It is true that a small economy operating adjacent to a large economy will benefit; Canada has benefited economically from its position relative to our neighbor to the south.

Canada presently has a long standing softwood lumber trade dispute with the US. Canada's position is that the US is in violation of NAFTA and acting preferentially to support US softwood producers and inhibit Canadian access to the US market. One can think of this as a variation on the recent rejection of Dubai Ports World. The US is all for free trade as long as the benefits of that trade favours the US. Of course if someone else stands to benefit the US never heard of trade agreements, international law, or the accepted conventions of OECD nations. The US simply takes the position of "screw you."

Long term one has to consider the fact that when the US wishes to purchase Canadian resources, it may not be able to afford them. If it is accepted that you cannot continue exponential growth based on the availability of a finite resource, then it is also likely to be true that one cannot continue with the  exponential export of debt on an indefinite basis. The US is going to have to learn to be very, very nice to its creditors.

I expect a typical uninformed response along the lines of "we will just march north and take what we need."

My response is march north with what? You have elected a president who has destroyed America's credibility abroad, who has insulted many of your former allies and friends (freedom fries, anyone?), that has bogged America in Iraq such that you can neither leave nor stay, and who has rundown the American military in the process. On top of this he unilaterally abrogates the constitution on a legal whim of his own conception and no American citizen gives a god-damn. I suspect you are all too busy hot-tubbing it and discussing how to enforce the christian lifestyle on others and what caliber rifle will be required.

I think you may wish to reflect a little more cogently on exactly who has been screwed, how, and by whom.

As for the environmental destruction, health impacts, and EROEI, none of those concerns has yet had significant inhibitory impact on the course of western capitalism. Don't understand why they should start to matter now.