America to Canada?

Show all answers

Pichi

Okay, I was born and lived first 45 years in the U.S. and past few years in Canada. On the surface the two countries are similar, but living here there are some subtle but profound differences.

1) Even in the cities, the seedy areas are not nearly as bad as in the U.S. Drug addiction and alcoholism are a problem though, just as in the U.S., and there are homeless people, too.

2) There is not as extreme of a disparity between the "haves" and "have nots". In part I credit this to national health care, as the risk of going poor or bankrupt because of medical expenses is much less.

3) Speaking of National Health Care, while it has it's problems, like waiting times and slightly lower quality of care, it's on the right track overall. Anyone can get adequate health care as needed and not worry about the costs.

4) Canadians are less materialistic than Americans in general. They have less discretionary income, and like Europeans, tend to go for quality rather than quantity, and carefully choose and prioritize purchases.

5) Cost of living is about 35% higher in Canada. The National Health Care System requires higher taxes, there is a 7% sales tax (called GST ... goods and services tax or as some put it gouged and scre.wed tax, lol), and some provinces have a provincial sales tax as well. Food costs are higher, and electronics, furniture and such are much higher.

6) Canada is cleaner. The land mass is larger than the continental U.S., but there is about 1/10th of the population, even though most of the population lives within 150 miles of the U.S. border, this equates to less pollution, less crowding, and a cleaner and more pristine environment .. especially once you get into more rural and wilderness areas. Yes, the U.S. has a lot of wonderful clean rural and wilderness areas, Canada just has more!

7) Because Canada has a smaller population and a lower percentage of discretionary income, there is a smaller choice of products here than in the U.S. Even stores that are also in the U.S. carry fewer choices here, and in some cases eliminate entire departments and/or product lines at their Canadian Stores.

Also, the politics are different in many ways, as someone else already expounded on, and it is much more universally multi-cultural.

I love living in Canada!

SFdude

I'm an American who have lived in Canada. Although I'm currently back in the USA. Mostly, it is the same. However, there are some differences:

- Canadian beer is superior to American beer in almost every way (that is, it doesn't taste like piss water).

- There are four major political parties in Canada (instead of two). Three of them are left-of-center. So, Canadian politics is comparable to "blue" American states like California and Massachusetts. Canada's only real conservative province is Alberta (AKA Texas North).

- Immigrants to Canada come mostly from South Asia (India, Pakistan) and China (the Hong Kong connection). Far fewer Hispanics and Africans than the U.S., in general.

- There's no alcohol in Canadian supermarkets, and pharmacies are usually completely separate from the supermarkets. Shopping hours are also more restrictive than in the U.S.

- Canadians are more into their British/French heritage than Americans. That is to say, they define themselves more specifically. Canadians will say "I'm English" or "I'm Irish-Scottish" rather than a vague "I'm white." Many of them still wear kilts and play the fiddle during weddings and such too.

- Currently, the cost of goods in Canada is much higher than in the U.S. Despite the fact that the strong Canadian dollar is now trading almost 1:1 with the U.S. dollar... retailers have refused to lower their inflated prices (which means, Canadians are paying 1/3 more for everything on average).

- Canada has stricter policies than the U.S. when it comes to speech and assembly issues (no first amendment to worry about). You'll see far fewer politically motivated billboards, less overt commerical advertising, and protest rallies are relatively rare.

Kevin H

i was born in canada but moved to the US later...and I can tell you they are pretty much the same

RavensXXXV

Almost the samething, but you have people who speak french in some parts.

Fotomama

Cold. It's cold here. I lived in Utah for five years and have been a Canadian all my life.

Our sense of humour is different. We are more political and our comedians make fun of the Queen...don't mess too much with Camilla...too soft a target! Easterners are more liberal and Westerners are really conservative...particularly in Alberta. We like family here. We are pretty religious for the most part, like to be able to own firearms if we choose...but don't tell Ontario that!

Curling is huge, as is hockey and beer. And while I don't drink beer, I have been told that Canadian beer is stronger than US beer. Cigarettes are (fortunately) really expensive here because of the sin taxes on them...but so is gasoline. In Western Canada we are pretty hospitable and friendly. Calgary is pretty much a small town with a heck of a lot of stoplights.

Come on up for a visit! We love to have you! We probably tease you, but it's only cause we love you!

commonsense2265

I lived in Canada for 5 years now USA, a lot the same but culturally they are different. They also have an English heritage but it is stronger than The one the Americans have. The French influence is heavy in Quebec Province and they have their own culture, A mix of French, English and Canadian.
Lots of beautiful scenery but colder than here.

R.S.

You should be asking a Canadian what its like, then its easier to compare the differences with an American. Rather than someone who has moved. I'd say the only major difference is the obesity rate. On a more serious note, there isnt much difference in the way it looks depending on where you are from and where you live. If you are going from Alabama to Quebec, well there are some differences, for one, weather and the fact that its multicultural.

biffnasty

the main difference is canadas lack of technology, they are at least 15 years behind AMERICA in that aspect, they do not have cell phones....secondlytheir economy is terrible, they use monopoly money which is worthless and has hockey players on the back of it....
they also lov eto wear flennel shirts, which we all know died out in late 1994 yet they still wear their flannels with pride, also th ecanadian passport (mullet) was born in canada, as you can clearly see canada has a wonderful fashion sence!!!!

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: