For the only time in Canadian history, a foreign flag - that of the Netherlands - flew over Canada's Parliament.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: David B. Harris on the Geert Wilders Trial

But due to the Dutch history of colonization and to a general taste for all things worldly, the Netherlands do boast an impressive array of international cuisines that broaden the domestic palate beyond the traditional herring and bitterballen.

FORBES: A Tame Rijsttafel is Better Than No Rijsttafel At All

This shared history of struggle for liberty and democracy must leave Canadians wondering whether disturbing legal developments in the Netherlands signal a loss of The Hague's commitment to the freedoms for which Canadians and Dutch sacrificed.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: David B. Harris on the Geert Wilders Trial

But, from 1 January, 700 years of history will draw to a close as guilder notes and coins are phased out and people in the Netherlands start to use euros instead.

BBC: Dutch business counts cost of euro