Legal differences between Canada and the United States? Eh?

Question

Legal differences between Canada and the United States? Eh?

Answer 1

don't say eh when you come here

Answer 2

It's all on the web. Perhaps you should visit Canada and see what you think. Applications won't be accepted before 2013. And lose the "Eh" before the immigration interview.



Here are the requirements for moving to Canada:

Answer 3

For day to day living, you likely won't see much difference. But, behind the scenes, things are quite difference. Canada is a Constitutional Monarchy. Our Queen is the centre of power, and all things come down from her. So, when a Mountie gives you a speeding ticket, he is using her power, given down to him (he even has a crown on his badge). If you end up in court, it will the the Queen vs you, rather than the US the people vs you. And, the judge will have been appointed by the Queen (following a recommendation from the Prime Minister).



So, the system is totally different - e.g., a cop has jurisdiction everywhere, unlike in the USA. But, the actual laws are pretty similar in most cases. The biggest difference is that in Canada, it is illegal to carry any weapon for self defence. So, no guns, knives, pepper spray, mace, - nothing, not even a stick. There are some others - all products sold mush have English and French on the packaging. Safety laws and standards are higher in Canada, so, we have less house fires caused by appliances. Health insurance is handled by the provincial governments, and everyone is enrolled. Some places have premiums, and some don't, but, they are trivial in comparison to the USA, and they make going to the doctor totally free.



Pot is still illegal in Canada - many Americans seem to think it is legal here, and it isn't. That being said, there is a much higher tolerance level here then in the USA. Drinking ages are lower 18, or 19, not 21. Smoking is frowned on, and there are few places left in the country where it is legal to smoke outside your own home, and in some places, if you are renting, even that is banned.



But, for day to day things, if you are a law abiding person, you likely won't see much difference at all. Pretty much the same things are illegal in Canada as in the USA, with only slight differences beyond what I have mentioned.

Answer 4

no rednecks in Vancouver. :-) This city is TOP Liberal. Nice nude beach in the summer. Food is great. Transportation is easy. No snow in winter, but a lot of rain. Expensive .



Victoria on Vancouver island is more british. Nice place, quiet and not too expensive. I've lived there for 8 years and loved it. The reason I left was the cost of the apartments and the rain.



Difference between Canada and the USA, well , it depend where you go. If you end up in Calgary , Alberta, it's more western cowboy than Quebec city. Montréal is a mess , just like Chicago or Detroit.



In between, not much happening there, just like in Montana. Québec city has a lot of work, it's French but most people speak some english. A friend of mine, who is from Toronto came to Québec city and got a job at the airport, in charge of the lugguage dept.



I'm french from Québec city

Answer 5

Hi Bobby,



I hope you understand that immigration is currently closed due to the enormous backlog of applications that need to be processed. That means that your real concern for the moment isn't what kind of social differences exist between the US and Canada but whether you will even qualify to apply to immigrate once things re-open.



Law is an enormously huge topic and Yahoo!Answers is just not the place to do your question any justice (pun partly intended). For the record, though, Canadians and Americans aren't too different in some aspects. We have our fair share of religious zealots. Obesity is a big problem here, too and we have more than enough staunch capitalists who seem to think that having things is more important than anything else in the world.



So, before you pack your bags and go running off to Vancouver and thinking you can stay, you will want to take the next year or two to upgrade your skills, education and work experience before you consider applying to immigrate. Canada is not an easy nation to immigrate to.



Oh, and before anyone else says it, health care is NOT FREE in Canada. We pay high taxes to cover basic health care costs so that's a distinct difference right there.

Answer 6

Eric, EricS, Jamie, JamieB is that you? So many accounts; so hard to keep track of you...

Answer 7

So much the same.

So much that is different

And so much that is just similar.

The laws vary from place to place just like in the US there are different laws in each state. Canadian law in some areas is simpler than US law. We do not break it down into little categories. For example when you steal something there is basically only two charges theft under or theft over a certain dollar amount it is not divided up into different items and places and times and.... Theft is theft. Same with Murder only a few types of murder not many many sub classes and types. Life in Canada is generally a little slower and laid back. The population is SMALLER the cities are smaller the towns are smaller. Simple.

Politics is THREE major parties not just two like in the US. So not an either or type of discussion but always that third option.

Canadians are proud of their country just like other people are proud of their home.land. We have Big city problems just like any other place in the world. We do not seem to have as many as the US does maybe because we have fewer cities. The climate is harsher which leads to more self reliance on your day to day things. The economy is stable we were also hurt by the downturn we just did not fall as much as the US. Vancouver is an expensive city to live in similar to NYC for you. For you to come to Canada you need to bring something with you like a job skill or work experience. Think of VISA application like a job application you need the minimum to apply but all that apply do not get a position, What makes you a little better than the next guy in line.

Start here for the basics to see if you qualify to immigrate, Answer the questions and it will guide to the immigration process for your situation. Many apply and just having the minimum qualifications does not guarantee a visa.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/app/ctcvac/english/index

You may want to start with an extended vacation in Canada to travel around a bit and investigate a little for your situation before deciding that you want to come to Canada. One or two days in a place does not give you a true picture of what day to day life is like.

