Differences Canadians Should Know Before Moving to America

Even though America and Canada are connected, you should be prepared before you move--it’s little more complicated than packing up your stuff and going. You should prepare yourself for the differences between the two countries. You may think because the countries are so close, that they wouldn't be that different--but you'd be surprised. If you plan on moving from Canada to America here are 10 differences you should know about.  

When Americans write the date, they usually write the month, day, and then year, unlike Canadians who write the write day, month, and then year.

 

The government system in Canada is a little different than American. In Canada, they have a head of state, or monarchy, which is Queen Elizabeth II, and the head of government is called the prime minister. In America, the head of state and head of government are both the president.

 

Most of American taxes go to fund the military, whereas in Canada, the tax money goes towards health care--Canadians get free health care. In Canada, every legal resident is covered through a publicly-financed provincial or territorial plan. In America, the care depends on the type of coverage through Obamacare.

 

In Canada, pregnant mothers can take up to 17 weeks of unpaid time off. Once they’ve given birth or adopted, they are entitled to up to 35 weeks’ leave. The law in America, called the Family and Medical Leave Act, grants up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave everywhere but only to full-time workers at companies with 50 or more employees. In some companies, there is paid maternity leave.

 

Canadians use the letter “u” more often than Americans do. They spell words such as:

Where Americans spell the words as:

Americans also refer to soft drinks, like Coca Cola, as “soda,” whereas Canadians refer to it as “pop.” Americans also pronounce the letter “z” as “zee.” Canadians on the other hand say “zed.”

 

Canada has provinces, 10 in fact, and three territories. In America, they have states, 50 of them, and one district. 

 

Even though the rest of the world uses the metric system, Americans use the U.S. customary system, which only used in the U.S., Myanmar, and Liberia.

 

Another thing that is different in Canada than America is the use of milk bags. A milk bag is exactly what it sounds, milk in a plastic bag. There are also specific pitchers made for milk bags. In American, milk is usually in a jug or carton. 

 

The United States of America doesn’t have an official language but English is used as the primary language for legislation, regulation, executive order, and other official pronouncements. In Canada, there are two official languages which are English and French.