Canada and the U.S. - A Slightly Odd Couple

A Canadian who, with his Canadian wife, lives much of the time in the U.S. writes a breezy column for the National Post (Can.) about the differences in the two neighboring countries. He does a nice, and I believe fair, job of looking at these unjudgmentally. Key observations:

These differences mostly come in the form of trade-offs situated at the nexus between politics and culture. They’re a matter of degree rather than fundamental principle. American society is tilted slightly more towards freedom than order. Canadian society tilts slightly in the other direction.

One society is more dynamic and richer but less equal and a bit more chaotic. The other is fairer and more equal but less vital and a bit poorer. How do we judge which one is better? Answering this is difficult because you don’t get an option to retain the parts you like and eschew the ones you don’t. They’re essentially two sides of the same coin.

There may even be a case that the United States’ eccentric mix of dynamism and inequality enables Canada and other countries to place a greater emphasis on stability and equality within their own jurisdictions. We get to ride on their capitalistic coattails so to speak.

The COTTonLINE view: The two countries are quite similar. The differences that do exist are cherished by Canadians and largely ignored by most Americans. I have fun finding them when I’m there every 2-3 years.

Canadians spend lots of time thinking about (and traveling to) the U.S. and the average American is barely aware of Canada. It’s a shame because Canada is a very nice, low-key neighbor and a great place to visit, when there’s no coronavirus lockdown.