Canadians vs Americans: A lot in common but insist on being different

While it is often said that in addition to the border, we share much in common with our American neighbors, Canadians believe that there are important ways in which we differ. In light of talk about annexing Canada as evoked by American President Trump, the Association for Canadian Studies commissioned Leger Marketing to ask Canadians whether Canadians have more in common with Americans than any other peoples in the world and whether Canadians have shared values that make us different from Americans. While most Canadians do believe we have more in common with Americans, some eight in ten also believe we have shared values that make us different. When asked to elaborate on those values most Canadians described Canada as kindler, gentler and more inclusive. Some did mention gun control, Medicare and bilingualism as yet other distinguishing features The survey was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies with 1548 respondents in Canada over the period March 1 and 2, 2025.