Canada Or The US?

From Yahoo Canada:

"U.S. or Canada: Which country is best to call home?"

This question is part of the age-old debate between two nations. The societies of both Canada and the United States hold the view that their own country is the better place to live. Generally, neither country learns all the facts about what the other country has to offer. So, which is better: Canada or the United States?

BenefitsBecoming a mother is one of the greatest gifts in the world. Spending time with your child as he or she grows up is a need of every mother. How does your country support new moms?

CanadaCanada has paid leave, and many employers offer benefits to new mothers, or parents, ranging from 17 weeks up to as much as 52 weeks. During this time, one of the spouses can claim Employment Insurance (EI) for approximately 15 weeks. Generally, EI payments are 55% of weekly earnings but have a maximum payment of $485 per week. Parents can also split the allocated time if they choose.

U.S.While their northerly neighbors have a solid set of maternity and parental benefits, the United States currently does not mandate any sort of maternity leave. However, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for extreme sickness and birth of a child. While this 12 weeks of unpaid leave is not specifically categorized as maternity leave, it can be used under the FMLA as such. Small companies of under 50 employees are exempt from the FMLA. Some states such as California and New Jersey include paid maternity benefits into their disability insurance, but this choice is solely at the discretion of each state.

ServicesSome of the more well-known services available to Canadians and Americans are healthcare and university funding. The United States is ranked No. 1 for most expensive healthcare per capita at $8,233. Conversely, Canada ranks No. 6 worldwide and is over $3,700 cheaper than the United States at $4,445 per capita, according to a 2012 OECD Health Data study using 2010 statistics. Americans pay over 17% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) towards healthcare while Canadians sit at about 11%.

University can be another extremely large cost in a person's life. It puts many students tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Individual states have the choice on whether or not they want to grant funding to large state-run universities. Despite these grants, schooling is still very expensive for the average American. A bachelor's degree in the U.S. can run from about $37,600 for an average public college to over $160,000 at prestigious schools such as Harvard. In Canada, the average cost of an undergraduate degree starts at $8,000 (Quebec) and increases to about $26,000. The most expensive undergraduate programs in Canada will cost around $50,000, which is approximately one-third the cost of a degree from Harvard University.

Average SalariesAccording to the website numbeo.com, the average income of an American and a Canadian are approximately the same amount. Canada's after-tax monthly income is about $3,000 which totals around $36,000 per year. The U.S. sits just below Canada at approximately $2,942 per month, or roughly $35,300 per year.  The real difference is seen in the cost of living. While Americans and Canadians roughly make the same amount per annum, there are large gaps in specific spending areas of both countries.  The monthly rent for a one-bedroom condominium in the downtown area of your average city in Canada is near $907, but only about $878 in the United States. This difference of roughly $29 per month adds up to nearly $350 in the course of a year. If you multiply that over a five-year span, you are looking at over $1,700 in additional expenses for housing alone.

Food is much more costly in Canada. One kilogram of chicken breasts costs around $6.50 in the United States, while it averages almost $11 in Canada. A mid-range, three-course meal for two in Canada ends up costing $60. In the U.S. you are only paying about $44. Finally, clothing is more expensive in Canada than in the United States. A $40 pair of Levi's jeans in the States will run you about $55 in Canada.  If all the little things are added that cost more in Canada, the total is far more than the $750 salary difference that was originally stated. By this measure, the U.S. is cheaper to live in.

The Bottom LineCanadians receive better social benefits such as healthcare, paid maternity leave and greater subsidization of their post-secondary schools. Both countries generally have around the same annual income. However, the cost of living in the United States is remarkably less. While Canadians may pay less for larger-life events, Americans pay less for day-to-day expenses such as eating and housing costs. Maybe it all evens out in the end, or perhaps one place really is better to live than the other. If you live a healthy and active lifestyle and don't plan on having children, the U.S. is potentially the place for you. If you plan on having many children and need the help putting them all through school, Canada may be the more suitable choice for your family. Whichever the case, the choice should be made on the basis of what you value most. Take into consideration your current and future lifestyle.

^ As I guessed when I saw the title of this article in the end the author doesn't say which country is best overall, but cops-out and says that for certain things Canada is good and for others the US. As a dual-citizen of Canada and the US I see both the pros and cons of each country (more so than other people) and think that each place has something unique to offer it's citizens. That may seem like a cop-out like this author did, but I didn't pose the question.  Canada has only been fully independent for 30 years (when they no longer needed London's approval for their own laws, etc) whereas the US has been for over 200 years. Canada claims it is a bilingual country (French and English) but if you go to Quebec (except Montreal) it is hard to find an English speaker and if you are in any other Province or Territory it is hard to find a French speaker. The US has no official language, but more than half of the 50 states have made English their official State lanaguage. Canada gives all its citizens free health-care and their system has had lots of rationing whereas the US is forcing everyone to have health-care even if they can't afford it - the Federal Government is not going to help and those that don't will get taxed/fined. Homosexuals in Canada can marry throughout the country whereas only a handful of US States allow it (but both countries allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military.) Canada has a Queen (Queen Elizabeth of Canada,) a Prime Minister and a Parliament while the US had a President and a Congress. The Monarch is not elected and either is the Prime Minister. If a Canadian wants a particular person to win they have to vote for the party of that person and hope that party wins and then  the winning party choosing the Prime Minister. In the US people vote for the person - not the party - but even if a person gets the most votes they may not get all the electorial votes needed and so could still lose. Canada has more land area, but less people than the US (and the majority of Canadians live close to the US border.) There are many more pros and cons, but this is enough to make my point. John Kennedy said a good quote about Canadian/US relations in 1961: ""Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder." No matter what you think: Canada is better than the US or the US is better than Canada both countries are highly, industrialized, modern, Western Countries. One does some things better than the other in certain aspects, but overall the people in each country live much better than most of the world and I would want to live in either Canada or the US. ^

http://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/u-canada-country-best-call-213740296.html