Canada and the U.S.A. What are the differences?
86I've had the pleasure of living in both Canada and the U.S.A. Many times people will ask me what I find are the differences between the two countries.
Holiday and Recognized Days
Many of the public and recognized holiday days are the same in the U.S.A. as they are in Canada, but there are exceptions, so I've included all of them in both countries in the table below.
Holidays and recognized days in the U.S.A. & Canada for 2012
Holidays
| Date
| USA
| Canada
|
|---|---|---|---|
New Years Day
| January 1
| Yes
| Yes
|
Martin Luther King Day
| January 16
| Yes
| No
|
Groundhog Day
| February 2
| Yes
| Yes
|
Super Bowl
| February 5
| Yes
| No
|
Lincoln's Birthday
| February 12
| Yes
| No
|
Valentine's Day
| February 14
| Yes
| Yes
|
Family Day
| February 20
| No
| Alberta, Ontario & Saskatchewan
|
Washington's Birthday
| February 22
| Yes
| No
|
Daylight Savings Time Begins
| March 11
| Yes
| Yes
|
St. Patrick's Day
| March 17
| Yes
| Yes
|
Cesar Chavez Day
| March 31
| California, Colorado & Texas
| No
|
April Fool's Day
| April 1
| Yes
| Yes
|
Good Friday
| April 6
| Yes
| Yes
|
Easter Sunday
| April 8
| Yes
| Yes
|
Easter Monday
| April 9
| Yes
| Yes
|
Tax Day
| April 15
| Yes
| No
|
Earth Day
| April 22
| Yes
| Yes
|
Arbor Day
| April 29
| Yes
| No
|
Mother's Day
| May 13
| Yes
| Yes
|
Victoria Day
| May 21
| No
| Yes
|
Memorial Day
| May 28
| Yes
| No
|
John F. Kennedy's Birthday
| May 29
| Yes
| No
|
Flag Day
| June 14
| Yes
| No
|
Father's Day
| June 17
| Yes
| Yes
|
National Holiday of Quebec
| June 24
| No
| Only in Quebec
|
Canada Day
| July 1
| No
| Yes
|
Nunavut Day
| July 9
| No
| Only in Nunavut
|
Civic Holiday
| August 6
| No
| Yes
|
Discovery Day
| August 20
| No
| Only in the Yukon
|
Women's Equality Day
| August 26th
| Yes
| No
|
Labour/Labor Day
| September 3
| Yes
| Yes
|
Patriot Day
| September 11
| Yes
| No
|
Constitution/Citizenship Day
| September 17
| Yes
| No
|
Thanksgiving
| October 8
| No
| Yes
|
Columbus Day
| October 8
| Yes
| No
|
Leif Erikson Day
| October 9
| Yes
| No
|
Halloween
| October 31
| Yes
| Yes
|
Daylight Savings Time Ends
| November 4
| Yes
| Yes
|
Election Day
| November 6
| Yes
| No
|
Rememberance Day
| November 12
| No
| Yes
|
Veteran's Day
| November 12
| Yes
| No
|
Thanksgiving
| November 22
| Yes
| No
|
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
| December 7
| Yes
| No
|
Christmas
| December 25
| Yes
| Yes
|
Boxing Day
| December 26
| Yes
| Yes
|
Size Comparisons not a big difference
Canada
9.9 million square kilometers or 3.8 million square miles
U.S.A.
9.83 million kilometers or 3.79 million square miles
United States of America
- Uses the Imperial System
- Healthcare is primarily operated by the private sector
- Legal drinking age: 21
- Currency: Currently the U.S.Dollar is printed in denominations of $1, $5, $10, $20, $50 & $100
- Head of Government: President
- Government is a two party system: Republicans and Democrats (but there are more than 2 parties)
- Military Branches: U.S. Army, U.S, Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard
- National Anthem: Star Spangled Banner
- Main Languages: English & Spanish
- Is divided into fifty states and one district
- NFL National Football League, U.S.A. plays to win The Vince Lombardi Trophy
Canada
- Uses mainly the Metric System
- Publicly funded healthcare system
- Legal drinking age: 18 or 19 depending on the province
- Currency: Currently the Canadian dollar is printed in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50, & $100. Canadians also have one and two dollar coins called loonies and toonies.
- Head of Government: Prime Minister
- Government is a parliamentary system
- Military Branches: The Canadian Army, The Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force
- National Anthem: Oh Canada
- Main Languages: English & French
- Is divided into ten provinces and three territories
- CFL Canadian Football League Canada plays to win the Grey Cup
Football Differences
Listed below are some, but not all of the differences between how football is played in the USA compared to Canada.
