minister loses the confidence of the Commons, he's out. They say we're polite and dull. All I know for sure is that all across Canada it's a white Christmas this year. Merry Christmas, to you and Nancy, from Nancy and me.