USA vs. Canada
The major difference between USA and Canada of a political nature. Perhaps it is more politically correct to say that the major difference is political involvement? Comparing the two countries effectively would take a very long article, one that you’re probably not interested in reading all the way through. Besides geographic and climate differences, and differences in predominant languages, there is a strong difference in world interaction. Some may see this as a good thing, while others interpret it as a bad thing.
Canada
Geographic and climate differences are rather obvious. There is more cold arctic air in Canada, and the US has portions that extend close enough to the equator to be considered subtropical. This is also the reason for difference in national pastimes, as winter sports are more traditional in Canada.
Canada also has regions with people who speak predominantly French, while the US has areas of inhabitants who speak predominantly Spanish. Both countries have areas where immigrants from all over the world have settled, creating their own subculture within the culture.
Canada has abolished the death penalty for all crimes, including capital offences. The United States has a state by state allocution, that allows each individual state to make its own determination about the death penalty. Ironically, Canada’s murder rate is lower than the United States’, and convictions for murder are higher (when comparing percentages not numbers) than in the United States. Canada also allows for legal gay marriages, while this is considered a state by state issue in the United States.
Abroad, Canada has more of a voice than most people believe. However, the United States takes on a stronger political position, and has an increased vested interest in foreign affairs. Canada is willing to get involved in political maneuvers only when it is necessary. They tend to do so quietly, and are less intermingled with ongoing political problems throughout the world than the United States. This makes the country more autonomous, and able to stay much more neutral when it comes to difficult political issues and the responding actions.
Both countries are held to a high standard, and both countries have their own benefits. Each country operates on a voting system for political power, albeit there are major differences in each system. There is a political check and balance system in play for both countries. Canada has spent its energies, and time, building a country filled with its own resources, where it has been possible. The United States has an outreach budget for countries outside of its jurisdiction, which often conflicts with the needs of its own people. Being bordering countries, each share in an agenda of peace, and have managed to keep differing political practices from interfering with their peaceful agenda.
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I was wondering what the differece in cultures were the two, could you please elaborate a little futher? Thank You
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who is the publisher of your website?
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What options for gay community in USA and Canada?
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I know I’m, late, but for anyone else stumbling upon this, Canada is very progressive (More so than the US), in that it has legalized gay marriage, among other things.
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Progressive? This is a matter of principle. We as American have what Canadians do not have. For example: We have our inspired Constitution, and its amendments. And the very first one is: Freedom of religion. This entitles Americans to fight for their own believes. Gay marriage goes against this amendment. Because it forces to all religions to accept it. A church will lose its power to decide if they denied the gay couple to be married in their chapel or cathedral. That is unfair for Christians or any other religion or practice. That is just like giving the smokers the right to smoke on peoples faces at the time. So lets isolate the problem, smokers can only smoke in designated areas, so gay people build your own chapel and keep yourself in your own bubble rather than forcing your ideals on our society. Many will accept this so call new style of living, but not everybody. So that tells you there that something is wrong on that picture. If you have to force things into our society rather than following the pattern of nature, which is: Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of GOD. And by this covenant between the two, children will be coming in a natural way, without “adopting”. By doing so, our society will continue to exist. Other wise, will ceased to exist.
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You’re an idiot! Just another stupid religious fool! America is a great county aside from the morons (like yourself) who inhabit it. You need to focus on something else like the terrorism in the world and not gay marriage. Who gives a fuck!
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i agree with you sir .. and don’t listen to jami who responded to you by insult just because you are a part of america and have the right to say your opinion
i apologize for you
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And Canada has free health care! hello!!
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RAWWWWWWR
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what are canada and USA differences and similarities???
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Canada and the USA have many similarities:
– both are predominately English-speaking, and their political origins were as colonies of the UK
– both have democratically elected governments at the national, regional (province & state, respectively) and municipal levels
– both use the ‘first-past-the-post’ electoral system
– at the national level, both have bicameral legislatures (Parliament & Congress), and both legislatures include a Senate
– both have a codified their citizens rights, and in both these include freedom of speech, assembly, conscience, etc.
– their education systems area very similar, and diplomas and degrees are generally accepted as equal in either country.
– both countries’ populations are mainly Caucasian and descended from immigrants, but are ethnically diverse.
– both countries have a minority indigenous population, with whom treaties were signed to establish legal control of the lands, leaving the original inhabitants with only small areas of their own. There is a history of conflict and neglect, to say the least
– both were founding members of the UN, the IMF, the OECD and NATO. They also cooperate with each other in NORAD and as members of the OAS
– Canada and the USA have fought together in WW1, WW2, the Korean War, the liberation of Kuwait, Afghanistan and against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Both sent peacekeepers to Somalia and Yugoslavia in the 1990’s.
– both are wealthy countries, rich in natural resources and with advanced industrial/post-industrial free-market economies
– both call their currency ‘dollars’. Their equivalent coins (1, 5, 10 & 25 cents, and 1 dollar) are the same size, though not exactly the same weights.
– the two countries economies are tightly linked, and follow nearly identical technical and industrial standards. Appliances, automobiles, etc. are essentially interchangeable
However, there are also many differences:
– The USA has about nine times as many people as Canada
– as mentioned in the original post, Canada’s primary linguistic minority is French (mainly in the east), while the USA’s is Spanish (mainly in the south and west)
– indigenous people are a larger proportion of the population in Canada than in the USA
– Asian minorities, especially Chinese and Indian, are a much larger proportion of the population in Canada than in the USA, while the reverse is true for the African-American and Latino populations
– in Canada, the Head of State and Head of Government are different people (the Prime Minister & the Governor General*), while in the USA they are one (the President).
*technically, Canada’s Head of State is Queen Elizabeth, shared with fifteen other countries including the UK, Australia, Jamaica, etc. An appointed Governor General normally performs all the duties of Head of State.
– Canada’s Prime Minister and Cabinet sit in the legislature, while neither the American President nor any of his Cabinet do so.
– the separation of powers between the national and regional levels is also different. For example, criminal law is a national responsibility in Canada, but is a regional (state) responsibility in the USA. Cannabis legalization has occurred in several US states, and is under consideration at the national level in Canada (2018)
– election dates are fixed in the USA , but not in Canada
– Canada is a member of the post-colonial organizations the Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie, while the USA is not.
– Canada has public health care for all, administered by the provinces but following national standards. Many Canadians also have private health insurance to help with expenses such as dental, eyeglasses and prescriptions not covered by the public system. The USA has public health care for only a minority of the population, and most citizens rely on private insurance.
– American citizens are guaranteed a Right to Bear Arms by their constitution, while Canadians are not. Firearms are legal in Canada, but subject to fairly strong gun control laws.
– Gay marriage is legal in Canada, as is abortion. Individual churches and doctors are free to follow their own consciences with respect to providing these services. Neither is still considered a major public policy issue as they are in the USA.
– inequality of wealth & income are greater in the USA than in Canada (the rich are richer and the poor are poorer)
– Canada did not suffer as badly as the USA during the 2008 global financial crisis due to stronger regulation and to Canadian bankers being generally more risk-averse
– defence spending, the military industrial complex and the armed forces are much more prominent in the USA than Canada. Canada generally seeks to avoid conflict and to act within coalitions when conflict is unavoidable. During the latter half of the 20th century, Canadian troops most commonly went abroad as UN Peacekeepers.
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