[aerohead]

The 'canard',as others have mentioned already,is actually a high-lift leading-edge slat,or fixed,leading-edge slot.
Here's what 'GOD' says about them:
"Slots... permit the pressure of high-energy air from the lower surface(of a free-stream wing) to control the boundary layer on the upper surface are common features of high-lift (drag) devices.
When a slot is located at leading edges it differs from a leading-edge slat only in detail.
If slots are considered as a fixed high-lift device,the profile drag is an important characteristic...any of the slots investigated cause large increases in the minimum [profile drag.
Attempts have been made to maintain low drags with slots open by locating the slots so that there would be no flow through them in high speed condition.Such configurations have failed to improve the ratio of maximum lift to minimum drag over that of the plain wing section." Abbott & Von Doenhoff,'THE THEORY OF WING SECTIONS,' P.227
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hoerner cites the performance of the fixed,leading-edge slat STOL Fieseler Storch:
* Cd parasitic=0.062 vs Heinkel 70,Cd parasitic= 0.012
* Cd wetted = 0.0140 vs 0.0037
*Mechanical efficiency= 20% vs 74%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*High-Lift = High-Drag
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frey's 1933 staggered guide vanes worked remarkably well for 2-D flow,but were attached to a body which already had an optimized, radius'd
leading edge.And are not germane to 3-D flow.
Hucho has personally tested a suite of aeronautically-inspired gadgets on road vehicles.Nothing worked.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* If you lower the top of the 'slot',even with the rooftop,and close off the gap,you'll see a drag reduction.Not otherwise.It's scientifically impossible.