Canada and the US are Connected!
by Sydney Hatmaker
Economic, Social, and Political Similarities and Connections
The US and Canada's partnership is so strong because of their similar values, shared geography, common interests, and economic ties.
Share Two Borders
The US and Canada share two borders, one being the world's largest unmilitarized border due to a strong cultural and economic relationship.
Trade
Canada and the US import and export billions of dollars worth of merchandise to each other.
Christianity
Christianity is the most common religion in both countries.
Economic Connections
The US and Canada share the world's largest trading relationship because they are close to each other, so it is cheap and easy to transport goods and materials. Another plus is that it creates many jobs for citizens in both countries. Canada is America's largest supplier of energy, and 1/3 of the US's oil comes from them. The two countries are part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which makes it much easier for trade to take part between them. Also, each country is a huge investor for the other one, specifically in business regarding natural resources.
Social Connections
The people and culture in US and Canada are nearly identical. One factor contributing to this is that both countries mostly speak English. Anthor factor is the fact that Canada and America are mostly Christians, and therefore have similar values. Also, the majority of people share a common European/ British heritage, with Canada at 75% white and America 74% white. There has been a huge blend between the people also due to constant migration between the countries because of the Canadian gold rush, farming purposes, religious freedom, escaping conflict and war, etc. A shared- and almost universal- pop culture also plays a huge role in the social connections.
Political Connections
Regardless of the fact that Canada is a federal parlimentary constitutional monarchy and the US is a federal presidential constitutional republic, there are many political connections and similarities. For one, they both share power between state/province government and the federal government. Canada's elected representatives make up the House of Commons and the Senate, and America's elected representatives make up the House of Representatives and the Senate. Also, they have executive, legislative, and judicial branches. On another note, the two countries' militaries have worked closely together in the past during WWII and the Cold War, as well as currently working together to provide security for the countries.
Language
Although the US has no official language and Canada is bilingual, both countries speak mostly English, and this is a huge factor in their connection.
Canadian Government
Canada's government is very similar to America's, with the exception of the Monarchical aspect.
Pop Culture
A shared pop culture is one of the key reasons that the US and Canada have so many social similarities.
For More Information...
- US-Canadian trade
- More detailed information over all the covered topics
- American and Canadian government structure