Canada/US relations, are we really that close?

It’s often mentioned that from a cultural and ideological stand point Canada and the US are very similar, we’re neighbors and we share the largest undefended border in the world, but are we really that close? This year is an election year both in Canada and in the US so this is the perfect chance to see just how close, or far apart we really are. Lets look at what we have in common and what we don’t.

Language:
Canada: English/French
US: English/Spanish

Current Political Ideology:
Canada: Liberal, center
US: Republican, right

Religion:
Canada: Depends, in western Canada religion is still quite strong, but in eastern Canada, in particular Quebec, religion is almost dead (well not quite but it’s seen better days)
US: Still very strong, even states outside the bible bet tend to be fairly conservative when it comes to religion.

Military:
Canada: Very small, almost entirely made up of peacekeepers.
US: Very, very predominant. (I can name 3 Americans on these boards in the military and not a single Canadian, and based on the ratio of visitors there should be some)

Foreign Policy:
Canada: Diplomatic, won’t intervene directly, but will offer assistance.
US: Very hands on. You can’t handle it; we’ll do it for you.

The other guy’s leader:
Canada: Hope you lose (according to a McLain’s survey)
US: Who?

Iraq:
Canada: Refused to Act
US: Seems to have wanted to invade for no good reason. If they wanted to get rid of Saddam they should have just said so, this bull about WMD is total crap.

Gay Marriage:
Canada: Its about 50/50 overall, but depends on which part of the country you ask.
US: Constitutional amendment to ban it, isn’t that against the charter of human rights?

UN:
Canada: Pays their dues every year, and those doors we gave them are really nice.
US: Pays just enough not to get kicked out, whines every time it looks like international laws which apply to everyone apply to Americans.

I’m mainly pointing out some of the things we differ on just to try and get a reaction out of you. Do you really think Canada and the US are that close? And if so why, or why not?


I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing the US, I think its done some great things over the years (just none since Bush got elected), but I happen to very strongly disagree with about 95% of the decisions Bush made and I seriously hope he loses.

Funny no one posted something yet. Besides me.

Looking at all of that, most of which I didn’t know, it doesn’t really seem that Canada and the US are that close at all. I suppose if we’re talking about just the governments then they’ve not got much reason to like each other, but relations between countries shouldn’t just be judged just by which politician argued with which other politician, it should be about the normal people who interact with those from another country without having an agenda.

Anyway, I don’t know enough about Canada to really comment. Just my random thoughts.

All I’m saying is this: If Bush wins the next election, I’M moving to Canada.

Gee, and I thought Finland and Canada were pretty much alike… There’s two languages, too many trees and of course, cold… and next to a superpower (Well, we were.)

I have nothing to say about Bush.

Also, Canadians SUCK at Super Street Fighter 2, I mean, SK can attest to my relative mediocrity at that game, yet while I was traveling through Canada by bus, at the bus depots I stopped at on three separate occasions, I decimated the dude who stepped up to challenge me. Of course, all these sound defeats were dealt out while in Manitoba, so maybe it’s just the people in that province that suck at SSF2.

Also, Canadians loooove their curling chortle No seriously though, I think it’s cool that curling is such a big thing, since (as far as I could tell from the TVs in the depots) all the athletes there were doing it in addition to their jobs - there were no professional curlers making millions of dollars, which I think is a really healthy attitude to for the public to take regarding televised sports/entertainment, but of course that doesn’t happen here in America.

-Mazrim Taim

Maz, Curling is NOT a big thing in Canada >>;

And as for Canada and the US being “close,” I probably would’ve been banned from the chat last night had CH not muted the channel before I could flame Magus for calling Canada part of “America.” He tried to get all smartass on me and say “Dur Canada is in North America so it’s part of America Hyuk I retardghred” even though America refers to the United States and nothing else.

Anyways, I don’t have anything against the US or the people who live there, nor am I ever usually patriotic whatsoever, but I hate being associated with the States. Our countries are very similar, but Canada’s just somehow on a higher plane of not-suck.

Originally posted by Dark Sand
[b]It’s often mentioned that from a cultural and ideological stand point Canada and the US are very similar, we’re neighbors and we share the largest undefended border in the world, but are we really that close? This year is an election year both in Canada and in the US so this is the perfect chance to see just how close, or far apart we really are. Lets look at what we have in common and what we don’t.

Language:
Canada: English/French
US: English/Spanish

Current Political Ideology:
Canada: Liberal, center
US: Republican, right

Religion:
Canada: Depends, in western Canada religion is still quite strong, but in eastern Canada, in particular Quebec, religion is almost dead (well not quite but it’s seen better days)
US: Still very strong, even states outside the bible bet tend to be fairly conservative when it comes to religion.

