Well, we have no influence with Washington at all at the moment other than through our own government. And if our current government has is anti-american then that influence is minimal.
Right now, as an individual Canadian voter, I have the ability to elect a representative that determines who is the Prime Minister in a relatively unimportant nation in the world.
Yet, if I were to cast my vote in the US election, while that vote would probably be diluted far more than it would be in a Canadian election*, would be used to determine the government of the most powerful nation on earth. If Canadians Liberal bent reflected a vote increase for the Democratic party, it would be John Kerry sitting in the White House now instead of GW. And it could also change the makeup of the House and Senate. That would be a significant change, don’t you think?
*I’m not entirely sure of that because I could vote for a congressman, a senator, and the president who could all be from different parties vs. in Canada only getting to vote for one person who may be sitting in the far back bench of an insignificant party in the house of commons.