They share the world's longest unde-fended border and do more business together than any other two countries. Add the often jarring clash of politics, personalities and world events, and it is not surprising that relations between Canada and the United States are seldom simple. Even so, they look unusually strained at the moment. This is only partly because of disagreements about war in Iraq. And though some Canadians are happy to be unhappy with their big neighbour, others, including many businessmen, are not. The discord is embodied in the barely-hidden mutual disdain between Canada's prime minister, Jean Chretien, and President George Bush. It shows up in public opinion, too. A recent survey by Ekos, a polling firm, found that 51% thought that Canada's relations with the United States had deteriorated over the past year. In another poll, only 40% of respondents in (mainly French-speaking) Quebec, the most anti-war province, held a generally favourable view of the United States, a drop of 20 percentage points compared with nine months ago.
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