I've knwon a few waiters and bartenders and they all laughed to the bank. They make an excellent living on tips. One pretty girl I knew wouldn't get a "real job" because she made so much serving pizza. A lot of people have worse jobs that don't pay as much just because they don't get tips. I do tip but the line about struggling service employees doesn't make me cry at all.

I am Canadian and tip chambermaids $1-2/day. I tip 15-20% in all restaurants unless service was really poor. I may or may not give a small (5-10%) tip at a takeout place; not usually for pouring a coffee but by all means for putting together a dinner order, utensils etc. and packing it up nicely.

There is a riddle here in Florida where (as a Canadian) I spend half of the year. It goes:
Q. What is the difference between a Canadian and a canoe?
A. A canoe tips more.

So according to Floridians, the tipping practices of Americans and Canadians is not the same.

According to anyone but a Canadian, they do not tip the same.

I agree, Canadians definitely tip less than Americans. In the US, 15% is a minimum tip, whereas it is a very healthy one in Canada.

Hello Janmart! Just wondering if Australian service workers are better paid if tipping is not required? Also, to you fellow Canadians, when did tipping become standard. My 80 year old father never did tip and feels no need to start now. Maybe businesses should pay their staff more. I worked as a chamber maid too about 25 years ago and never received a tip. We also made minimum wage. However, our bosses drove cadillacs and were able to send their kids to Upper Canada College. Maybe instead of counting on the customer to pay the staff wages, the employer should be more accountable.

You absolutely should tip taxi drivers in Canada unless they are rude. 10 % would be about right. Luggage maybe a bit more.