Tony Keller/The Globe and Mail: We need the Americans. We also need to develop the strength to stand independent of the Americans, even and especially when standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them. It’s not either-or. It’s both.
And as Ottawa pursues these twin paths, it has to be as diplomatic as possible about what it’s doing. To rework Teddy Roosevelt’s famous line, Canada needs to give itself a big stick, but speak softly about it – because the American stick will always be bigger…