National Football League NFL
- Field size is 100 yards x 53 1/2 yards
- 2 teams with 12 players per team on the field
- 4 downs
- In the NFL there are 32 teams in total
- Super Bowl Sunday is played at the end of January or the beginning of February
Canadian Football League CFL
- Field size is 110 yards x 65 yards
- 2 teams with 11 players per team on the field
- 3 downs
- In the CFL there are 8 teams in total
- Grey Cup Sunday is at the end of November or the beginning of December
On A Personal Note
I lived in the U.S.A. for approximately eight years from the time I was 14 - 22. In that time I never really saw any difference as far as people go. I truly believe people everywhere can be nice, friendly, loving, honest or the opposite of all of those.
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Great Hubs on Canada
- Political and Cultural Satire Canadian Style, a short history
Here's a short history of Canadian satire and parody seldom seen in outside of that country, complete with videos. Canadians love to laugh at themselves. - So You Think You Know Canadian Geography?
This article is the third in my series of geography quizzes. The first two quizzes were So You Think You Know U.S. Geography? and So You Think You Know European Geography? Some of my Canadian readers asked me to create a Canadian geography quiz. Thei - Canada: Random and Cool Canadian Facts About This Country
The topic of Canada is as broad as is the country is vast and diverse. Canada is world renowned for its friendliness, cultural diversity, peaceful nature, sprawling lands, fresh air and natural beauty. There is much to discover about this great count
Great Hubs on the U.S.A.
- Read the Signs - Decode The Hidden Meanings
In the United States street signs include hidden meanings. Can you read the signs? Get the 411! - So You Think You Know U.S. Geography?
My quiz about the United States Civil War "So You Think You're a Civil War Expert?" was well-received. Many people commented that they had fun taking the quiz...and learned something new at the same time. I hope the same holds true for this quiz abou - 10 Must Visit Cities In The United States
When Visiting either Canada or the U.S.A.
- Visiting the USA
- Helpful Information When Visiting Canada
Traveling to Canada sometime soon. Here are charts on kilometers per hour, Celsius to Fahrenheit, how to easily convert gallons to litres and pounds to kilograms.
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Please feel free to let me know of any differences that you know of.Loading...
There's one difference that is often overlooked - the United States loves breakfast! In Canada, you just can't find an all you can eat breakfast buffet! For my family, that's one of the highlights of visiting our neighbours to the south.
However, coffee is better and more readily available in Canada...
Hopefully that provides a little different perspective than the usually publicized differences between the two countries.
Susan, This is a very interesting hub..May i ask you a question? Do you like your health care there? Do you get good care? Is there a long waiting time to see the Dr.? Thank you...
Even though I live in th UK it didn't stop me from enjoying this great hub.
Great work and enjoy your day.
Eddy.
actually this was an entertaining hub.. but Superbowl? Come on you're right above us... the super bowl should be part of Canada too! Like Hockey is big here.. yes?
Poetic Fool, Thanks for stopping by and for commenting. I miss the days that are now long gone where it was much quicker at the border crossings. It's funny when I hear the Star Spangled Banner I get goosebumps in the same way as I do when I hear O Canada. Both countries to me feel like home.
gts, I'd really like to see actual coffee shops such as Tims or Dunkin Donuts on the interstates rather than the rest stop coffee machines. We do need more breakfast buffets in Canada.
Ruby, Have you seen my hub Canadian Health Care Rant? When I lived in Toronto I had great health care there. I now live in a smaller city and sad to say I have a doctor that is a total dweeb. From what I understand our waiting times are about the same as what yours are. I just got back from seeing a surgeon for my spiral fracture which is not healing properly. I had to go to a larger city close by to see this doctor and I was amazed at the quickness and the fact that I got in this morning after seeing him to have a cat scan, an ultra sound and blood work done. If I were in my own city I more than likely would have had to wait at least two weeks for the cat scan. I like the health care here as far as cost goes. For the most part of it I would say yes we do get good care. Hope this answers your question and if you have anymore please let me know.
Eddy, Glad you enjoyed it and thank you. You have a great day too.
Frank, We watch the Superbowl up here too :) Have you ever seen a Gray Cup game?
Thank you Susan. As you probably know we do not have social health care here. Many are hoping we will get it. I was just wondering if it would be good or bad..Most countries have it. Thank you again for answering my questions..Chees my friend..
Ruby, You're welcome. I've been following a bit in the news about the healthcare reform. I know there are many Americans that are very much against it. If I'd have been living in the states with all the surgeries I've had to have over the years, I'd be bankrupt by now.
Nice Hub. As an American I admit I'm pretty ignorant to the differences between us and our wonderful neighbor Canada. I feel a bit guilty about that now :-) Makes me want to learn more about their parliamentary system of government among of number of things you posted.
