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Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 15728
Posted: 16 November 2019 at 2:34pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

So many differences. The Canadian head of state keeps out of political affairs, despite having great skills in statecraft and a wealth of political knowledge... and occasionally visits the country (about once every two years on average). Plays less golf than the US head of state; has more corgis. Has her head on the Canadian money, the notes of which are made of plastic and near indestructible.

Adding to what Peter Hicks said about the politics, from where I sit (as a British person living in Canada), Canada is more similar to the British political system. As a country, there's a bit of a split. Very broadly, I'd categorise the three prairie-provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) leaning to the right of the political spectrum, while the rest of the country leans more to the left. That is a massive oversimplification, of course, and these things can shift (and have shifted) with time.

Oil-rich Alberta, I would say, is more 'Trumpian' (for desperate want of a better word), opposed to carbon tax, don't want the Federal government poking their nose in so much, etc. Pacific-coastal BC, their neighbour, is more environmentally-conscious and liberal. And there has been some friction between BC and Alberta of late because of these marked differences.

In terms of mass media, Canadians consume a vast diet of American product. Where I am, if you want to watch the Boston local news on your TV, you can. If you want to watch Boston weather reports, you can. The major US networks are all readily available here. But to further boost things along, the same programmes are often replicated on the Canadian networks. So if you want to watch Grey's Anatomy on a Thursday night, you can choose to watch it on ABC or you can alternatively choose to watch it on CTV.

Canadians do make their own TV shows, but I don't think they are watched anywhere near as much the US shows. US shows do love to film in Toronto though and pretend it's New York (Suits for example).

Canada has produced all sorts of famous actors, but they tend to go to the US to make their name. There are numerous iconic American characters played by Canadians. Captain Kirk. Marty McFly. Ace Ventura. Deadpool. Uncle Buck. Chandler Bing. Ray Stanz. Ted Cruz. You can tell them all by how they pronounce project (apparently).

When it comes to sport, it is the US major leagues that Canadian watch. There is CFL, but anyone who likes gridiron prefers NFL. Hockey is bigger in Canada than in the US. Canadians love their hockey. And their Timbits.

As JB says, it's a big country though and there a big regional differences, as there will be in the States. Country music is big here, as it is (of course) in the States ( in contrast to, say, the UK where 99% of the people do not listen to country). Where I live, in Nova Scotia, if musicians played live in a bar and they pulled out a fiddle and a guitar and played some kind of celtic jig or a shanty, the audience would be receptive (or at least not bat an eyelid).
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Doug Centers
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 17 February 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 5436
Posted: 16 November 2019 at 8:32pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

I live a few minutes from the Canadian border and ran an auto repair shop for years. I had many repeat customers from across the Detroit River. Apparently it's cheaper state side for many repairs & tires.

In my region the dialect changes can be subtle but usually I can pick up on it, whether it's the inflection as they're speaking or certain vowel changes ("ow" sound becomes slightly more "oo" sounding). The word "Organization" has a long "i" in the middle instead of the short "i" heard more in the States. The auto "Mazda" is pronounced with more of a "cat" sounding "a" rather than "ah" sound. Which I always attributed to the way Canada's a's are pronounced.

Back when I was playing hockey I would often cross the border to buy equipment at Devonshire Mall as hockey equipment was duty free.
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Philippe Negrin
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 01 August 2007
Location: France
Posts: 2644
Posted: 17 November 2019 at 3:35am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Would anyone get frowned upon in their family if they dated or married a Canadian ?
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Neil Lindholm
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 12 January 2005
Location: China
Posts: 4939
Posted: 17 November 2019 at 5:09am | IP Logged | 4 post reply

Nobody dislikes us Canadians.  Date away. 
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132133
Posted: 17 November 2019 at 10:20am | IP Logged | 5 post reply

I recall NATIONAL LAMPOON pointing out that Canada's main claim to fame was that it is the largest pink country on the map. (Pink being the color of the Commonwealth.)

When I was in junior high school, our history teacher told us that Canada's history was DULL, and that we should be proud of that. No civil wars, no Indian massacres, no OK Corrals, etc.

