E S S A Y

CANADA AND UNITED STATES:

TWO COUNTRIES, BIG DIFFERENCES, ONE UNCERTAIN
IDENTITY

NECULAI PIEPTU - 1st year MA - American Cultural Studies

 CANADA AND UNITED STATES:
TWO COUNTRIES, BIG DIFFERENCES, ONE UNCERTAIN
IDENTITY

Canada and the United States are two very large countries, making up the vast majority of
the North American continent, with some similarities and many differences.

In this essay I am going to discuss especially about the differences that characterize these
two nations and the uniqueness of the Canadian people in their search for an identity.

From a geographic point of view, Canada has a slightly larger territory (1.6% larger) but
United States has more land than Canada. United States has a river system that flows north to
south as opposed to the east to west flow of the Canadian river system. The American Missis-
sippi River runs through the middle of the Southern country versus the Canadian largest River,
the Mackenzie which pours into the Arctic Ocean and is a symbol of terra incognita in Canadian
consciousness.1 It is important to specify that the territory in US has a fairly symmetrical coast-
line with few islands while Canadian provinces have countless islands. “Canada and US share
the Great Lakes, which contain nearly six quadrillion gallons water. Combined, Canada and the
US would make the largest nation on Earth with the largest supply of freshwater supply.”2

In terms of number of people inhabiting the two countries, Canada has 9.2 times less
people than US. “The US and Canadian growth rates are fairly comparable, but the way they are
growing is quite different. Canada's growth is supported much more by a higher immigration
rate. The absolute number of immigrants to the US is much greater, but on a per capita basis
Canada's migrant rate is nearly double that of the US. Likewise, the US birth rate is much higher

1 Northrop Frye, ‘Sharing the Continent’, 1982, p. 59

2 Internet address: http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/simdiff.htm, 01.11.2011

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than Canada's.”3 The people in Canada are mostly urban dwellers (around 80 % of Canada’s
population lives in cities). Most of its population lives close to the US border.

A different historical past shaped differently the Canadian and the American culture and
mentality. United States had a war of independence against British Empire and a civil war that
strengthen and molded the American new nation. The Canadians hosted an European conflict on
its territories and fought against Americans for remaining independent as a state. The United
States also have a celebrated defined moment which occurred at a specific time in history (The
Declaration of Independence - 1776) while Canada has no single defining moment in history. 4

The first European colonists came to North America for different reasons. The French,
who established the New France on the today’s Canadian territory were looking for fish, furs and
lumber. They came to the New World as explorers, seeking a route to the Pacific Ocean and
wealth.5 Today’s territory of US was first colonized by English colonists who came to the New
World especially to escape persecution and find religious freedom. In other words, the first
French settlers were only an extended hand of an old European country eager for new riches. The
first colonists in the United States were looking for more. They were in search of a new country
and a new identity, being fed up of Old Continent and its values.

Even though France lost all its North American territories after the Seven Year’s War
(1763) and ceded them to England, the French speaking habitants were able to preserve their
French language, habits, Catholic faith, and the use of French civil law through the Quebec Act
(1774). I think that the protection given by the British to the Canadian colonists, having French
and English origins, preserved the colonial attitude developed by the Canadian people. This atti-
tude is translated nowadays in less initiative, a late independence for Canada (1931) compared to
the independence of United States (1787), a dependency of a bigger Canadian government, and a
national healthcare system.

3 Ibidem

4 Northrop Frye, ‘Sharing the Continent’, 1982, p. 65-66

5 Internet address: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_colonization_of_the_Americas, 01.11.2011

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 Canada has 18.7 % more Roman Catholics than US.6 The Roman Catholicism helped
unify Canadians against the “American Protestant” danger. I find this aspect important in
moulding the mentality of Canadian people. The relationship with the Divinity in Roman Ca-
tholicism is mediated by the institutionalized Church through the appointed priest of the religious
community. Salvation is not sure and the believer has to obey the religious precepts and try to be
as good as possible for getting a better chance in the next world. This creates dependency on
clerics and on their religious rituals. The status-quo of the system is not questioned and the men-
tality of people is not challenged. On the other side, the Protestant believers are “in charge” of
their relationship with God. Salvation is believed to be sure and not dependent on the good deeds
of the believer. It is a gift to be accepted through personal faith. All believers are considered
priests 7 and are supposed to be responsible of deepening their faith and bringing “God’s King-
dom” in the personal and the community life. It is my conviction that this religious approach of
the Protestant American believers had a big impact and led to more initiative, an entrepreneurial
spirit, and dynamism in the United States.

