I get all that, ST, and agree with what you are saying regarding the anti-American backlash.  When I'm in Canada I treat the experience the same as I would being a guest in someone else's home.  If I want to get invited back, I better be polite and on good behavior.

What bugs me is how the park and the outfitters decided that certain sorts of customers would be penalized for being too self-sufficient.  It's bad business all the way around and everyone loses.  

The outfitters lose business to Ely, Crane Lake, and Grand Marais outfitters and the Park loses some business to the BWCA and loses more business anytime the southern entry quotas are filled and the northern entry quotas are not.

But hey, if they can afford to alienate customers and still manage to stay afloat, that's their call.  Canada is a free country, too.