Lighter Skin = Better?

[thesummerqueen]

Some of Canada speaks French.

My point is/was, English is the world's lingua franca (and I love the irony of that statement). When 2 foreigners need a common tongue, that tongue is English.

A better indicator than "these countries speak it".

If you think that the British influence in North America was a marginal one,

Never once said anything to that effect. You must have misinterpreted my "holding on" quote, merely meaning we left their empire.

Frankly, the whole idea of comparing empires is a nonsense one. They were born at very different times in very different consequences.

I agree. I also think technology is a bit shady except in specific circumstances as a judgment call. Desert dwellers aren't going to dream up submarines anywhere near as fast as people reasonably bordered by oceans.