LOL, now that was predictable. You obviously are not here for debate so I am off to find someone who is.
I wont debate with someone that has no knowledge of the subject. you take a night school course in constitutional monarchy systems of government and we'll see.
We see no distinction between those earlier settlers and ourselves as Canadians. They were our forefathers, not 'the British'. We did not. We remained loyal to the crown and even today Queen Elizabeth II is our Head of State.
and they would certainly not understand the difference between rebelling against the family compact and rebelling against the crown!!
Without reading the rest of the thread (and yes I am American) I would conclude that the bravery of the (soon to be) Canadians started the ball rolling towards nationhood. They certainly proved that they had the makings of nationhood. They fought the encroaching Americans fiercely and bravely. While the war was itself a draw, the only places the Americans really did well for themselves was where they were fighting actual British forces (such as the Battle of New Orleans). The Americans did not acquit themselves so well against the Canadians near Detroit or around York (now known as Toronto). In fact their performance was pathetic.