What are differences between Canada and U.S?

Question

I live in U.S. and next year I'll be moving to Canada hopefully. I'm trying to learn anything that's different between U.S. and Canada before I go so I don't seem so ignorant. I'm talking about any differences at all.

Examples: spelling of colour, centre, cheque.. measuring system, milk in a bag!

Anything will help, thanks ;)

Answer 1

These people on here explain it very well, I am an American but live accross the border and visit/shop alot in Canada..it is a great country with great people..you'll like and I am sure you will do well..

Answer 2

- french is one of our national languages

- provinces/territories and not states

- drinking age is 19 instead of 21

- we dont really have chili dogs

- we have poutine (fries, cheese & gravy)

- lacrosse is our national sport... but mostly people only care about hockey

- we have a prime minister and not a president

- we're more (but not fully) socialist compared to the us

- our money is coloured (5-blue, 10-purpleish, 20-green, 50-red, 100-brown)

- we dont have $1 bills, we have loonies

- our thanksgiving is the second monday of october

- free healthcare

- "mosaic" instead of "melting pot" ...basically means we are very multicultural and diverse

thats about all i can think of... but i hope you have a good time here. i find that canadians are generally pretty easy going :)

Answer 3

That's pretty nice of you. If you keep an open-mind like that you'll be perfectly fine.

We use the metric system and we like it (except when measuring height and weight). Get yourself used to Kilometres. You guys don't have milk in a bag?

There are two national languages, we have a Prime Minister, provinces, not as many different kinds of food (what we lack in pancake wrapped sausages we more then make up for in poutine). Our tv isn't as funny but our news is alright. You can still get CNN. The cigarette packs might shock you. Universal health care. We call it pop instead of soda. Our beer is stronger and isn't as watery.

There's an obsession with Tim Horton's. I don't get it but that's just me.

That's all I can think of.

Answer 4

Milk in a bag!  Lol!  I had not thought of that one.  Really we are more alike than we are different.  Our system of goverrnment is different from yours and our health care system is different.  It is colder here in winter particularly, and much colder if  you are from somewhere like Florida!   Canada is bigger and has far fewer people, so much more open space.

Let's see - our flour is different from yours.  It acts differently in baking.  We have pop and you have soda.  We have chocolate bars and you have candy bars.  We have Kraft dinner and you have macaroni and cheese dinners.  In Canada daytime running lights are required on vehicles.   I'm sure there are many more little things I am forgetting - hopefully others will give you more ideas.  Best of luck.

Answer 5

Well the first thing you need to know is that we don't say aboot and stuff like that and we don't live in igloos lol. We obviously have different money and its colourful so its easier to tell apart from american money. We don't have dollar bills we have loonies and we have toonies too. We use the metric system for most things like kilometres and litres but we usually still talk about weight and stuff in pounds. I don't know what your milk in a bag thing is though, I've never heard of that. We also don't have a lot of baseball, that's a pretty American sport I would say and most Canadians are more into hockey and football. Whereabouts are you moving too? Its going to be really different in Alberta or BC than it will be in the maritimes or up north in the territories. I can't tell you much about the maritimes or anything in the east but most of the opportunties are in the west anyway. Good luck with your move and you'll fit in fine. Canadians don't make fun of Americans like you guys do with us so you'll make friends fast.

Answer 6

i used to live in the u.s.!!

everything the other people have said seem pretty much right -

but also, america uses imperial system, canadians use metric!!