My husband has a job opportunity in Canada (probably Quebec) so I was wondering about the main differences between the US and Canada. Like govt, taxes, laws...are there no smoking laws? Do laws tend to veer democratic or republican? <BR><BR>Or from a women's POV? How is breastfeeding felt about? Epidurals? Childrearing?<BR><BR>The schools, do they take standardized tests? Do they have same problems as here...too full/not enough teachers/funding?<BR><BR>Anything else you think might be worthy to mention would be appreciated. Or even what you like better about Canada, or the US. Thank you!

The primary difference between the US and Quebec would be language. 90% of the population of Quebec has French as their first language. The percentage is closer to 60% or 70% in Montreal,and you could get by in Montreal not speaking French, but Quebec society definitely functions in French first.<BR><BR>Children of immigrants to Quebec (even immigrants from English speaking countries like the UK or the US) are required to attend school in French in Quebec, unless they are sent to private schools (I believe), which might be a significant expense (this should be a negotiating point with your husband's employers). Schools (both public and private) are of excellent calibre. The school year is significantly longer in Canada than it is in the United States--late August until the very end of June.<BR><BR>Canadian laws would be considered extremely liberal (i.e., way to the left of democratic) by U.S. standards. Early term abortion is legal and publicly funded. Gun control laws are strict. We're talking seriously about decriminalizing marijuana. Women get 1 year maternity leave, publicly funded as to 55% of salary (and many employers top up to full salary for most or all of the year) and are guaranteed their job at the end. Quebec in particular has quite a collectivist society, much closer to the European model than the rest of Canada. Taxes would be significantly higher than in the U.S., particularly in Quebec (around 30% all in for the middle class, plus combined federal and provincal sales taxes of 15% on all purchases, plus high taxes on gasoline and alcohol), although there are generous credits for families with children. I believe that Quebec has subsidized daycare (C$5 per day), but I'm not sure of the income limit or the number of spaces available. I've never seen anyone object to a mother breastfeeding in public.<BR><BR>Quebec is a wonderful place to live, particularly if you want to experience a bit of European joie de vivre. It can be a bit frustrating at times (restrictive language laws, a paternalistic government, political uncertainty), but it is booming at the moment.<BR><BR>Feel free to ask anything else--fellow Canadians, feel free to correct me!

Just a point about the length of the school year - I don't think it more has to do with the school itself than the country it's in. I never, ever, went to school in August. I grew up (and am still living) in Vancouver, where both elementary school and high school starts after the Labour Day long weekend. The school year generally ends in June - high schools usually get out earlier than elementary schools.<BR><BR>This of course, could be completely different than Quebec.<BR><BR>I think in general, you have to be a bit more specific when comparing two parts of the country. Each province and territory in Canada has slightly different regulations, much like each state has its own regulations.

And I realize, my grammar in the above post is absolutely horrible. I should have edited. Nevertheless, my main point is, every province/state is different. Washington state and British Columbia would generally have more in common than, say, Washington state and Quebec.

Well, this is a TRAVEL forum, and not a Relocation/Income-Comparison/Non-Smoking Laws/Breastfeading/Political sort of forum/discussion.<BR><BR>All of the issues with which you are concerned would be better (and best) researched elsewhere on the www (or, through other, conventional, resources, for heavens sake...).<BR><BR>&quot;Probably in Quebec&quot; is entirely different in Ontario with regard to all the &quot;concerns&quot; you've mentioned. To wit: &quot;Non-smoking&quot; laws. Or, whether any venues observe/enforce same.<BR><BR>Surely, no one here is able, or likely inclined, to advise you with regard to &quot;Epidurals&quot;, for example. In some provinces, they are routine, in others they are available only for &quot;problematic&quot; or otherwise &quot;life-threatening&quot; situations.<BR><BR>All in all, this is a TRAVEL forum. <BR><BR>

No-smoking laws in Quebec? You must be kidding. They smoke with mad abandon. Regarding school, the comments from Revved-Up are correct. You should realize that schools in the province of Quebec, public or private, are out-of-step with the rest of North America in that high school ends with grade 11. This is followed by 2 years at CEGEP, a sort of junior college. There is generally less funding for public schools in Quebec than most places in the U.S. The major problem with living in Montreal (my hometown, one of my favorite places on earth) aside from the horrible winters, is the health care system. It stinks. Or, at least, it's fine until you get sick. My mother's elderly friends find it nearly impossible to get into a family physician's practice bcs. of a critical shortage of doctors bcs. their pay is limited. After my dad suffered a major stroke, he lay in a hospital corridor for 2 days bcs. they couldn't find a bed for him. My friend's dad wisely travelled to NYC to get treatment for lung cancer, which he paid for himself. (!) He would have had to wait God-knows-how-long for treatment in Quebec/Canada. Quebec legal system tends to follow the French Napoleonic code. There are no democratic/republican parties. The governmental system is, of course, British. I realize this makes Quebec sound sort of awful . . . but I love the charm of Montreal, the architecture, and the outgoing, cosmopolitan people.

I found this interesting and answered some questions of my own. <BR>While this is a &quot;Travel&quot; forum, there are most likely some who travel and also consider moving to those places of travel. A post like this reveals more of a place than some travel reports might.<BR>Some should try not to be so rigid.

