Differences between Canadian and American Culture - Essay Example

Running head: CANADIAN AND AMERICAN CULTURE Similarities and Differences between Canadian and American Culture Kimberly A. Weir ofEast Carolina Abstract The paper 'Similarities and Differences between Canadian and American Culture' deals various topics from administration, government, politics, people, culture, laws and a debatable issue such as abortion also in this regard at length quoting various sources and statistics. Finally the paper ends with good many references. Similarities and Differences between Canadian and American Culture The culture of Canada is comparable in many ways to that of the United States, yet there are many fundamental underlying distinctions that set Canada apart from its southern cousin. In order to recognize the cultural likenesses and disparities, areas such as geography, climate, history, politics, education, economy, government and the people of both the countries should be carefully examined. All of the above mentioned aspects are of utmost importance to both cultures. Only through profound scrutiny of these aspects can the underlying cultural similarities and differences be ascertained, thus leading to a true comprehension of beliefs, social forms, attitudes, values and goals of each country. Bryant, A. (1997) noted that "Canada is like a village or town in many ways, even though it is the second largest country in the world" (p.27) followed by the United States. As per the CIA government website (2005) Canada's population is 32,805,041 as compared to 295,734,134 of United States, thus Canada has only eleven percent of the population of United States. According to the Eyewitness travel guide (2000) "Canada is well known for its diversity of landscapes: from the frozen barren north that descends to the mountains west with its forest and wheat plains, through the wooded, hilly east, and the fertile lowlands of the southeast" (p.18). The geography of the United States is equally diverse having a beautiful landscape. While, Little (2003) noted that the farmlands of Midwestern United States and the prairies in the central provinces of Canada have a rich soil (p78). According to a detailed comparative study by James, I.(1990) half of the Canadian population comprise of British and French origin, while the rest belong to minorities with German, Italian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Dutch, American Indian and Inuit decent. Whereas in the United States about 83 percent of the people are of European origin, 12 percent Africans and the rest include American Indians, Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Mexicans, Cubans and Puerto Ricans (p.9). According to Brickenden, J. (1989) 90% of Canadians live in cities (p.18) whereas James (1990) stated that only 74% of Americans live in cities or large towns (p.10). New immigrants to both countries are drawn to the larger cities for a multitude of reasons and therefore the growth of Canadian and American cities is astounding. Most people think that Canada is a land of cold temperatures, but in reality Canada experiences four seasons parallel to the ones in many of the northern states of the United States. Nevertheless winters can be very callous in the northern parts of Canada. On the other hand in the United States huge variation in weather conditions could be observed, from tropical weather in Hawaii and Southern Florida to seasons similar to that of Southern Canada in the northeastern states. Both the Canadian and American geography is varied, exquisite and plays an integral role in the culture of each country. The culture of those living in Hawaii is obviously dissimilar from the culture of those living in the New York City. Similarly the culture of those living in Toronto is varied from that of the Inuit people in the far north of Canada. A combination of these cultures greatly influences the culture of each country. Historically American (British Colonies) fought to be free of British ruling and therefore the cultural divide on many levels can be traced back all the way through history. According to the Eyewitness travel guide (2000) Canada's heritage of tolerance is result of its conflict ridden past. British won the war against French armies and took control in 1759 (p.13), thus the British and French essence have become an integral part of the Canadian society and this flavor exists even to this day. According to the Wikipedia (2005) the North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico has reduced the erstwhile political barriers. There are many likenesses between Canadian and American politics, yet there are some distinct discrepancies. Though both countries are federations, in Canada the 'subunits' are called provinces and in United States they are called states or territories. Canada has French and English as official languages and the Prime Minister is required to be fluent in both. According to a comparative study by Bryant (1997), structurally the Canadian government is modeled along the lines of parliamentary system in England with the Canadian head of state as Prime Minister and Queen of England being the actual head of state having a symbolic role. All the ten provinces of Canada have their own governments headed by a lieutenant governor. Whereas, The United States political head is the President and the weight of the responsibility of the Prime Minister and President vary (p.24). The actual comparison of the health care systems of both Canada and the United States is a further deep-seated dissimilarity between the two countries, and not only effects