Thanks for the info.
@GTS68 ..... Great, fun comment on breakfast! Nice little cultural fact. I'll hold off ordering a Western Omellete when I visit Canada.
Very beautiful and moving hub, Susan, I really enjoyed the video, and I truly love Canada. Thank you!
Very interesting Susan, I have often wondered some of this information. I am sharing with my followers.
I saw a couple of US holidays that I didn't know about. I was surprised. The hub was interesting.
Love this hub! I'm American and have lived here my entire life. My husband (and father in law) was born in Canada and actually has dual citizenship - by Canadian law only, U.S. says you have to choose. I agree with you that the two countries are not very different at all. Best, Steph
James, Rebecca & Barbara, Thank you all.
TurtleDog, Thank you. There's a hub written by Pamela99 that is a pretty good explanation on how the Parliamentary system works. http://pamela99.hubpages.com/hub/Canadian-Governme
A very interesting comparison, Susan. We should just erase the border and throw a party! LOL! Thanks for sharing. WB
Really very useful hub Just Ask Susan.Actually i know the country by name only,but you have presented information of two counrtries very beautifully.Useful and voting it up.
Hi susan
I loved the descriptions between these two countries. I have visited Canada and honestly I like the culture out there. People more laid back than in the united states.
Voted up as useful hub.
Hi Steph, My mother in law is running into this right now regarding the dual citizenship. She's married to an American and spends six months in Canada and six months in the USA. She's not ready yet to give up her Canadian citizenship. Glad you liked the hub.
Wayne, I've often thought it would be nice to erase that border :)
nityanandagaurang, Thank you and glad you liked the hub.
Ruchira, That's interesting. What part of Canada have you visited?
Toronto & Ottawa..
Two great cities. Thanks for coming back to let me know.
Susan...
I wished that I had known they called them loonies and toonies when I wrote my story about Canada...In fact...actual facts would have been helpful throughout!
I thought there were only 9 million Canadians. It makes sense...it's cold, rum, might as well make little Canadians, huh?
Great Article! Up and sharing!
Thomas
I once saw the King and Queen of England at Horseshoe Falls. On of my daughters recently mistakenly drove into Canada without a passport, realized her mistake at the gate and had a hard time convincing both sides that she should have stayed in the USA. Oh, well, it's the day and Age of Terr.
Nice comparison.I never thought there would be too many differences.
@JustAskSusan... thanks for pointing me to Pamela99's Hub. I just read it. It's great stuff. So much I didn't know about how the Canadian government is run.
Thomas, Loonies and toonies seem like an odd way to name dollar and two dollar coins to me but ...
Glad you liked the article. Thanks for having a read and sharing too.
Perspycacious, Now that's something you don't hear of happening very much these days. How long of a wait did you daughter have before they let her back into the USA?
dahoglund, Thanks for reading and for your comments.
TurtleDog, You're welcome. Pam did a great job on that hub.
Hey Susan, this is a wonderful hub. I knew very little about Canada from the Geography of the country we did in school. I hardly know any history or current affairs about the country, this hub has piqued my interest so now I want to find out much more. Thank you very much for writing, and, Yes, people are the same everywhere.
great job! thanks for sharing
donnaisabella, Thank you and glad that my hub has piqued your interest in Canada.
gforganesh, Thank you.
Very interesting article Susan! I now know much more about the differences between USA and Canada! You did a great job putting it all together and designed the hub in a way that looks great and is easy to read!
Tina
Tina, Thank you, I always appreciate your comments and visits.
Very interesting hub Susan. There are more Canadians and fewer Americans than I thought.
Here in Edinburgh we also get the day off for Victoria Day, though it’s not a general holiday in either the UK as a whole or even just Scotland. (We have several different holidays to England.)
Just Ask Susan - This is a very interesting and informative hub. I was lucky enough to travel into Toronto, Quebec and Niagra Falls during my teen years. I have always wanted to return. I would love for my husband and children to experience it. It was interesting to see the various holidays on your data chart.
Thank you for sharing. Voted up and across. Sharing too :)
Very interesting to see the differences. Thank you! :)
FYI. The Super Bowl is not a holiday......although it should be. :) That's great!
Melovy, Many people are surprised at the population of Canada.
Thanks for stopping by, and I'm glad that you found this interesting.
missolive, I was born in Montreal and have lived in Toronto. Went to Niagara Falls for my honeymoon. There are many other places in Canada that I'd love to see, especially the east coast. Glad you like this hub, and thank you.
Sunnie, Thanks for stopping by.
Daffy, I would like Grey Cup Sunday to be a recognized day just as Super Bowl Sunday is, but I don't think it's going to happen.
