I used to start talks by telling the audience “I was born in the richest nation on Earth, and moved to the greatest. How lucky am I?” My tender years were spent in the United States: hand over heart, I said the Pledge of Allegiance every school day. I took civics and learned about America’s history and system of government from a very early age; these left indelible marks on my consciousness, and also gave me a frame of reference to compare to the Canadian system later.