Sadly, by the time I left, there was a shift toward inflating the least bit of history to make it big and dramatic. Canada's inferiority complex at work, I suppose. Living next door to the US will do that.

(Pierre Trudeau famously said living next to the US was like sleeping with an elephant. The elephant didn't actually have to DO anything to be constantly aware of it.)

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Carlos Velasco
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 02 August 2019
Location: Spain
Posts: 280
Posted: 17 November 2019 at 1:01pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

Coincidentally, I just read several Spaniards in another forum talk about Canada. One of them was visiting Toronto and said it was too cold for him. Others pointed out that, in order to visit the US from Europe, flying to Canada first was an interesting trick: cheaper and with far less security checks. Apparently, entering the USA from Canada is radically different than doing it by plane from another continent.
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Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 15728
Posted: 17 November 2019 at 2:48pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

If you fly to the States from where I am (Halifax airport), the US border control is in the departing airport. I do find this more convenient, as you always have to get to an airport early anyway, so the time it takes to pass through border control is absorbed into that time buffer and then it's straight out when you land in the US.

If you're changing flight in Canada, this can be problematic though. For example, I had a flight from Halifax via Toronto to Nashville a few years back, with what should have been a comfortable couple of hours to make the change in Toronto. However, as Toronto is such a big hub, there were huge queues (lines, for our American friends) to get through border control/security and making the flight was a very close-run thing in the end.

It's been a good while since I drove across the border, but it wasn't just straight through. They still check your passport, your visa (if applicable; Canadians don't need one to visit) and check the boot (trunk for our American friends) of your car. But far less onerous than an aiport-style check, I suppose.
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Brian Tait
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 18 April 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 1817
Posted: 17 November 2019 at 6:28pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

Poutine?
Hah! Fries with the works!
That's what you want when you come to visit.

In Newfoundland they put stuffing on top of all that.


Edited by Brian Tait on 18 November 2019 at 11:01am
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Peter Hicks
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 30 April 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 1879
Posted: 18 November 2019 at 8:38am | IP Logged | 9 post reply

"Coincidentally, I just read several Spaniards in another forum talk about Canada. One of them was visiting Toronto and said it was too cold for him. "
*****************************************************
BUT, many Americans from the Midwest have visited southwestern Ontario in summer and been stunned by how much hotter it feels than back in Kansas. They went north, so it should be cooler. But in SW Ontario, we are surrounded by the Great Lakes, so very hot summer days are always accompanied by stifling humidity.
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John Byrne

Grumpy Old Guy

Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132133
Posted: 18 November 2019 at 9:12am | IP Logged | 10 post reply

An American friend once asked why Canada had such a small population, compared to the US. I told him to superimpose a map of the US on Canada, and then ask how many people would live in Detroit!
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Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 15728
Posted: 18 November 2019 at 10:28am | IP Logged | 11 post reply

As I am being bombarded with emails about Black Friday sales, I shall point out another difference: Thanksgiving! Second Monday in October for the Canadians. And no sales madness the day after.
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Brian Floyd
Byrne Robotics Member


Joined: 07 July 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 8322
Posted: 18 November 2019 at 11:17am | IP Logged | 12 post reply

A lot of the Hallmark Channel's projects are filmed in Canada and as such use Canadian actors. The CW DC shows as well. The lead on ARROW is Canadian, for example.

As Peter mentioned, some American shows are filmed in Toronto. Vancouver, also. Its because they get tax breaks for filming there.

I just wish we got more Canadian shows here in the U.S.; some of SyFy's shows (BITTEN and LOST GIRL) are (were, in the case of the two I mentioned) actually Canadian series. I also enjoyed SCTV back in the day, and RED GREEN aired here on PBS.

As for poutine, the idea of gravy on fries does not appeal to me. I'll stick with chili and cheese if I want something on my fries.

(I do watch the CFL some when it airs on cable, but I don't like it only having 3 downs. The no touchbacks rule and bigger field are what appeal to me. Backfield in motion would not work for the NFL.)


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