american & canadians - is there a difference?

fryup

When ever you talk to a Canadian they always pride themselves in telling you on how different they are to Americans, we're more enlightened than them, we're more down to earth than them, we're more friendlier than them, hell! we're different from them - really well you could have fooled me, from my experience I think Canadians are just as obnoxious, loud, arrogant and generally a pain in the ass as the yanks.

Micky Dolenz

A bit like them Irish people who swear blind they are not British. They all look the same to me.

AhSureTisGrand

Canadians say eh and aboot

FortuneChip

From dealing with both in the service industry. Canadians claimed they were going to get angry about useless stuff, Americans actually did get angry

Well, they sound the same. In the same way Kiwis and Aussies sound the same. It insults the f*ck out of them when you say this, but unless you're really familiar with each accent, they sound exactly like each other.

saintsaltynuts

Same Difference if you ask me.Although they do get browned off if you think there from the states how call you tell when you've just met one?

DingChavez

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPuxPhPUwjk

EverEvolving

Big difference. Ones from America, the other is from somewhere near America.

James T Kirk

One's oop noorth, t'other's dan saath, ya daft ape'eth.

Bonavox

EverEvolving wrote: »

Big difference. Ones from America, the other is from somewhere near America.

Canada is in America.

Duffy the Vampire Slayer

Some of those Canadians (especially around Montreal) have this really strong accent where they say 'oui' and 'bonjour' the whole time. I couldn't understand a word they were saying.

Mr. Denton

Captain Kirk and Marty McFly are both Canadians, so no.

WindSock

Canada is a yeast infection.

Lapin

The USA overthrew their colonial masters and declared independence 235 years ago tomorrow.

The Canadians on the other hand only yesterday........

WolfForager

Canadians speak french? And the accent is easy enough to spot once you've met a few of them.

Needler

Eh?

Badgermonkey

Deleted User wrote: »

Well, they sound the same. In the same way Kiwis and Aussies sound the same. It insults the f*ck out of them when you say this, but unless you're really familiar with each accent, they sound exactly like each other.

Superficially sound the same but US/Canadian and Aussie/Kiwi accents are fairly easy to demarcate imo.

Kiwi accent is quite clipped, whereas the Austraaaaaaalian vernacular elongates its words.

Like the US, Canadian accents have strong regional variants but watch Trailer Park Boys and you'll hear the Canuck twang, which has permeated the wider accent.

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

Laika1986

I've lived in both they're pretty different. The canadians can be a little drier humour wise but by the most part are nicer people. Apart from a few nuts but its not as if america is nut free

Biggins

Is there a difference?

Well on a scale of 1 to 228 of countries (1 being the highest number), here is some facts.

You will live longer in Canada in theory.
Life expectancy for Canada is rated 11 - Better medical care (Rated the second best in the world after France)
Life expectancy for USA is rated 50, further down the list

Your likely to pay far more tax in America than Canada.
America rated 11 as having to pay more.
Canada rated 35 as having to pay less.

In USA two years ago there was over 4500 murders - Canada in the same period had around 150.

Other facts:
* Canada has more nurses per head than the USA.
(Universal health care for everyone in Canada - America? You got to be kidding!)
(America is the ONLY modern industrialised country in the world that does not have a universal healthcare system)
* America rates higher in assaults per head of population than does Canada.
* As regards Homicides and gun violence, America rates 7th in the highest of rates per head in the world - Canada's is so low, its not even on the list of the top 32!
* America has the highest marriage rate - but it also has the highest in the world divorce rate. Canada is so low, its not even in the top registered 27.

Stats: http://www.nationmaster.com

* Canada has 6.3% more energy per capita.
* Canada's lending represents 1.0% of its GDP. US' borrowing represents 2.5% of its GDP.
* US spends 3.7 times more money on military as expressed in % of GDP.
* US has 9.2 times more people.
* US has a 25.3% higher birth rate & US has a 8.4% higher death rate.
* In 2004, government funding of health care in Canada was equivalent to [US$] 1,893 per person. In the U.S. government spending per person was US$ 2,728 - In other words the USA spend more on its people but so better streamlined and efficient is the Canadian system who spend less, that they STILL have a much better health care system - while relying less on the taxpayers money!

