home > archive > 2003 > this article The curious case of the
disappearing nation By Jackson Murphy If a tree falls in the
forest does anyone hear? If a once almost-semi-important nation
drops off the face of the planet will anyone notice? This is the
question last week's Canadian edition of Time tackled. The
article in question sums up every problem of Canada's defense
and foreign policy. From the shrinking military to a lack of new
ideas Time provokes the question: "Would anyone notice if Canada
disappeared?" In short the article suggests that, "Canada's
influence these days is more like a phantom limb: it feels to
Canadians as though it's still there, but to many observers the
reality is different. The nation's ability to extend power and
influence has been hacked back to a shadow of its former self."
Having recently seen The Matrix Reloaded you might get the sense
that the whole country has been plugged into the Matrix since
about 1960. Put another way it is similar to Plato's idea of the
cave. We've been