Military:
Canada: Very small, almost entirely made up of peacekeepers.
US: Very, very predominant. (I can name 3 Americans on these boards in the military and not a single Canadian, and based on the ratio of visitors there should be some)

Foreign Policy:
Canada: Diplomatic, won’t intervene directly, but will offer assistance.
US: Very hands on. You can’t handle it; we’ll do it for you.

The other guy’s leader:
Canada: Hope you lose (according to a McLain’s survey)
US: Who?

Iraq:
Canada: Refused to Act
US: Seems to have wanted to invade for no good reason. If they wanted to get rid of Saddam they should have just said so, this bull about WMD is total crap.

Gay Marriage:
Canada: Its about 50/50 overall, but depends on which part of the country you ask.
US: Constitutional amendment to ban it, isn’t that against the charter of human rights?

UN:
Canada: Pays their dues every year, and those doors we gave them are really nice.
US: Pays just enough not to get kicked out, whines every time it looks like international laws which apply to everyone apply to Americans.

I’m mainly pointing out some of the things we differ on just to try and get a reaction out of you. Do you really think Canada and the US are that close? And if so why, or why not?


I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing the US, I think its done some great things over the years (just none since Bush got elected), but I happen to very strongly disagree with about 95% of the decisions Bush made and I seriously hope he loses. [/b]

My Milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
And their like it’s better than yours
Damn right it’s better than yours
I could teach you
But I have to charge

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
And their like it’s better than yours
Damn right it’s better than yours
I could teach you
But I have to charge

I know you want it
The thing that makes me
What the guys go crazy for
They lose their minds
The way i whyne
I think it’s time

La,La,La,La,La
Warm it up
La,La,La,La,La
The boys are waiting
La,la,La,La,La
Warm it up
La,La,La,La,La
The boys are waiting

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
And their like it’s better than yours
Damn right it’s better than yours
I could teach you but i have to charge

My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
And their like it’s better than yours
Damn right it’s better than yours
I could teach you but i have to charge

I see your on it
You want me to teach thee
Techniques that freaks these boys
It can’t be bought
Just know things get caught
Watch if your smart

La,La,La,La,La
Warm it up
La,La,La,La,La
The boys are waiting

Originally posted by Dark Sand
Gay Marriage:
Canada: Its about 50/50 overall, but depends on which part of the country you ask.
US: Constitutional amendment to ban it, isn’t that against the charter of human rights?

I’d just like to point out these aren’t really comparable since you’re comparing polls and a proposed amendment. Besides, around here people are about 50/50 on gay marriage also.

Originally posted by Dark Sand
I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing the US, I think its done some great things over the years (just none since Bush got elected), but I happen to very strongly disagree with about 95% of the decisions Bush made and I seriously hope he loses.

Go ahead and bash Bush, we don’t like him either, that’s why we didn’t elect him. I don’t really know how to phrase this but, don’t judge us by Bush: “This man does not represent us.”

Also as far as political leanings go, I think if you polled the people of both countries you’d find we’re a lot closer than our current administration would have you think.

Generally when people compare Canada and the US they’re talking about culture, not government policy. And generally we’re pretty similar culturally. In other words: Get an American and a Brit in a room together and you’ll instantly be able to tell which is which. Get an American and a Canadian in a room together, and it’s much harder. Our attitutes towards certain things are different, but our cultures are more or less identical in most aspects.

That’s exactly my point Cid, would we see so many similarities? Political systems are a reflection of the current values of a society, or at least they were during the last election. Now I’ll admit that you guys didn’t really elect Bush, so I’ll give you that, but you did elect a Republican majority to the house and the senate (I think it was both) during his term, something which hasn’t happened in decades, if at all. At puts the blame, so to speak, right back on your shoulders. I’ll admit there was a time when the US and Canada were close, Clinton and Chretien had a very cordial friendly relationship so relations where good, but its quite apparent that Bush and Chretien really hated each other and that has an impact on the rest of us.

Here are a few other examples, take health care.
Canada has a very large (if slightly under funded) free public healthcare system available to all. This is one of the best places in the world to get sick.
The US on the other hand has a massive private system, insurance isn’t something extra for the few things that aren’t covered, it’s a requirement. If you’re poor and you fall ill then beware, if the illness doesn’t kill you the bill will.

Taxes are another thing,
Canadians pay very high taxes, and while most bitch about it they’re still glad to pay them because it helps to fund Canada social programs. Our rich maybe aren’t as rich, but our poor are nowhere near as poor for the most part.
The US on other hand seems to favor the rich at every turn, I don’t know how anyone can believe that tax cuts to the rich will trickle down to the rest of us mere mortals, but the notion is just silly.

