What are the major differences between Canada and the US? Laws, organization, etc.?

oh Biffnasty, you are the perfect example of why Canadians are so annoyed by Americans (to generalize the whole population of Canada and America).

Can you please provide us with your source of information, and in particular the crap about Canada being one of the worst countries to raise children? We have FREE health care for children. We have child subsidies, and child tax benefits.

We, like every other country on this planet, unfortunately do have people living in poverty, but as I said, we have a universal health care system. Our streets are MUCH MUCH MUCH safer than those of the USA, as we have MANY MANY MANY fewer guns in our country than compared to the usa.

As for drugs, we are quite liberal when it comes to marijuana, but that’s it. Pot isn’t legal, but it doesn’t seem to be a big deal unless you are a huge grower/trafficker.

Dirty? Well we do have lots of forests, mountains, parks ect that are filled with dirt, but isn’t that what one would expect to see while out in nature??

And I’m proud as hell to wear my Canadian flag on my bag everywhere I go…from what I’ve heard (from fellow travelers), its American travelers who wear the Canadian flag on their backs.

Darksun-in politics, we have more than two main parties. We have the Conservative Party (in power right now unfortunately), The Liberal Party, New Democratic Party, The Green Party, The Marijuana Party, and The Communist Party…I think that that’s most of them….the latter two parties really have no part in politics here as as far as I know they have no representation here.

We have provinces instead of states. Each province has a Premier, and the head of the country is the Prime Minister.

Our speed limits are in km’s not miles…

The legal age is 19 in most provinces, 18 in a couple (Alberta and perhaps another province??)

If you want to seriously think about buying a house, I would suggest first doing a cross country trip. This would allow you to check out each province and see what fits best for you.

I live in British Columbia (farthest province west) where the average house costs almost half a million dollars (just read that in the newspaper on the weekend). The smaller provinces on the far east coast have the cheapest house costs.

We have two taxes. The federal tax (GST) and provincial tax (PST). The GST is 7% everywhere, but the PST is different in each province. The minimum wage is also different in each province.

If you want to live by the ocean, I’d suggest living on the west coast. You’ll have warm summers and cold winters. If you want REALLY cold, live way up north where it’s minus 50 degrees in the winter (oh ya, we use Celsius, not Fahrenheit), while here near Vancouver the winters are usually around +3 degrees.

Good luck on your journey!! Feel free to email me if you have specific questions and/or need any more info!!

Of course we want you here. Only the assholes don't. The laws are basically very similar. Speed limits and road rules are the same(in Quebec you can't turn right at a red light anywhere). Taxes are high especially the property taxes. There is universal health care but it differs from province to province. Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America and Alberta is like the south in the States. British Columbia is beautiful and pristine but rainy like Seattle. Quebec is like Europe because of the old architecture. The east coast has some of the most unique people in the world. Oh and Ottawa is a waste of space.

Hope this helps!

Sorry, upon further research I've found that Toronto indeed isn't the fourth largest city in North America, it's the Fifth, next to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Mexico City.

What part of Canada are you looking at coming to? Canada is a huge place and every part is rather different actually.

Some are more conservative and others obviously more liberal. Some are colder in winter/some warmer.

There are more lakes in some places but beautiful mountains to hike in in others

Edit:

If you like the outdoors, Alberta & BC with the mountains can keep you busy for a lifetime. The scenery there is some of the most beautiful in the world.

I live in Alberta so I'm rather biased. :) There is skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer. And a whole lot more. Small towns, cities for when you need them. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are a little more spread out. Not a lot going on frankly but people there seem to like the slower pace of life.

I've been to Ontario and like visiting but it's not my style for living.

I've never been out East but I'd sure like to sometime.

I live in the Vancouver area, and please don't think that our cost of living will be affordable. It's not. Vancouver is a gorgeous city, but housing is outrageous right now. Gas is pretty expensive. there are many beautiful cities and communities throughout the country that are far more affordable.