It is interesting to discover that Canadians live, from an identity point of view, in the
shadow of the USA. The Canadian people identify more with being “non-American” than being
Canadian. “Historically, Canada’s great themes are: Keeping the Americans out. Keeping the
French in. Trying to get the Aboriginals to somehow disappear.”8 The cultural and the economic
power of the United States seem to bother the Northern neighbor. If Mexico is saved by the lin-
guistic barrier represented by the Spanish language, the French language can not “save” more
than 25% of the Canadians against the American “cultural aggression”.9 I dare to say that Cana-
dians should stop defining themselves in terms of negation and try to find out the cause of their
insecurities.

6 Internet address: http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/simdiff.htm, 01.11.2011

7 Internet address: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priesthood_of_all_believers, o1.11.2011

8 Will Ferguson, Why I Hate Canadians, Douglas & McIntyre 1997, p.138

9 Canada, Lonely Planet, chapter The Culture, The National Psyche, Will Ferguson, 2008, p. 34

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 Canadians still manifest something called “the colonial mentality”, and if someone is
characterized by this mentality, he/she will try to look outside for the great good. This attitude
explains the international outlook of the Canadian news coverage. For instance, “one of the most
popular news programs ever devised has two radio commentators phoning up about anyone they
can get on the line, anywhere in the world. Canadians live in a small world, which may be why
they have their noses so firmly pressed to the windows, looking out.”10 For American people the
centre of the world is right on their territories and the news are mostly about what happens
within their borders. If a Canadian is traveling in the United States, one of the first things he/she
will notice is the relative absence of the international news coverage. It is also interesting the at-
titude of the Canadian students towards education. It seems to be more cosmopolitan. They were
taught that they are “one of the raisins of the apple pie, and that the other parts of the universe
were invariably larger and more interesting.”11 On the contrary, American students, and not only
them, consider themselves to be “the apple pie”, the center of the universe. Everything else is
sprinkled outside. One American student studying art history was shocked to find out she is re-
quired to possess some knowledge about Europe and Renaissance...12 No comment!

The situation of immigrants, the way they are assimilated ,is different in Canada and
USA. Unlike United States which has a “melting pot” strategy for integrating immigrants in the
American culture, Canada has a different approach called “multiculturalism”. This term has
been used by Canadians “to refer to several different, but related, phenomena: the demographic
reality of a Canadian population made up of peoples and groups representing a plurality of eth-
nocultural traditions and racial origins; a social ideal or value that accepts cultural pluralism as a
positive and distinctive feature of Canadian society; and government policy initiatives designed
to recognize, support, and – some might argue – manage cultural and racial pluralism at federal,
provincial, and municipal levels.”13 Canada is tolerant of ethnic differences making it a more
heterogeneous nation than United States. Every city has small enclaves of ethnic groups. Greek,

10 Margaret Atwood, Second Words: Selected Critical Prose, House of Anansi, 2004, p. 379

11 idem, p.88

12 idem, p.87

13 Internet address: http://www.multiculturalcanada.ca/Encyclopedia/A-Z/m9, 01.11.2011

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Chinese, Italian, or Indian people live together in small communities all over the country. Due to
the fact Canada has real issues with its own identity as a nation, these ethnic groups were al-
lowed a larger liberty to remain somehow unassimilated to a national fabric, having a different
destiny compared to the same ethnic communities living in the USA.

In conclusion, there are multiple differences between these two important North Ameri-
can countries. They have different histories and different mentalities. Just a simple word like
freedom means something else for each of them. For Americans the word freedom is associated
with initiative and new horizons while for Canadians it has largely negative connotations: free-
dom from crime, freedom from fear, freedom for assuming risks.14 From my point of view, the
Canadian people are still dependent on the colonial mentality. They need more courage to defeat
their own fears and insecurities. They need a positive identity and not a negative one!

14 Will Ferguson, Why I Hate Canadians, Douglas & McIntyre 1997, p.138

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 Bibliography

1.Northrop Frye, Northrop Frye on Canada

(Collected Works of Northrop Frye) Univer-
sity of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing
Division; 1 edition 2003

2.Internet address: http://en.wikipedia.org/

3.Will Ferguson, Why I Hate Canadians,

Douglas & McIntyre 1997

4.Canada, Lonely Planet, chapter The Culture,

The National Psyche, Will Ferguson, 2008

5.Margaret Atwood, Second Words: Selected

Critical Prose, House of Anansi, 2004

6.Internet address:
http://www.multiculturalcanada.ca