Stats:
http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/simdiff.htm
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34175_20070917.pdf


While the USA, Ireland and the rest of the world was/is suffering current economic woes, during the good times "Celtic Tiger" period - The USA and the rest (except for Canada) went on a spending spree at some times.
Meanwhile Canada during the same period, fortified their tax laws, made their banking regulations stronger (Bertie and co reduced ours - as did America), gave further powers to consumer orgs in their country to watch over the big boys in business (we did nothing - as did USA), improved their percentage of money pulled in from the public put to good use and saved more of it for a 'rainy day' which later came to the rest of the world.
When the America/Europe crashed big time financially in banking and property values, Canada was able to hold its own - having better prepared itself for such an eventuality.
As such NOT ONE Canadian bank has had to be bailed out - not taken over in share purchase - nor collapsed completely.
Canada is now producing more cars than America and its heavy industries are much more stronger and trading at lower prices.
Canada's property market still is much stronger and prices have remain at a steady level, before during and probably after the current economic mess, we are all experiencing.

Is there a difference?
By god there is!

A quick JOKE.

A first grade teacher explains to her class that she is an American. She asks her students to raise their hands if they were American too.

Not really knowing why but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like flashy fireworks.

There is, however, one exception. A girl named Kristen has not gone along with the crowd.

The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I am not an American."

"Then", asks the teacher, "what are you?"

"I’m a proud Canadian," boasts the little girl.

The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Kristen why she is a Canadian. "Well, my mom and dad are Canadians, so I’m a Canadian too."

The teacher is now angry. "That’s no reason," she says loudly. "What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was a moron. What would you be then?"

A pause, and a smile. "Then," says Kristen, "I’d be an American."

Turkana

Canada is scum. Did you know that asbestos is banned in their country, as it is here... but they still manufacture and export the stuff to third world countries? FEckin arsagons.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/canada/110628/cancer-asbestos-export

Eve_Dublin

^^^^ This is the more the country itself and not so much the people, although of course this has a reflection on the mentality of the people so...yeah...you have a point....

Biggins

Turkana wrote: »

Canada is scum. Did you know that asbestos is banned in their country, as it is here... but they still manufacture and export the stuff to third world countries? FEckin arsagons.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/canada/110628/cancer-asbestos-export

Where as America exports more guns and military hardware - which kill a hell of a lot more - in same countries too!

Interesting comparison!

Latest figures to hand:

Weapons exports:
United States, $18.5billion, $5.4bn
Canada, $900m, $543m

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Weapons-industry

All you have to do is compare the list of USA manufactures to Canadians ones:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_modern_armament_manufacturers

BIG difference and you call Canadians scum over asbestos which kills far, far less in comparison?

Laika1986

America exports pain, hardship and fast food(which also may lead to pain and hardship)

Biggins

An American's View of Canada

(This editorial ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in August 2003)

It's not just the weather that's cooler in Canada: You live next door to a clean-cut, quiet guy. He never plays loud music or throws raucous parties. He doesn't gossip over the fence, just smiles politely and offers you some tomatoes. His lawn is cared-for, his house is neat as a pin and you get the feeling he doesn't always lock his front door. He wears Dockers. You hardly know he's there. And then one day you discover that he has pot in his basement, spends his weekends at peace marches and that guy you've seen mowing the yard is his spouse.

Allow me to introduce Canada. The Canadians are so quiet that you may have forgotten they're up there, but they've been busy doing some surprising things. It's like discovering that the mice you are dimly aware of in your attic have been building an espresso machine.

Did you realize, for example, that our reliable little tag-along brother never joined the Coalition of the Willing? Canada wasn't willing, as it turns out, to join the fun in Iraq. I can only assume American diner menus weren't angrily changed to include "freedom bacon," because nobody here eats the stuff anyway.

