text: Sometimes we just have to pick sides. Leaving aside J. Trudeau's bizarrely naive assertion that Canada is a "post-national" state with "no mainstream," we're assuredly a Western society that for better or worse derives its values from European institutions, traditions and experiences. Our heritage, while nominally Christian, derives its modern values from the Reformation and the Enlightenment. It's these values that have made this (and other Western countries for that matter) among the most open and tolerant in the world. We question the role of religion (as we must!) and promote the autonomy and dignity of the individual over the imperatives of the collective. We have to reinforce these values and stand aside others who do as well, even if that includes the sometimes dreaded Americans. Otherwise, we'll stand for nothing and our pretensions of influence will be rendered risible.