What American's Ought to Know About Canada, But Don't

[Dinner]

Originally posted by notyoueither
Oh, and btw, the oilsands are just starting to be tapped. The technology to get the oil out of there is just beginning to be properly implemented.

Is this bad news for you?

Nope, the more oil that is recovered the better. I am curious how they are getting it out since most of the rock is what we geologists call "tombstone"; meaning there is no pore space left for liquids (water or oil) to flow through. I imagine they use explosive charges to fracture the rock to free up trapped oil. Is that correct?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Tingkai
There's a belief that Americans barricade themselves in their homes while Canadians do not (The old joke about Americans having ten deadbolts on their door).

True or not? What do you think?

I have one deadbolt on my door but I almost never use it. Also I live in a very small suburb where most of the people know most of the other people and it's a bit off of the beaten track so hardly any crime ever occurs. Heck, when I go to the corner store (and it literally is the corner store) I even leave my keys in the car.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by notyoueither
No. But they should have a say on the process and what can and cannot prevent a person from standing as a candidate for member of Parliament in this country.

Nothing's preventing anybody from standing as a candidate.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by DanS


You don't have primary elections? Primaries tend to allow for more ideologically diverse parties (i.e., politicians are tied to the local views rather than the national party platform or leadership).

Party memberships are far rarer than the equivalent "party affiliation" required to vote in US primaries. Something like 5% of eligible voters have some party membership at any one time. Different parties decide their leadership based on different methods. Some go based on a straight one member one vote system. Others have more complex formulas.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by optimus2861

MLAs (members of the legislative assembly). In Quebec they're something else again, but I can't recall it off the top of my head. They call their provincial legislature the "national assembly" IIRC (one of those French-identity things), so that would make their provincial legislators -- MNAs?

Yes.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by DanS
There are at least more parties, even if those parties are less diverse.

Which means that there is more choice available to an individual voter. The US system of two overly broad centrist parties removes the choice from the hands of the average voter and puts it in the hands of the party...

[KrazyHorse]

Having an ideologically diverse party does no good to the average voter. They still only get to make one choice. In the US that choice is simply either or. In Canada there are more options.

[Ned]

Jimmycrack, a central thesis of the Federalist papers is that an all-powerful parliament is a bad form of goverment for reasons listed. Given your response to me and your subsequent praise of the Canadian system, it appears that your haven't read the Federalist papers, or if you had, you disagreed with their thesis. But I would rather bank on the fact that you haven't read them. What this implies about your level of education and your right to lecture me, or anyone else for that matter, as if you were some PhD political scientist is obvious. You can take your arrogant superiority and go jump in the nearest Great Lake.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Ned
Jimmycrack, a central thesis of the Federalist papers is that an all-powerful parliament is a bad form of goverment for reasons listed.

Yeah, but this is about learning about Canada, not telling Canadians why they're bad for not being Americans.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Tingkai
There's a belief that Americans barricade themselves in their homes while Canadians do not (The old joke about Americans having ten deadbolts on their door).

True or not? What do you think?

This is true (to a degree at least) in cities due to the crime rate. I think Canada is a much safer place than the US. This has a lot of beneficial effects on the quality of life in Canada.

[Ned]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Yeah, but this is about learning about Canada, not telling Canadians why they're bad for not being Americans.

I was just favoring NYE in his debate about the all powerful parliament he justly disfavors.

[MrFun]

interesting thread



I'm actually going to take time to read most of the posts!!

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Ned


I was just favoring NYE in his debate about the all powerful parliament he justly disfavors.

That wasn't what he was saying, Ned.

Your reading comprehension is as impressive as are your reasoning skills

[Barinthus]

Canada
Corned beef
Poutine

Some Canadian 'cuisine' - Tim Horton, Swiss Chalet and Harvey.

Some historical tidbits - there was at least one act of genocide in Canada in Acadia against French settlers there to take their lands for British settlers.

When the French and Indian Wars ended ( Seven Years' War), the Crown issued the Proclamation of 1763 barring any white settlements beyond the Appalachian mountains which irked the colonists. They often would disregard this proclamation so later in 1774 the Crown passed the Quebec Act to reaffirm the Proclamation Act. Only this time, the Crown extended Quebec's borders to Ohio River west of Appalachians and the western borders was the Mississippi River.

I consider this the moment the Thirteen Colonies and Canada finally became two seperate entities instead of simply being British colonies in North America. This Act, which was also known as one of the Intolerable Acts in the Thirteen Colonies, helped to drive American colonists toward to the Revolution in 1777.

I sometimes wonder what if the history took the other path and there was never a divide between the Thirteen Colonies and Canada, what would today's world be like.

I was just about to go on but this would then become a threadjacking.

[Muad'Dib]

That based on the persentage of population, more Playboy playmates are from Canada.

I love Cara Wakelin.
But want Christina Young.