Canada is on the metric system, so remember that freezing is 0 and boiling is 100. The "average" city speed limit is between 50-60kilometers per hour, and highway driving is between 80-110kilometers per hour.

Not everyone says "eh"..although I do alot. We consume the most slurpees and kraft dinner in the world (per capita), and the bulk of our population lives with 100 miles of the Canada-US border. You don't have to travel far to get into wilderness (especially everywhere but southern ontario). We don't directly elect our leader (prime minister) unless we are in his or her riding. The prime minister can call an election at anytime within the 5 year mandate. The Queen is the official head of state.

The media would like the world to think that we dont' like Americans, but the majority of Canadians think for themselves and understand that Americans are just as diverse as Canadians are. Some people are jerks and some people aren't. :-) Canadians (generally speaking) tend to have an inferiority complex when it comes to the US. It's not that we dislike you, but we dislike being in your country's shadow.

Car emission standards depend on where you are. Here in the Vancouver region, we have to have our cars tested for emissions before we can insure them. Our health care is universal, which means that you are treated first, and asked questions later. It does mean higher taxes and our system is far from without problems, but it does mean that you aren't dictated to about which doctor you can see. When a woman goes on maternity/paternity leave, she can be gone (with employment insurance benefits) for up to one year. The father/husband can split that time and stay home as well.

And while there are very cold areas in Canada, there are some areas that receive less snow than New York City. Vancouver is one of those places. It does rain a lot in the fall-winter-spring (rainy season). More so now that global warming is upon us. I personally find our winter rain is colder than a -15 C day in the prairies.

The political, judicial, legal and health systems are completely different.

Canadians vote directly for the representative of the party they favour. Judges are appointed, and so are legal officers like sheriffs. Laws are much stricter about guns etc. Taxes are much higher, but that is to cover the cost of basic health services to all Canadians. Gas is higher, because the taxes on it are higher.

One obvious difference is that French and English are both official languages, though you can use English in any part of the country.

It's hard to list all the differences, you would be best to do as you intend, and come to see for yourself. I live in the Maritimes and we have many, many Americans who have moved here. To the extent that our coastal land is being bought up by them in a large way.

Really the biggest difference I see is the US has military & Canada not as much. Taxes are higher but so is the cost of living but so is the wage. You know the loud mouthed American haters aren't very prevelant here. Emissions for cars is basically the same but you must have daytime running lights. Canada is all about safety and it shows. http://cic.gc.ca/

or 1-888-242-2100 for immigration. There is a big employment boom here in southwestern Ontario. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Don't pay any attention to anything Biffnasty says. He wanted to move to Canada but we didn't want him so he has a huge chip on his shoulder. He makes his stats up in his head as he goes along depending on which question he answers. As an example Los Angeles alone had over 500 murders in 2006. The whole country of Canada had 500! That should give you a little insight into Canada and BNs information.

Canada is beautiful and I urge you to visit. You will love it. Afterall, it's better than living in a country that supports jerks like Biffnasty!

These are the biggest differences between Judaism and Xianity: Jews believe that one person cannot die for the sins of another person. Jews believe that we do not need a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Jews believe that Jesus was not the messiah. Jews believe that God hates human sacrifices. Who died on the cross? Was it Jesus-the-god, or was it Jesus-the-human? If it was Jesus-the-god, Jews don't believe that God can die. If it was Jesus-the-human, then all Christians have in the death of Jesus was a human death, a human sacrifice. Jews believe that God hates the very idea of human sacrifice. Jews believe that one is born into the world with original purity, and not with original sin. Jews do not believe in original sin. Jews believe that God is one and indivisible. Jews do not believe in a trinity. Jews believe in The Satan, but not in a devil. There is a difference between The Satan and the devil. Jews believe that God is God, and humans are humans. God does not become human nor do humans become God.

Mike is right, all except for Toronto being the 4th largest city in North America.

Don't get me wrong. I wish that the U.S.A. were our primary source of immigration; but if infrastructure is a primary concern, why not consider Alaska?