Canada is not the USA

When we first came to Western Canada to see Sechelt and meet our long, lost relatives, we quickly realised, that despite the proximity, Canada was most certainly not the USA. Both countries make up North America, have the longest shared border in the world and are intimately related by trade and job provision, but they maintain a difference that is tangible. There is definitely a need for a separate cultural identity as it would be easy to be overwhelmed by a richer, more influential and more populated neighbour. Trudeau once said relations with the US were like sleeping with an elephant - no matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.

There are more obvious factors that separate the countries - Canada still has the Queen as the head of state and the French culture permeates all of society, not just Quebec. The amount of space versus population, which always amazes me as you can drive through so many places in the US without seeing a car (although obviously a lot of it is not frozen wasteland, unless you have been to Nebraska in the winter). Canada is truly enormous and recently the government announced they were going to protect a large area of Boreal Forest in the north of Ontario - the area concerned is twice the size of England alone (although, let's face it, England is slightly smaller than Oregon). Even more shocking is that the population of England (not the UK) is over 49 million and the whole of Canada has a population not far over 33 million people.

The two countries were once at war - in 1812 the US and British forces in Canada brushed up against one another and gained a little piece of land each which was restored as quickly as it was hard won. There is a war of sorts being fought now over the Northwest Passage which the US maintains is 'international waters' and Canada is claiming for its own (and with threats to militarise.....). Barack Obama chose Canada for his first international visit and met with the premier - unpopular and head of a minority government, Stephen Harper. The Canadians greeted him with a fanfare reserved for royalty and the Pope and seem pleased that he is ideologically closer to the Canadian ideal than his predecessor (Canadians are fighting in Afghanistan, but not Iraq). 

We live a short drive to the border and enjoy being able to go to the US relatively easily, but there is no doubt once the lengthy border process is over things do change. There are plenty of residents in our town who have never been to the US, but often fly over it to the winter sun of Mexico. As you leave the Peace Arch, food portions get bigger, public places get noisier and gas gets cheaper (or should I say even cheaper having come from the UK where it costs about $100 to fill up). Although much of the television in Canada is from the US, they do make a few of their own programmes (the ever-amusing Corner Gas and the cult Degrassi Junior High anyone?). When we first came to BC, my lovely relative pointedly interjected 'they're Canadian you know' into conversations about famous movie stars and indeed it is true - Jim Carrey, Mike Myers and John Candy, as well as more contemporary stars like Seth Rogen and Ryan Reynolds, came from the largest country in North America (and in fact the world now Russia has been split). There is definitely a large dose of national pride and Canada Day is celebrated with parades, Molson and perogies (more later). This is actually refreshing to us - in a national survey only 20% of English people knew the date of St. George's Day and we are relegated to national pride only when our football team and fans are embarrassing themselves on the fields of Europe where their forebears fought and died.

Canadians should be proud to wear their Maple Leaf on their backpacks across the world, although one bit of history to end with - the US and Canada were once just colonies of the Empire - how things have changed.