[Dion]

Something else is equally important: evidence that Canada's economy is capable of decoupling from its dependence on the United States.

This would let it resist the slowdown that's been shrinking the value of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies.

In the past, our dollar usually floated up and down with the U.S. currency because the U.S. market for our manufactured goods was an overwhelmingly important factor in Canada's economic health.

While the fate of many Canadian factories is still tied closely to demand south of the border, this is less important to our economy in an era of booming prices for our petroleum and metals, where global demand keeps prices high.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazett...1-86c26444a404