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Hey, so after my most recent trip down south during my recovery from AC i got to thinking about the differences and similarities between the USA and Canada. firstly up here in Canada we always refer to them as either "The US" or "The States"
I've no idea if Americans refer to us as anything specific

so anyway i made a short little comparison after like 2-3 days of simple research
mostly just for my own amusement but i thought i'd share my finding/opinion on the subject

few easy notes first, both are "1st world" countries both are members of the G8 World Economies and are among the riches countries in the world
we share the worlds biggest undefended boarder and are each others biggest trading partners

Government---
Type:
USA:Federal Presidential Republic
Canada:Federal Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy (Westminster system)

Head of State:
USA: President
Canada: technically none, in theory The Queen/King, in practice the Prime Minister

Current Heads:
USA: The Honorable, President Barack Hussein Obama
Canada: The Right Honourable, Prime Minister Steven Joseph Harper, PC MP
His Excellency the Right Honourable, David Lloyd Johnston (Governor General)

Sociology---
Population:
USA: 318,000,000 (approximate)
Canada: 35,000,000 (approximate)

Equality: (approximation based on combined research between the two)
USA: generally described as "medium-high" equality
Canada: generally described as "high-very high" equality

Sexual Rights:
USA: Varies widely by state
Canada: Universal rights for all identification and orientations (including but not limited to marriage)

Education:
USA: mostly Private, varies by school, generally top Universities but is lacking in primary schooling
Canada: mostly Public, generally well balance school system, among top universities but 2nd to USA

Medical Care:
USA: Private, pay-for-service, requires high income or insurance,
Canada: Public, Universally free health care, no payments or insurance required
(generally both countries have approximately the same standards of medical care with maybe a slight favour to Canada)

Cost of Living: (can vary by exact definition, approximate)
USA: medium-high cost of living
Canada: medium-low cost of living

End notes---
in terms of economies the USA's economy is much larger than Canada's, in turn however Canada's economy is generally considered far more stable and balanced
overall the recent global recession had a minimal impact on Canada

we depend on each other for a lot of things, and have been allies and close trading partners for over 100 years, we each how our distinct cultures and ideals
but are close friends and will remain so for a long time i think

if i'm off on anything, let me know huh? o3o

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