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U.S. President Barack Obama could not give two figs about Canada, it is generally agreed. He has touched down here twice since winning the White House – once for five hours in 2009, which barely qualifies as a visit, and again in 2010 for G8 and G20 summits. Pfffft. It’s a slight. Obama’s relationship with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, it is said, is glacial. Shoring up Canada-U.S. relations, Republican aspirant Jeb Bush asserts, should be among the next Chief Executive’s first priorities.

But here’s a thought: What if it’s not, actually, all Obama’s fault? What if Canada — not Harper personally, but the country – is also to blame?

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It’s not a view you’ll hear repeated much, with Ottawa preparing to fork over billions for a new Detroit-Windsor crossing. The Ambassador Bridge, now more than eight decades old, carries a quarter of all Canada-U.S. trade, which in 2013 (including services as well as goods) totaled more than $780-billion. It is falling down, in places. And it belongs to a single cantankerous billionaire, Manuel “Matty” Moroun, whose interests are his own. A second bridge is vital, for people on both sides of the border. Yet this country has had to assume the entire $4-billion cost (minus projected returns from tolls). You call that fair?