From the government body to the lifestyle of people, Canadians and Americans have many differences in culture, work ethic, communication, etc.
For example, though people from both nationalities speak English, they have different accents and also use different words for the same object.
For example, what the Canadians refer to as the housecoat is a bathrobe in America.
Key Takeaways
- Canadians and Americans reside in separate countries, with Canadians living in Canada and Americans living in the United States.
- Canadian English and American English have distinct accents, spellings, and vocabulary.
- Political systems differ, as Canada operates under a parliamentary system with a constitutional monarchy, while the United States follows a federal presidential system.
Canadian vs American
The difference between Canadians and Americans is that a prime minister leads the Canadian government, whereas the president is the head of the country in America. Canada has several political parties, whereas Americans either vote for the Democrats or the Republicans. Canada is also more open to immigrants and is politically more liberal than America.
Canada is a North American country, and its culture, lifestyle, religion, food habits, etc., are a bit different from the Americans.
Canada is famous worldwide as a free and strong country, and the political system here is less polarized than its neighbours.
The country has powerful LGBT community rights, and there is no ban on abortion.
Americans are the citizens of the United States of America who a president leads. Half of the American population are Protestant Christians and have a mixture of immigrant cultures.
The same-sex marriage law was passed in the USA ten years after it happened in America. Americans are known to be workaholics and they can work 50 hours a week.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Canadian | American |
|---|---|---|
| Government | Canada is a commonwealth country and hence led by a prime minister. | America is led by a president and has only two major political parties, Democratic and Republican. |
| Immigrants | Canadians are more open to welcoming refugees and immigrants and thus they are more culturally diverse. | A very small part of the population in America is foreign-born and the country has many old families. |
| Food | Canadians prefer the restaurant chain of Tim Hortons. | Americans are always a big fan of Starbucks. |
| Language | Canadian English is a mixture of both British and American English and it varies from province to province. | American English uses a different set of the vocabulary of many words and the accent differs from state to state. |
| Houses | Canadian houses have cellars and they prefer living in smaller houses. | Americans are more inclined towards having a massive house with huge lawns. |
| Religion | Canadians are less religious and there is no majority in the country. | Americans are more religious and about half the population is Protestant Christians. |
| Sports | Hockey is a very popular sport among Canadians. | Americans prefer playing football, baseball, and basketball. |
What is Canadian?
Canadians are known for being very friendly people. They speak very humbly, are down-to-earth people, and show more optimistic behaviour.
The Canadian government is also known for welcoming more immigrants, as the nation thinks it is critical to their success economically. Thus, around one-fifth population of the total country is born foreign.
The work culture of Canadians is also a bit different compared to Americans. Canadians are less workaholics and take their vacation time.
A study shows that a Canadian employee is given a break of 30 minutes after every 5 hours of work. Canada’s education system is also different from many nations as there is middle school.
In Canada, kids go to elementary school up through 7th grade and then directly to high school till 12th grade.
Some other facts about Canadians include the use of the metric system for measuring, preferring the Tim Hortons restaurant chains, getting rid of pennies, etc.
The two major languages spoken in the country are English and French. Canadians also receive free healthcare facilities.
What is American?
Americans are not as polite as Canadians. They are known for not saying “Thank you” or “Please.” American accent is also different, which changes from state to state.
There are certain words like “drama”, “pasta”, and “tomorrow”, etc., that the Americans pronounce differently.
In some cases, the American vocabulary is much more popular around the world. For example, we say parking garage (American) instead of parkade (Canadian) or a TV remote (American) instead of converter (Canadian).
Americans are huge fans of fast food, as approximately 85 million American adults consume it daily. They also love going to Starbucks as they prefer coffee to tea anytime.
One reason Americans prefer coffee might be their constant need for caffeine during workdays. Americans are known for constantly working long hours (50 hours a week).
Unlike Canada, America is not very open to immigrants and refugees, and thus they are less diverse culturally. LGBT community rights were also passed in the country long after the Canadian government.
Main Differences Between Canadian and American
- Canada is a commonwealth country and hence led by a prime minister, whereas a president leads America and has only two major political parties, Democratic and Republican.
- Canadians are more open to welcoming refugees and immigrants, and thus they are more culturally diverse. On the other hand, only a very small part of the population in America is foreign-born.
- Canadians prefer the restaurant chain of Tim Hortons, whereas Starbucks is very popular among Americans.
- Canadian English is a mixture of British and American English, varying from province to province. But, the American English accent differs from state to state.
- Canadian houses have cellars, and they prefer living in smaller houses, whereas Americans are more inclined towards having massive houses with huge lawns.
- Canadians are less religious, and there is no distinct majority in the country, whereas Americans are more religious and about half the population is Protestant Christians.
- Hockey is very popular among Canadians, whereas Americans prefer football, baseball, and basketball.
Last Updated : 14 October, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
It’s interesting to see the wide range of differences between Canadians and Americans, from their political systems to their food preferences. Both countries have their unique cultures and ways of life.
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