Jon - The political parties in Canada are the same basic deal as in the UK...they serve entrenched special interests (the rich), not the general public. The prevailing social system, though, is considerably saner, kinder, and more rational than is the case in the USA. I think that's simply a fortunate after-effect of a kinder, more reasonable social history in Canada in the last 200 years. It's positive inertia carring on from the past. It certainly isn't due to the spotless morals of our corrupted political parties! ;-)

The public in Canada, for instance, already expects and insists upon a universal health care system, takes it for granted as a normal civil right, and the politicians know it. Therefore they can't demonize it as "socialism" and they don't dare dismantle it.

That's not the case in the USA, where they CAN demonize it as socialism, and where they've never had it.

Canadians are protected merely by the fact that we have had a strong history of progressive social legislation in place already, and it's very hard for our corrupt political parties to tear it down now that people are used to it.