Government
Canada: Representative
US: Representative, but with more direct diplomacy

There are probably tons of other examples, which I can’t think of right now. But the point I’m trying to make is that I can think of 10+ things we believe differently on, but I can’t think of even half as many things that we agree on.

So if you think that Canada and the US are close, could you name me 5 things we have in common culturally and give examples?

<i>Close?</i> <b><u><i>CLOSE?!?!?</b></u></i>

Well, yeah…in some ways. But then again, radically different in other ways. Just like every other country on earth. :stuck_out_tongue:

Originally posted by Dark Sand

Here are a few other examples, take health care.
Canada has a very large (if slightly under funded) free public healthcare system available to all. This is one of the best places in the world to get sick.
The US on the other hand has a massive private system, insurance isn’t something extra for the few things that aren’t covered, it’s a requirement. If you’re poor and you fall ill then beware, if the illness doesn’t kill you the bill will.

I know, that’s crazy. I stupidly just found that out a little while ago that there are like, no benefits or whatever. I can’t imagine going to the dentist or the doctor and shelling out a hundred dollars every time you’re sick or need a tooth fixed. I just can’t believe how…inconvenient that is. See, my Canadian ignorance. But i couldn’t believe it when I really thought about it.

I also wouldn’t say that Americans and Canadians are culturally similar. Not on the East Coast anyways. Well, maybe I should say, the way they think are not similar. That’s pretty obvious, I know. I’ve always felt a bit distanced from an American, like I don’t feel any brotherhood connection or whatever. They are Americans, and they have their own brand of thinking, and I am Canadian and well i don’t feel like I could easily compare the two. Of course Canada and America or probably the most associated countries and the two that get compared the most. But they have their massive, massive differences.

Canadians and Americans are about as similar as Englishmen and Scotsmen :stuck_out_tongue:

I don’t see why it matters, the USA isn’t about to move from north america, and neither are we. I’m just glad that, for the most part, we can both agree to disagree.

On a side note, spanish is becoming increasingly popular over here in B.C.- Not many people out here really like Quebecer… then again, noone out here really likes easteners that much period >.>; Hurrah for inner conflicts!

:kissy:

But Evangelion- I thought WE had a connection… ;_;

Originally posted by Cybercompost
But Evangelion- I thought WE had a connection… ;_;

Aww bunnikins I didn’t mean it like THAT. I meant like, I don’t see our societies totally similar and intertwining. Hehe nice word. Anyways you knew what I meant and you just wanted me to embarrass myself by calling you the b word.

Originally posted by GG Crono 4
All I’m saying is this: If Bush wins the next election, I’M moving to Canada.
Hear Hear!

My Milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
And their like it’s better than yours
Damn right it’s better than yours
I could teach you
But I have to charge
What did this have to do with ANYTHING?

As for Canida…I once heard someone say Canada was like the US’s “little brother.”

Canada: Whacha doing?
US: Going to war.
Canada: ::GASP::…can I come?

I tohught it was funny.

Anyway, seriously, I think that the US and Canada are TOTALLY different, because of the totally different government (mainly on foreign policy). HOWEVER, I think Americans and Canadians aren’t so different at all. In that aspect, there’s hardly a boarder between countries.

But that’s just my view.

The problem when trying to compare two large nations like this is that you can’t very well come out and say that everyone (or even most people) in Canada thinks a certain way and that everyone in the US doesn’t. I’ve had dealings with people from (e.g.) Detroit, New York, and Miami, and they all think very differently from each other, never mind from Canada. Ditto with (e.g.) Torontonians and Montrealers. So if you’re trying to say how different Canadians are from Americans because of the way they think, obviously you’re going to get massive differences.

The comparisons, as I said, are usually made in culture. Culture has nothing to do with health care, taxes, government, or any other policies. A huge majority of Canadians don’t even think about that kind of thing from day to day. Culture has to do with the way you talk, the way you act, the way you dress, the icons you hold dear. In those circumstances, like I said, it’s very hard to tell Canadians and Americans apart (unless one of them is wearing a Maple Leafs jersey). :sunglasses:

There’s a lot in here that really comes close to bashing, but since it’s aimed at Bush and his administration for the most part, I applaud you.

However, we don’t vote for the President. Rather, we vote for representatives, who then go and vote for the President. And of course, the whole thing’s rigged by the Illuminati, so it’s all meaningless anyway. That’s why saying the US government represents the values of US society is incorrect.

Originally posted by Cidolfas
So if you’re trying to say how different Canadians are from Americans because of the way they think, obviously you’re going to get massive differences.

Ah I should have worded it differently. I meant it as, generally, a society tends to think as a whole…sometimes. Not like, individual thinking. No no ><