IT COULD HAVE been worse. Flatulence might have been the image Canada presented to the world. And sexual confusion. And self-mutilation. Mercifully, The Economist passed on the beaver back in September 2003 when it threw a moose in sunglasses on its cover and declared Canada a “cool” country with its act together. In its feature story headlined “Canada’s New Spirit,” the influential British publication praised Canadian cities as “dynamic, successful,” and brimming with new immigrants. It said that Canada was showing the rest of the world “a certain boldness in social matters” as it opened doors to same-sex marriage and the decriminalization of marijuana. I could vouch for that myself. Earlier in the year, my editors had suggested I head across the country to “take the pulse” on the presumably “hot button” issue of same-sex marriage. I struck out, heading first into Alberta, where I’d been told resistance was highest. I went to gay bars and fundamentalist churches, dutifully reporting the responses, each one completely predictable.