health care but also the attitudes of the people and essentially the culture of each country. The differences are drastic and both countries peek across the border and view the opposite system as an example of success or failure. According to the Canadian-healthcare (2005), the health care system of Canada is publicly funded and administered by the respective provinces with certain guidelines set by the federal government, comprising of a group of socialized health insurance plans providing coverage to all the citizens of Canada. All Canadian citizens are guaranteed access by the Canada Health Act, which unequivocally disallows billing Canadians for medical procedures covered by Medicare. Such feeling of equality for all does not exist within the American culture when looking at a basic human need like health care. When examining the health of Americans versus Canadians it is interesting to contrast 'obesity' in the two countries, since it is quickly becoming a cultural epidemic. According to a study conducted by Population Reference Bureau (2005) "In 1998, American men were twice as obese as Canadian men (28 percent of the total U.S. male population versus 13 percent for Canada). American women were three times as obese as Canadian women (34 percent versus 11 percent). Recent estimates of remaining life expectancy for people who are overweight and obese suggest that the consequences of these conditions are substantial." Could these differences be due to health care systems and the underlying cultural differences between the two countries According to CNN (2001) annually an average Canadian worker was almost two-and-a-half weeks less on the job than an average American. According to NBC (2005) "U.S. is behind other countries in terms of maternity leave". Studies indicate that many Americans receive only six weeks maternity leave (employee funded) in comparison to the one year paid (50% of income) maternity leave that Canadian mothers enjoy. Thus Canadian mothers get one year paid maternity leave in addition to the luxury of free health care during pregnancy and post partum in contrast to the American mothers who cannot imagine of these benefits. In addition the new Canadian mothers receive myriad of services such as at-home visits by nurses, drop in centers (with toys & counselors), free breastfeeding clinics and other free (social and educational) programs. An important issue to be compared and analyzed is that of 'firearms'. Americans and Canadians have their own reasons and view points for carrying or not carrying the firearms. According to Canadian Firearms Centre (2005) the firearm homicide and the firearm robbery rates in the United States are 8.1 times and 3.5 times higher than that in Canada respectively. Obviously it can be argued that American cities are larger and possibly more dangerous than Canadian cities, but it still remains an interesting subject matter to explore. It would seem that Americans feel safer when carrying firearms and Canadians feel safer knowing that there are a reduced number of firearms within their cities. The Canadian Council for Social Development Based on the results of the International Adult Literacy Survey (2005) stated that "50% of Americans have low literacy skills, compared to 43% of Canadians and just 25% of Swedes. At the other end of the skills scale, 39% of Canadian adults have completed post secondary education, compared to 35% of Americans and 28% of Swedes". According to LeVert, S. (1992) the economy of Canada ranks among the top ten nations of the world measured in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). Gross domestic product is the total value of goods and services produced by a country annually. Canada is one of the most diversified nations with rich natural resources (p.43). America is an economic 'powerhouse' and its supremacy is felt on a global scale. According to a comparative study conducted by the Canadian Council on Social Development (2002) one out of ten Canadians are poor as compared to one out of six Americans. There is a greater sense of the 'have and have not' that exists within America, because Canada's income seems to be "more equally divided". With a changing idea of family it is interesting to explore the aspect of divorce between Canada and the United States. According to Ambert, A. (1998) the divorce rate is actually the highest in the United States in the Western world followed by United Kingdom and Canada. Statistically the divorce rate in The United States was 4.6, in Canada 2.6 and in Japan 1.3. Though the divorce rate is modest in Canada when compared to that of the United States, but it still is the highest. According to an article from the Policy Review (Hoover Institution) titled The Northern America Fertility Divide by Barbara Boyle Torrey and Nicholas Eberstadt (2005) Canadians now have half a child fewer than Americans during their lifetimes - their fertility level is roughly 25 percent lower than that of their neighbors south of the border - and they are living two years longer. Both populations are growing at about the same rate, but the components of growth have diverged. Immigration is relatively more important in Canada's growth rate, and fertility is more important in the United States. Canadians marry later and less often than Americans. They enter common-law unions more often and their children are increasingly likely to be born out of wedlock. They have higher incomes but less leisure. And even though Canada's birth rate is now substantially lower than America's, the Canadian government provides more child services and benefits than the