Actually, the issue was that we did something that no one else was able to, as well as the ingenuity with which the Canadians took the ridge. Vimy was felt to be un-breachable, but the Canadian Corps shocked the world (including the Germans) by taking it.
In doing so they/we showed an incredible amount of operational imagination, and invented some new tactical procedures. The assault was rehearsed for 6 weeks before the actual attack, on a mock-battlefield created to give leaders and soldiers chances to learn their tactical lessons and make their mistakes in training, versus when the bullets were actually flying. A tunnel system as big as Vancouver was built underneath the battlefield, complete with electric lights, a rail system, and a water pipe system. This allowed tens of thousands of Canadian soldiers to approach the line of departure out of German sight (thus increasing the element of surprise). And large portions of the tunnel systems reached behind enemy lines, again increasing the element of surprise.
The Canadian attack on Vimy was the first time that Artillery was used in a rolling barrage (ie. the shells landed in front of the advancing Canadian troops, denying the Germans time to regroup before the Infantry was on top of them). There are many websites which outline the battle and the reasons for its significance.
So, it was not the losses at Vimy that earned Canada the world's admiration, at the time. Not at all. It was the unexpected success over what were thought to be insurmountable odds that put tiny Canada on the map.
ps. The Canadian attack was the Third Battle of Vimy. Britain and France had previously failed. Canadian losses, as huge as they were, were miniscule in comparison to what our allies had lost in their failed attacks.