I can only speak for Ontario, the province I live in, for some things.<BR>Government - parliamentary democracy which means the Prime Minister's role is rather different from a President's.<BR>He is not elected in a separate election - rather he is 'just' a member of parliament for a specific area (riding) who has been chosen by his party to lead them. There are 2 houses in parliament but only one counts (The House of Commons - elected ). The upper house the Senate is NOT at all like the US senate - it is more like the House of Lords in Britain - members are appointed not elected and don't do much but rubber stamp any legislation from the House of Commons. A member of the House of Commons is know as an MP (member of parliament). The provincial governments are similar except the provincial leader is called a Premier and the members are called MPPs (member of provincial parliament). <BR>Taxes - overall higher than in the US. Ontario also has a provincial sales tax on all purchases<BR>Laws - not wildly dissimilar to US but closer to British. The courts look a little different. No smoking laws are pretty strict in Ontario - especially in Toronto. Very strict gun controls. <BR>Political Spectrum - broad range from right to left wing<BR>Liberals - current governing party federally - not really very 'Liberal' more like a centre party<BR>Conservatives - slighly to the right of centre<BR>PQ - regional Quebec party - dedicated to obtaining Quebec's independence from the rest of Canada. Currently they are the party in power in the province of Quebec but have not been able to convince the majority of Quebecers of their independence for Quebec idea.<BR>The Alliance - right of centre party - also somewhat regional - most MPs are from Western Canada<BR>NDP - left of centre party. They sometimes form provincial governments but have never formed a national goverment. Most(but not all) of their MPs are from the west. <BR>Breastfeeding - no big issue - toplessness is actually legal on beaches here (but you don't see a lot of it).<BR>Epidurals - up to woman and her doctor.<BR>Childrearing - pretty similar to US<BR>Schools:<BR>Ontario has standardized testing. Funding is an issue in Ontario. Some schools have good reputations - some do not.<BR>Health Care - free to all residents . Does this mean waiting - yes it can . Speaking from personal experience, I have had to wait for tests and surgery but never for anything that was critically required. My GP makes housecalls. Overall I am satisfied with the healthcare I have received. Prescriptions and dental are NOT covered by the government - although most large companies have a prescription/dental plan as a benefit. <BR>Hope this helps.

Here in a nutshell is the main differance between Canada and the US:<BR><BR>In the US the guiding words are &quot;Life, Liberty and the Pusuit of Happiness&quot;.<BR><BR>In Canada the guiding words are &quot;Peace, Order and Good Government&quot;. <BR><BR>We havn't quite mastered that last part but we do work at it.

Very interesting! Thanks from another Scarlett

In 20 years, everything in north america will all look and be the same anyway, it almost does already. starbucks are closing second cups, etc., and we're all starting to think we look good in dockers and blue shirts. <BR><BR>Frankly, Scarlette I don't give a damn.

What are dockers?

flopmeister, thanks for making me lol! That was a very clever play on words! <BR><BR>I was *hoping* I wouldn't get yelled at for posting this, but I have seen posts about expats so I figured this was sorta along the same lines. I don't think I would ever consider Canada &quot;home&quot; so it would be like a very long vacation...for us anyways! <BR><BR>I did not know some of issues raised (1 year maternity leave?! WOW!) and it has helped me get a better feel of the country. It almost sounds like Quebec is another world so to speak, so I guess it does make it hard to generalize. But your answers have helped greatly! Thank you!!<BR><BR>More responses are welcome and appreciated!

that's pretty funny gary.

In Quebec, we complain about our plight compared to the U.S...higher taxes, weak Can. dollar, etc. But, in truth, (in spite of the fact that it is the middle of March and we are still freezing and knee deep in snow). Montreal is a wonderful city and a great place to raise a family. It is safer than in many U.S. cities. It is a city. Life goes on in the downtown core. Here, the closer you live to downtown, the better. There is a wonderful quality of life...from schools and activities to night life. Private schools are very popular. Some that are religious based are subsidized by the government. Universities cost a fraction of their American counterparts. (But our taxes are higher...so what you get with one hand, you give with the other. If you are planning to move to Montreal, I am sure you will love it.

Firstly, we do not have a two party system as is in the US. We have, officially a 5 party system ranging from socialist-commies (NDP) to redneck, right wing hicks (Canadian Alliance). In reality, we have a one party system led by the old and arrogant Liberal party that will probably be in power for the next century because of the divided opposition. Vive Paul Martin! The entire government thing is different. We don't elect our Senate, nor do we directly elect our head of government and the head of state is appointed. A prime Minister is elected by a plurality of seats that he wins in individual ridings. In Canada, it is not forbidden to speak against the government and you are not mocked for being a leftist. Our laws are generally a lot more liberal than American ones. We are not a superpower so we don't have to flex our muscles on the international scene all that much. You will also have to get used to our weather. The other thing is taxes: Quebec is the highest taxed province/state in North America in terms of Income tax and don't forget the 15% GST/QST Sales taxes. Our Medical system is all government run so you don't have to worry much about medical insurance as everyone is entitled to the same crappy service with long waiting rooms. If you live in Quebec, you will notice a lot of French. Some stores will have English signs, some not, but if there are English signs, according to our Law 101, they have to be smaller than the French signs. It has been a really heated issue since it was implimented. One thing that is great about Canada/Quebec is the funding for schools. Private schools are heavily subsadized as are our universities. For example, McGill University (dubbed the Harvard of the North by some Americans) costs only 10,000 Canadian dollars for Tuition for American student which is why McGill has such a large American presence. Anyway, enjoy Canada. You will find we are a peaceful, kind, tolerant and liberal folk. <BR>

Here's a link to a fun web site &quot;An American's Guide to Canada&quot;<BR><BR>http://www.icomm.ca/emily/

Thank you, Elizabeth! That website is great!! Thats exactly what I was looking for!

Misse Scalette, by chance?

Elizabeth:<BR>That site is excellent ! I would recommend it to anyone who wants an overview of Canada.