ABSTRACT
From the earliest European settlement to the present, survival has been a dominant theme for Canadians. Canadians have struggled to establish and maintain community in a territory which is vast, and on a landscape which is harsh. The creation of Canada itself was difficult. Forging unity among regions with vastly different interests was an act of uncommon political compromise; maintaining it has been no less difficult. Confronted daily by the proximity of its southern neighbor, Canada has walked a fine line between resisting the United States' way of life, and being engulfed by it.