Great Hub, a lot of good useful information. I had the pleasure of visiting Canada once ( Niagara Falls )I loved it there and everyone was so friendly. I have lived all over the U.S. and had the opportunity to meet all types of people. It's the Canadians I find to be the most friendly. I do plan on visiting again one day. You got my vote
SheilaKay, Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed Niagara Falls and my hub. Come back for a visit to Canada soon.
Good Point!
Grey Cup Sunday? What's that?
Daffy, Grey Cup is Canadian football.
Hi Susan
Great hub. I have never heard of Leif Erickson day.
Voted up and awesome.
Hi Sue,
Hope that your having a nice "Family Day" Thanks for stopping by, and glad you liked this hub.
Well, I lived in US from in the womb to 18 months old. But living with Dad has given me lots of experience with the way Americans think. now I watch the news and look at their news organizations/media in particular.
My family is essentially half Canadian/half American
How did they come to name it the Grey Cup? It seems like kind of an odd name. Then again, I'm not Canadian.
Just curious. :)
Daffy - the cup was so named for the same reason that the Stanley Cup is called the Stanley Cup. The cup is named after the person who donated it.
The Grey Cup was donated by The Earl of Grey.
Sorry to barge in on the answer, but I saw your question on the Home Page feed.
Flora, I'm glad that I had the opportunity to live in both countries. I have a few relatives that live in the States. It was funny when I first moved to California .... I had taken french for most of my school years in Canada and enrolled in french there. The teacher was amazed at how much I knew and I did much better as far as grades went in french class. A couple of times I corrected my new teacher. He was not too impressed with that :)
Flora, Barge in anytime, I don't mind at all :)
Daffy, Grey Cup ... Earl of Grey as Flora has said.
Superbowl .. Vince Lombardi Trophy
this is great, Susan. Enjoyed this very much. UP and shared
PDX, Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Ha! I did read this - I commented too! Lol. Sometimes my iPad goes out right after a comment and I suppose it never posted?
Anyhow - I love loonies and toonies! Now How would you say that like "Al there's a girl scout at the door selling cookies - do you have a couple od toonies?" lol
You could and should include the lyrics of the national anthem for the Americans - so many do not know the words!! Lol lol
Oh and thank you again for the link! This is great now I'm ready to come to Canada!
RH, I look forward to you visiting.
Sometimes I say do you have a toonie, and other times I will say a couple of bucks. Toonie and loonie sound like we are all in the loony bin :) Wait till you see our new plastic money.
Susan ~ I loved this. I truly had no idea there were so many differences. I kept reading and saying to myself, hmmm, really. Like the difference in size of a football field. I would have never known. I never knew you celebrated Thanksgiving so much earlier than in the US. And so many more things I just never knew. Very interesting. I learned a lot.
Sharyn
Sharon, Glad you liked this hub. For Thanksgiving we only get one day off. When I lived in the States I loved having the 4 day weekend :)
I have neither been to the US nor to Canada. But I do know little about the US geography and history but do not know much about Canada. Thanks for sharing the information.
Vinaya, I hope some day that you get to visit both of these fantastic countries.
Susan I was amazed by this hub here, wow your attention to detail is intense, and I loved all the comparisons between both the United States, and Canada here.
This is also very helpful in helping those who need to know of demographic data in terms of research purposes, and you've took the time, and care to collect some pretty interesting facts about both countries in such a well organized fashion.
For that I have no other alternative but to share this hub as much as I can for you, I know many others in my networks will find it useful as well, and simply entertaining to read.
I also enjoyed the format that you've illustrated here with this hub, wow there's so much for me to learn as a hub writer, and I've learned so much from you already as well, simply be sensing your awesomely formatted hubs, and greatly informative hub writings. Simply Amazing that a person can come up with such attractive creative works.
Lovely indeed!!!! Voted up! oh that video was also relevant too nice one.
CloudExplorer, Thank you so much!
Wow...thank you for putting all this info together for us. Very nice!
Mrs. M. Thanks so much, glad you liked it.
Great hub. I have never been to Canada maybe one day though.
Voted up and interesting.
Thank you writer, I hope you will come to Canada one day. Is a great place :)
Poetic Fool Level 7 Commenter 3 months ago
Hi Susan, this is quite an interesting hub. My father was career military and we drove through large portions of central and western Canada on our way to and from Alaska three times. Canada is such a wonderful and beautiful country! You are right, though, in many ways it was difficult to tell when you crossed the border into Canada save the change in currency and a few other things. Of course, I never made it into eastern Canada and saw the effects of the French there. Someday ... The people were as warm and friendly as you could find anywhere. Thanks for sharing this!