michael adams

In the same-sex marriage debate that engulfed Canadians just before Christmas, The Globe and Mail ran comments from two of its more prominent Christian columnists, broadcaster Lorna Dueck and former Reform Party leader Preston Manning.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. As Americans and their leaders prepare for the most important and divisive presidential election in decades, pollsters, who like to think of themselves as scientists outside the arena of political contention, have become targets of partisan venom from both the Kerry and Bush camps.

As Canadians lick their wounds over our national election result – a minority that carries with it the likelihood of another round soon – we should be thankful for our limited campaigns compared to the endless electioneering in the United States.

In April the Federal Court of Canada dealt a blow to the Canadian Recording Industry Association when it ruled that online file sharing does not constitute copyright infringement.

Last January, U.S. President George W. Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin apparently hit it off over a breakfast of sausages and eggs at the Summit of the Americas meeting in Monterrey, Mexico.

What a difference a few months have made in the life of our Prime Minister. When Paul Martin was "crowned," he inherited the most popular three-term government in Canada's history; he and his party seemed invincible.

Alliance Party leader Stephen Harper and Progressive Conservative Party leader Peter MacKay have finally reached an agreement to merge their parties in an effort to unite the right.

This is turning out to be quite a year for Canadian liberalism. The Liberal Chrétien government has gained international attention for Canada by indicating its support for legalized gay and lesbian marriages and a promise to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

The debate over same-sex marriage occurs at a time when Canadians are realizing how quickly social values have evolved in this country - and diverging from those of Americans.

In this 2003 bestseller, Michael Adams offers the surprising argument that the values of Canadians and Americans are diverging in important ways.