GOOD LUCK in your future endeavours and as other have said drop the eh before the interview eh.



Edit with the added information a UNIVERSITY DEGREE will assist in your ability to come to Canada the major factor a Canadian employer can verify your credentials much easier than those of other countries. You can qualify for Masters Education with Scholarships as an American in a Canadian University. Something to consider if you want advanced school.

Answer 8

Canadian law is very liberal.



Example, there are no laws that protect gays lesbians, transsexuals, etc or their rights.

Reason being is such laws are unnecessary - in Canada discrimination based on anything [ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, opinion, etc] is illegal and frowned upon.



There are drug laws of course, possession of pot using one example is illegal. That said enforcement is pretty much non existent. Britney Spears had to have a break in mid-concert because BC Place was blue with pot smoke.



Guns again, for the most part frowned upon. Shooting moose - fine... but there sure is no valid reason to have a gun on your person or in your car. Only reason people need guns is to protect themselves from people with guns - Canadians aren't known for shooting each other nor are there people in the world looking to attack us.



Generally, nobody cares who you do or who you worship or if you worship, what you do I couldn't careless about... just don't be an idiot in public about it... or force your 'pleasure' on the unwilling.

And violence is only allowed if you're a hockey player.



(and say 'eh' to your hearts content)



Noting the comment below, correct Canada does not believe in free speech.

You don't do around slamming others with hate speech, you don't go around telling people you're going to kill them, you can't go to an airport and discuss the art of bomb making...etc.

I don't see Canada being unique in this however.



EDIT TO ADD:



"Despite these similarities, there are many areas where the law of the U.S. and Canada differ. For example, in Canada, juries are almost exclusively used for criminal cases, whereas in the U.S., juries often are used for non-criminal cases. Employment law is also different. The U.S. concept of “employment at will” -- that is, an employee can be dismissed for no reason and with no notice, is apparently non-existent in Canada. You either have to give your employee a reason why you’re dismissing him, or give him advance notice. One other notable difference: same-sex marriage is legal throughout Canada."

http://legallad.quickanddirtytips.com/Canada.aspx



Stats illustrating differences:

http://www.unitednorthamerica.org/simdiff.htm/



"Abroad, Canada has more of a voice than most people believe. However, the United States takes on a stronger political position, and has an increased vested interest in foreign affairs. Canada is willing to get involved in political maneuvers only when it is necessary. They tend to do so quietly, and are less intermingled with ongoing political problems throughout the world than the United States. This makes the country more autonomous, and able to stay much more neutral when it comes to difficult political issues and the responding actions."

http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-usa-and-canada/

Answer 9

You might be interested to know that Canada doesn't not believe in freedom of speech.

Answer 10

Canadian and American laws share a lot of similarities in that in both countries the laws stem from British common law traditions. The same things are essentially illegal in both countries however there are obvious differences. We don't have 3rd, 4th, 5th degree offences and in most cases we don't even have 2nd degree offences. For the most part, each crime is it's own offence however someone may get charged with multiple counts.



Speaking of multiple counts, our courts tend to view offences over a period of time as one offence whereas in the US they tend to try to charge for each count. For example, if a father sexually abuses a child over a few years we would state in the charge "between 1 Jan 2007 and 25 Sept 2011 X did sexually assault Y" which could result in 7-10 years in jail whereas in the US if they know of 45 times within that period a crime allegedly took place then the person could be charged with 45 counts resulting in 500 years or so in jail.



Another major difference, in my mind at least, is our Constitution. Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms is viewed as our supreme law, a law by which all other laws are judged. If a law is found to be contrary to the Charter then it will be struck down and must be changed. With that having been said however, the striking down of a law is not a given and by that I mean the Courts will look at the spirit of the law and perhaps will change the way it's applied (making new "case law") rather then wiping it out all together. Also, our Supreme Court will take a look at a law and may hold that it does violate the Charter however that violation is acceptable as it serves the greater good of society. It's a give and take relationship which tends, in my mind, to remove the issue of absolutes that permeates US constitutional law.



Lastly (and I'm sure there a tonne of other areas that I won't bother to mention) our Charter is the only one in the world that is designed to apply to not only Canadians but to others around the world as well. By that I mean, when you look at some sections of our Charter they state "Every Canadian......" which means that Section applies only to Canadians. For example, Section 3 states "Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election......" which means as it says, that every Canadian has the right to vote in our elections. If you are not a citizen....you don't get to vote. On the other hand, Section 15 states "Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination..." which means that everyone, regardless of whether or not they are Canadian, is equal before the law. That does not mean that we can apply that to other countries or make them treat everyone equally but it does mean that even an American or an Ethiopian will be treated equally under the law should they come before the Courts in Canada. The same cannot be said for the US Constitution which applies only to US citizens.



Like I said, I'm sure there are plenty of other differences but those are the ones that come to mind for me right now.

Answer 11

The drinking age in Canada is 18.