Canada, apparently, is schvitzing over the decision of Senor Bush to have Mexico be the first foreign nation with which he must make nice. Prime Minister Chretien may have been sitting on his hands in Ottawa – not only to stay warm in the sub-zero temps, but for a call from Our Prez after Chretien won those November elections.

Instead, Bush called Vincente Fox in Mexico City, to congratulate him on his impending inaguracion.

This does not please Ottawa. Fine.

It may not be correct to assume that Canada can be taken for granted as far as neighbors go.

Of course it can, who are we kidding.

If there were ever a country more stable than ours, all we have to do is look north. With all of its problems, one of the greatest assets the Great White North can claim is stability, regardless whether it thinks so or not. Visit any Canadian city, and it’s all so orderly, so neat, so sensible.

There are spots that aren't so happy -- perhaps some day you'll stumble on to what is largely considered to be the most depressed, violent neighborhood in the nation, along Cordova and Hastings Streets, just south of Vancouver’s Gastown district.

In no way a pleasant spot, Carrall Street which intersects the two boulevards as you make your way towards Chinatown is a mess – crowded with boarded storefronts and small grocery stores, corner taverns and flophouses, the sidewalks are largely populated with depressed looking Natives – excuse me, First Nations Peoples – drinking and pissing their lives away. It's not pretty, but it's not really hell either.

Canada’s cities for a large part are interesting, well mixed ethnically – Asians did and practically are building Vancouver – and for the large part, it’s doing well. So one could deduce that PM Chretien – sometimes referred to as the Cretin – just wants to be the best neighbor, to keep the lines of trade open, blah blah blah.

What’s he worrying about? As far as trade goes, we’re practically the same country. According to the New York Times, 25 percent of our exports go straight north. What, are we going to put an embargo on trade with Toronto? Shut up already.

Meanwhile, let’s punch Mexico up on the screen.

If there ever were a country we needed to make nice with, it would be that which lies beyond (and increasingly, on this side) of our southern border.

Mexico and the United States have a great deal to gain by becoming better friends. Never mind trade, never mind what you think about NAFTA, never mind anything to do with the economy.

The fact is, Mexico is here, and here to stay. It becomes a little bit more of a part of our national culture every day, with every immigrant that arrives – regardless of the method – and it’s time for some serious change.

First off, immigration policy. In other words, we could get one and enforce it.

Look at Canada – we have one, a seriously tough one, I personally have known plenty of people whose lives have been seriously interrupted by attempts to move and work in Canada, and vice versa.

Mexico couldn’t be anymore different, and subsequently, requires a greater amount of attention.

The first thing we could try for is gaining a greater understanding of what Mexico is all about. We assume that we know, but we don’t. And it’s simple, really, a country much like our own, with an economic scale just like ours. The rich are just as rich as anywhere, but the gap has always been, and grows wider and wider, just like ours.

So there’s more opportunity for the nation’s poor on this side of the border than their own? Fine. Let’s play Make a Deal. Let’s figure out work permits, let’s figure out housing, education.

Could the problem really be not that they are here, but that they are different? Did you ever hear anyone griping about a Canadian taking away American jobs? But they’re here. They’re everywhere. So what.

Mexicans are here, they’re everywhere. So what.

But apparently, as long as they speak Spanish and don’t have a lot of money, Americans will bitch. Here’s hoping, that with time, our government will institute clearer policies and maybe even regulate the flow of immigration, so that south Arizona ranchers and South Texas rednecks will stop killing illegals, and the nation in general will stop complaining, and become a good neighbor.

Or what were you suggesting -- The Great Wall of Mexico?

If you don’t like it, move to Canada. Or better yet, go back to whichever country your ancestors immigrated from.

Email: davidr@lifeingotham.com

Next Update: 1 March