Canada has two official languages; English and French. Each province in Canada is able to change it’s official language. It can choose any language(s) as the official language(s), and does not have to include French or English. The only provinces that do not have this ability are Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick. These three can also change their official language to any language, but they must include French and English. The USA does not have an official language. Many Americans believe that linguistic diversity is an important aspect of their heritage, while others think that the USA should establish English as their official language. 82.1% of the USA population speak English; 10.7% speak Spanish; 3.8% speak other Indo-European; 2.7% speak Asian and Pacific island; and 0.7% speak a different language. Hawaii does have an official language; this being Hawaiian.

The Canadian Flag is a red maple leaf on a white square with red borders on either side. The flag is twice as wide as it is long. The day that the flag was inaugurated, Maurice Bourget, Speaker of the Senate, said “The flag is the symbol of the nation’s unity, for it, beyond any doubt, represents all the citizens of Canada without distinction of race, language, belief or opinion.” O Canada was made Canada’s national anthem on July 1, The entire song is a representation of Canadians to the rest of the world. O Canada uses a lot of symbolism in its lyrics. The American Flag has thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white. There is a blue rectangle at the top- left corner of the flag bearing fifty white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of five stars. The stars represent the 50 American states, and the stripes represent the original 13 colonies. The Star Spangled Banner was officially made the American national anthem in In contrast to O Canada, The Star Spangled Banner is very straightforward.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy, has a parliamentary-cabinet government, and is very decentralized. The Queen is the Head of State, while the Prime Minister is the Head of Government. Nobody in Canada’s government is elected for a fixed term.. When a Canadian Prime Minister is re- elected, he or she does not have to be sworn in all over again. The United States have a republican government, and has a presidential- congressional government, and is highly centralized. The President is the Head of State as well as the Head of Government, and therefore has substantial power. The presidential term is fixed at four years, and if a President is re-elected, he or she has to be sworn in again. Both Canada and the United States are Democracies, as well as Federal States. In both governments, the precise meaning of the written constitution is settled by the courts.

Canada’s approach to immigrants can be described as mosaic. Each wave of immigrants can contribute something new to the society. This approach stems from Canada’s multicultural ideals. America’s approach to immigrants is described as a melting pot. Immigrants to America are asked to cut off ties with their roots and culture and adopt American practices.

Canada’s health care system is funded by a mix of public (70%) and private (30%) funding. 70% of health care spending was financed by the government in The life expectancy in Canada is years. USA is the only wealthy industrialized country in the world that doesn’t have some form of universal health care. 46% of health care spending was financed by the government in The life expectancy in the USA is 78.6 years. The USA have a higher infant mortality rate than most of the world’s industrialized nations.

These similarities and differences make Canada very separate from the U.S.A., but not quite as much as Canadians would like. I think that Canadians will always be slightly meshed in with the U.S.A because our backgrounds, languages, lifestyles, media, and military are very intertwined. Canadians wish for multiculturalism, and their wish to be completely unique from the U.S. cannot both be fully fulfilled. To be multicultural, we must be willing to take in every culture, including that of America.

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