In what ways are Canada and the U.S. different?

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Jane Marple

Canada is a country with lost of social programs to help the poor and the young. Canada believe all its citizen have the right to a doctor for free and to register in college for almost nothing as well. Our crime rate is very low, racism is low, we're tolerant and people of all races can establish here and have a life of opportunities just like any other Canadians. There are places with black communities and one that comes to mind right now is Halifax but you will find black people in every major city in Canada whether it's Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. Canada is for the most part Catholic/Protestant/Anglican so yes we celebrate Christmas and Easter, we have almost the same holidays as you do except our Thanks Giving is in October and yours in November. People in Canada are nice, we're Please and Thank You people, you'll get help from strangers and you won't see people live in boxes outside or sleep in their cars, that simply doesn't exist here.

ADD: Don't let that thumb down influence you, I only got it cause I Identified as being a French-Canadian and not simply as a Canadian. The French and English have 400 years of history here and we often have different political views. It's sad that I have told you all about this country being tolerant.

shannlen

There are quite a few differences between Canada and the US and living in each place. I found living in the US much less expensive, especially for restaurants, cigarettes and liquor and most groceries (meat and dairy in particular). I found Americans wary at first even when asked a simple question - many just ignored me and walked away. It seems like after they realized you weren't from there and were not someone trying to scam them, they opened up and helped you. I am Caucasian and I found that especially black Americans were very leery when approached or even when you said a simple thank you, and even when they did talk to me, it was as if they were holding back and waiting for something negative to happen. Canadians on the other hand are more than willing to bend over backwards to help anyone who asks for help. Canada has very few blacks (2.5%) as compared to the US (12.9%). In some cities, you might never see a black person. That doesn't mean there aren't any, just that there are so few, you seldom run into them. In Canada, we do not have an in-born sense of discrimination to blacks. Honestly, I would say they are accepted far more than Asians here. Living in the US was much more laid back then living and working in Canada. We seem to take our work, our lives and ourselves more seriously. About Christmas? Christians celebrate Christmas, no matter where they are. We have a large Jewish population in Canada, and they observe their holidays, as do other groups like Muslims and Buddhists. In Canada, we are very respectful of each person celebrating their own beliefs and traditions. Some of the biggest differences I found between the 2 countries - (maybe til recently) - Americans are very patriotic and proud to show it - Canadians celebrate a quiet patriotism and tend to take our own country for granted. Totally astounded by Americans participation and response to July 4, Thanksgiving, and the Presidential election. I see Americans travelling from everywhere desperate to be home for Thanksgiving and here, we 'might' do that for Christmas but never Thanksgiving. Our equivalent election can be called and 2 months later we vote (as just happened), and we are far less inundated with advertisements and propaganda. And as for our July 1st equivalent of your July 4th holiday, to most Canadians, its just another paid day off work.

Tiny Canadian

-People in Canada are a lot more welcoming.
-There are less over weight people because people in Canada really go out of their way to be active.
-There aren't a lot of blacks, but there are plenty of Asians
- And Of course we celebrate Christmas!

Really it depends on where in Canada you are.

*ajidamoon* the Eh team

Here in Canada, you will find pretty much every form of "visible minority"(argh, I hate that term) there is. I think immigrants mostly decide to live in larger cities, as assimilation will be easier, when surrounded by other immigrants, which is why smaller towns and villages do not have large "visible minority" populations. But they are still here. and still treated equally.
Yes, a good majority of Canadians celebrate Christmas, although it is a much more secularized version of it, as we have so many people from so many different cultural backgrounds.
The main differences between Canada and the US is we are on the forefront of upholding equal human rights for all here. Homosexuals are free to marry here, marry, not get a "civil" union. Abortion is free, on demand and not subject to parental approval. Health care is provided through our tax dollars, and no one is ever denied medically necessary treatments. We have higher taxes, but a much higher quality of life. More preventative medicines and therapies. Canadians, on average, live longer than americans. We are rated fourth best country in the world to live in, coming in after Iceland, Australia and Sweden. Our education system has been rated superior. Our society is a more secular one, with a great separation of religion and government, law, schooling, anything public. Our people are generally warm, friendly and inviting. We will bend over backwards to help someone in need. We have all the same freedoms afforded americans, and more so. However, the general public is not allowed to carry a hand gun here, we have no "right to bear arms" nor do we need one. Canada has a significantly lower crime rate when comparing cities of likewise populations. And of course, my favourite thing about Canada, is our four, beautiful seasons..
Just a few things, off the top of my head.

deetrosa

lol, of course we celebrate christmas!! we are similar to americans in almost every cultural aspect, with only differences in attitude (IMO)

as far as black people go, i think we have less than you do, but that's not to say it's rare to find a black person. i saw somewhere that blacks comprimise 12% of the american population, if this is true i would put canada's somewhere around 8-10%

factual differences:
- gay marriage is legal
- we have a parliment and a prime minister (more like england's form of government vs. usa's)
- we have universal health care, meaning the government pays for your medical needs; it comes out of our taxes
- our taxes are much higher (5%-18% sales tax on everything depending on province, 30%ish on income tax)
- we don't have the death penalty (at all)
- we love hockey a hell of a lot more than football

Ash

USA is now experiencing economic crisis while Canada is not.

Jane Marple's answer is pretty good except for one issue: we do NOT see a doctor for free. While we do not pay out of pocket at the doctor's office, we do pay a lot of taxes and a portion of that tax money goes to cover the cost of medically necessary procedures.
We drive on the right hand side of the road, use the metric system for things like speed signs, temperature and general weights and measures in grocery stores. Nothing totally alien. Really.
Of course a lot of Canadians celebrate Christmas. As I said, nothing alien.

Mathew H

We in Canada are usually either really annoyed at foreigners knowing nothing about us, or we try and lead you on to laugh about it.

YES we celebrate Christmas.. .and Easter and Labour Day and all that... it's a small world isn't it? Do you think America is the only country that celebrates these things? MY GOD! Ok... I just really had to get that off my chest... sorry. There are black Canadians, and Chinese-Canadians, and every race you can ever think of.. .it's actually not all white.

Canada has different attractions I guess... I mean culturally English Canadians are pretty similar to Americans.

Actually... you know, I can't write a book here. If you're interested in coming or interested in learning about Canada you should just look it up.

lol.. but yes... we live in houses, celebrate christmas, make about the same amount of income as the average American... we own TV's, watch pro-sports, eat the same things you guys do, drive the same vehicles you guys do..... and we have regions in the country... we got cowboys, priaries, forests, mountains, lakes, and cities. Just to give you a little info.

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