And then there's the wild drug situation: Canadian doctors are authorized to dispense medical marijuana. Parliament is considering legislation that would not exactly legalize marijuana possession, as you may have heard, but would reduce the penalty for possession of under 15 grams to a fine, like a speeding ticket. This is to allow law enforcement to concentrate resources on traffickers; if your garden is full of wasps, it's smarter to go for the nest rather than trying to swat every individual bug. Or, in the United States, bong.

Now, here's the part that I, as an American, can't understand. These poor benighted pinkos are doing everything wrong. They have a drug problem: Marijuana offenses have doubled since 1991. And Canada has strict gun control laws, which means that the criminals must all be heavily armed, the law-abiding civilians helpless and the government on the verge of a massive confiscation campaign. (The laws have been in place since the '70s, but I'm sure the government will get around to the confiscation eventually.) They don't even have a death penalty!

And yet ... nationally, overall crime in Canada has been declining since 1991. Violent crimes fell 13 percent in 2002. Of course, there are still crimes committed with guns - brought in from the United States, which has become the major illegal weapons supplier for all of North America - but my theory is that the surge in pot-smoking has rendered most criminals too relaxed to commit violent crimes. They're probably more focused on shoplifting boxes of Ho-Hos from convenience stores.

And then there's the most reckless move of all: Just last month, Canada decided to allow and recognize same-sex marriages. Merciful moose, what can they be thinking? Will there be married Mounties (they always get their man!)? Dudley Do-Right was sweet on Nell, not Mel! We must be the only ones who really care about families. Not enough to make sure they all have health insurance, of course, but more than those libertines up north.

This sort of behavior is a clear and present danger to all our stereotypes about Canada. It's supposed to be a cold, wholesome country of polite, beer-drinking hockey players, not founded by freedom-fighters in a bloody revolution but quietly assembled by loyalists and royalists more interested in order and good government than liberty and independence. But if we are the rugged individualists, why do we spend so much of our time trying to get everyone to march in lockstep? And if Canadians are so reserved and moderate, why are they so progressive about letting people do what they want to?

Canadians are, as a nation, less religious than we are, according to polls. As a result, Canada's government isn't influenced by large, well-organized religious groups and thus has more in common with those of Scandinavia than those of the United States, or, say, Iran.

Canada signed the Kyoto global warming treaty, lets 19-year-olds drink, has more of its population living in urban areas and accepts more immigrants per capita than the United States. These are all things we've been told will wreck our society. But I guess Canadians are different, because theirs seems oddly sound.

Like teenagers, we fiercely idolize individual freedom but really demand that everyone be the same. But the Canadians seem more adult - more secure. They aren't afraid of foreigners. They aren't afraid of homosexuality. Most of all, they're not afraid of each other.

I wonder if America will ever be that cool.

http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/canwhy.html

emeraldstar

Badgermonkey wrote: »

Superficially sound the same but US/Canadian and Aussie/Kiwi accents are fairly easy to demarcate imo.

Kiwi accent is quite clipped, whereas the Austraaaaaaalian vernacular elongates its words.

Yeah, the Aussie/Kiwi accents are very easy to tell apart. The Kiwis' vowel sounds are waaay more f*cked up than the Aussies'. They say 'set' when they mean 'sit' and 'sit' when they mean 'set', etc.

bambera

America is Canada's ass

Daegerty

Turkana wrote: »

Canada is scum. Did you know that asbestos is banned in their country, as it is here... but they still manufacture and export the stuff to third world countries? FEckin arsagons.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/canada/110628/cancer-asbestos-export

Asbestos isn't completely banned. Still used in brake pads for cars and in fireplaces I think

ColeTrain

About and Aboot. That's the difference.

rossie1977

canadas is americas hat

while america is canadas underwear

Biggins

Daegerty wrote: »

Asbestos isn't completely banned. Still used in brake pads for cars and in fireplaces I think

Turkana says thats its as least banned in Canada - he forgets to mention (conveniently) that in the USA, its not - although he says it is! :pac:

See: http://www.ewg.org/sites/asbestos/facts/fact5.php

In 1991, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned what was commonly known as the "Asbestos Ban and Phaseout Rule of 1989." Consequently, scores of asbestos products remain on the market today.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

I love Canada

galwayrush

Very different volume wise.

ball

Canadians just sound like polite Americans to me.

