Personally I don't know how you guys have managed to remain as sovereign and independent as you have been considering the proximity of the USA.
I'd answer, "With limited success."
We used to be able to watch the worst excesses of American culture and, upon reflection, say to ourselves, "Let's not do that, m'kay?"
Now our PM sees the worst of American political culture and thinks, "That would work here." And, sadly, it does.
As far as Harper is concerned, do the majority of Canadians hold similar views to your own? Or are they too blind to see what is going on?
He was elected with ~40% of votes cast in last election, so I would humbly suggest that my views are not too out of line with the norm.
There was a split on the left / centre votes (NDP & Liberals) with a Liberal party leader that was not terribly charismatic and who was savaged repeatedly, ad nauseam (literally) by vicious (and hypocritical) attack ads for ~2 years prior to the election.
He taught Canadian Studies at Harvard (going from memory here) and was labelled as a traitor / foreigner who was "just visiting" to win as PM. Of course, the right wing loves highly talented people who can write their own ticket to work in any jurisdiction that can afford them, except when it's in their own interests to slander such people (Michael Ignatief was the man).
Oh, can I mention that the previous Harper government was a minority who insisted on ruling as a majority, despite basic democratic principles. They were finally found in Contempt of Parliament. The first time in the history of the British Parliamentary system that it's ever happened.
Canadians rewarded the traitor with a majority government. I'm not happy with my fellow citizens, even though election fraud was rampantly used to sway the outcome and they only got 40-ish% of the vote -- that's far, far too much.
It's all quite sickening and I'm not sure the Harper Regime will finally fall in the next election. Honestly, sick-making.
Tony Abbott's staggering incompetence would be a huge relief.
Apologies for the lengthy, ranty reply.