What YOU said dude....the audacity of bitching about another country not changing it's rules to suit an individual from another country.....one with a criminal record no less!!!Wow, relax Bro, you're the one with the criminal record......... If you check,both Canada & the US will have similar restrictions with respect to allowing entyr of persons with a previous criminal record.
You were just lucky in the past, but it has now caught up with you.
Face up to it, and get it sorted out.
To the OP: guess you shouldn't have broken the law back in '97 then eh?
There is an organization called amesty international or something that can purge your record so you can travel again.
BTW: I have to ask: was this crime in '97 committed in the US? If so, you're fucked. YOu won't be getting back in there......