Emiko

I too love Canadia.

Did anyone else celebrate Canada Day the other day?

galwayrush

Emiko wrote: »

I too love Canadia.

Did anyone else celebrate Canada Day the other day?

Yes, i played a lot of Rush on my i-pod.:cool:

charlemont

Canadians on average are better educated and more knowledgeable about the outside world.

Biggins

Yep, some Americans seem to take pleasure in knocking their northern neighbours - but its seems those same people that are being mocked, are having the last laugh in a lot of ways.

I suspect deep rooted hidden jealousy in some cases, myself.

Emiko

Canada is more like what the American Dream is supposed to be; the Land of the Free, and all that.

I just hope the current bunch of right-wingers don't mess it up.

Mickeroo

Depends what part of Canada they're from, some just sound american to me, although they role their R's a bit, Newfoundlanders have a very distinct accent and then theres some that have a French accent. Some Canadians sound almost Irish, I think it might be the Newfoundlanders? I was mistaken for Canadian quite a few times when I was in NZ and met loads lof Canadians who were mistaken for Irish people!

Must say though most people I've met from the states were sound and the same goes for Canadians.

When people compare murder rates and crime they always seem to forget canada only has population of about 35 million and The States is over 300 million.

As a nation Canada does have a more liberal mentality mentality though and is a much better run country.

Biggins

Mickeroo wrote: »

When people compare murder rates and crime they always seem to forget canada only has population of about 35 million and The States is over 300 million.

As a nation Canada does have a more liberal mentality mentality though and is a much better run country.

All very true.
Percentage/ratio wise per head, the rates are still much lower in the north and good to see.
I know which country I would chose (to live in) if I had a choice - and which one I would avoid if possible.

Mickeroo

Mickeroo wrote: »

Depends what part of Canada they're from, some just sound american to me, although they role their R's a bit, Newfoundlanders have a very distinct accent and then theres some that have a French accent. Some Canadians sound almost Irish, I think it might be the Newfoundlanders? I was mistaken for Canadian quite a few times when I was in NZ and met loads lof Canadians who were mistaken for Irish people!

Must say though most people I've met from the states were sound and the same goes for Canadians.

When people compare murder rates and crime they always seem to forget canada only has population of about 35 million and The States is over 300 million.

As a nation Canada does have a more liberal mentality mentality though and is a much better run country.

Newfoundland was settled by the Irish in the 19 century and was Irish speaking for a good many years afterwards.

Mickeroo

Deleted User wrote: »

Newfoundland was settled by the Irish in the 19 century and was Irish speaking for a good many years afterwards.

Yea I thought that but I wasn't sure, explains a lot!

Did you ever see this? Off topic but a similar-ish situation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QHYFXDGf4Y

Mushy

Canada gave us Rush, America gave us Bush....big difference!

Sandwlch

Deleted User wrote: »

Newfoundland was settled by the Irish in the 19 century and was Irish speaking for a good many years afterwards.

The accent still lives on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Xmqb4W2T0M

efb

Canada far more liberal and progressive

sock puppet

Mushy wrote: »

Canada gave us Rush, America gave us Bush....big difference!

Nah Bush were English.

sock puppet

sock puppet wrote: »

Nah Bush were English.

As American as they come, in other words a bit English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German etc

http://www.wargs.com/political/bush.html

Mushy

sock puppet wrote: »

Nah Bush were English.

Haha I didnt mean the musical Bush

sock puppet

Deleted User wrote: »

As American as they come, in other words a bit English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, German etc

http://www.wargs.com/political/bush.html

I'll admit that Bush did sound American. However I can assure you it is all put on.

edit: damn Mushy was hoping to get a bit more mileage out of this

KeithAFC

Depends what type of Americans you're on about and also Canada. Canada is great. Not all Americans are yankees.