U.S. government. According to Wikipedia (2005) in the United States abortion is legalized, though a highly charged issue with significant political and ethical debate. In Canada too although some non-legal obstacles do exist, it is one of the few countries in the world with "no laws limiting abortion", Abortion access in Canada is among the freest in the world. Canada has two official languages, English and French, and both have an equal status in Parliament, federal courts and in all other federal institutions. Any Canadian in a criminal case has the right to a trial in either language. According to Eyewitness travel guide (2000) Canada is proud to have a unique multicultural society adjusting to the cultural needs of increasing diverse population. Canada has opted for 'Canadian Mosaic', a model based on accepting diversity than assimilating it. In contrast to the United States 'melting pot' (p.22). Children in Elementary classrooms across Canada learn this aforementioned fact and this is also one of the fundamental differences between American and Canadian people. Canada not only embraces new immigrants and their diversity, they also embrace their diverse (homeland) cultures and encourage Canadians to hold onto their heritage and personal beliefs while also being proud to be a Canadian. On many levels countless gaps between Canada and the United States are closing as Canada strives to remain competitive with the United States. Also many American phenomenons such as McDonalds, Big Box chain stores (Home Depot), the 'drive-thru' trend and so on are crossing the border and changing the face of the Canadian landscape. Although the British and French influences remain strong in Canadian culture, Canada is influenced greatly by the United States in both positive and negative ways. Still Canadian culture remains unique, and a more hearty way of life has developed over the last decade. According to Bryant (1997) "Canada considers its diverse people one of its greatest riches" (p.11) whereas it would seem America considers its freedom, economic and political power to be its greatest advantage. Obviously this theory varies from one area of each country to another and from one citizen to another. Overall the culture of Canada stems from Canadian history, the devilment of the Canadian government, and its role within the country and the support system it provides to the citizens. The culture is also deeply influenced by the diverse ethnic population, and the embracing of immigrants and their own cultures and beliefs. People are proud to be Canadians and although many may not view Canadians as patriotic as Americans, Canadians are proud for different reasons. Americans are proud to live in the strongest most powerful, free country that will defend their freedom at any moment. Canadians are proud to live in a country that embraces every nationality, provides free health care and an unbelievable government support system. Canadians are proud to be Canadians just as Americans are proud to be Americans, yet they are proud for different elementary reasons. These cultural causes and discrepancies are not correct or erroneous, they are only unique to each country and that is what makes this examination so fascinating. References Abortion laws by country (2005) Wikipedia. Retrieved Sept, 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category%3AAbortion_by_country Ambert, A. Divorce: facts, figures and consequences - the vanier institute of the family's contemporary family trends, Retrieved Sept, 2005 http://www.ccsd.ca/pubs/2002/olympic/indicators.htm Brickenden, J. (1989) Canada countries of the world, New York: The Bookwright Press. Bryant, A. (1997) Canada Good Neighbor To The World, New Jersey: Dillon Press. Barbara Boyle Torrey and Nicholas Eberstadt (2005). The northern America fertility divide, Retrieved Sept 2005 http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3647/is_200508/ai_n14901604 Canadian and American economies compared (2005) Wikipedia. Retrieved Sept, 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American_economics_compared Canadian and American politics compared (2005) Wikipedia. Retrieved Sept, 2005 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American_politics_compared Canadian Healthcare (2005)Retrieved Sept, 2005 from http://www.canadian-healthcare.org/ Canada firearms centre (2005) Retrieved Sept 2005 http://www.cfc-ccaf.gc.ca/pol-leg/res-eval/other_docs/factsheets Canadian council for social development (2002) Retrieved Sept 2005 http://www.ccsd.ca/pubs/2002/olympic/indicators.htm CIA population facts (2005) Retrieved Sept 2005 http://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html Eyewitness Travel Guides. (2000) Canada, NY, New York: DK Publishing Inc. International adult literacy (2005) Retrieved Sept 2005 http://www.ccsd.ca/pubs/2002/olympic/indicators.htm James, I. (1990) Inside United States, New York: Franklin Watts Inc. LeVert, S. (1992) Canada Facts and Figures (Let's Discover Canada), New York: Chelsea House Publishers Little, M. (2003) World cultures and geography, Evanston, Illinois: Houghton Mifflin Co. NBC rebukes U.S. for not matching 'world' on paid maternity leave (2005) Retrieved Sept 2005 from http://www.mrc.org/cyberalerts/2005/cyb20050729.asp Why Do Canadians Outlive Americans (2005) PRB online. Retrieved Sept, 2005 from http://www.prb.org/PrintTemplate.cfmSection=PRB&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=11868 U.S. employees put in most hours (2001) Retrieved Sept (2005) from http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/trends/08/30/ilo.study/ Read More