I have seen quite a few threads on this site that incorporate thoughts on recent Canadian behaviors toward Americans. Many of them express some form of surprise or the belief that Canadian disdain for the USA is a recent phenomenon. My personal experience dating back to living there in the early 90's is that Canadian disdain for Americans and the USA as a country is long-standing.
First, my background with Canada. I lived in Canada for a couple of years back in the early 90's working for a very large British company. Specifically, I lived and worked in Toronto. I travelled the areas between Niagara and Ottawa pretty extensively. I dated and travelled with Canadian women. I later worked for one of the largest and most respected corporations in Canada with quite a lot of Canadian colleagues in various countries while living in various locations around the world. For years, I spent a few days a month in Montreal and lived just south of the Canadian border for about a year at one time. A former assistant secretary/minister of ____________ for Canada is a very close friend...I held his dog last year outside the polling location while he and his wife went inside and voted for Carney. I get weekly texts from Canadian friends complaining about our king/dictator.
I feel like I have a pretty decent take on the evolving attitudes of Canadians toward Americans. Here are a few observations of things I ran into at least a couple of decades ago:
- Canadians who were strangers would often jump into an unsolicited conversation at fast food restaurants if I requested a glass of ice. No arguments, no uncomfortableness....just a curt "you know this is Canada and we don't use much ice and you Americans need to realize that when you are in Canada."
- A constant barrage of unsolicited observations on why Canada is so much better than the USA and criticisms of the USA without their having spent any significant amount of time in Canada.
- I once stopped and through a Canadian out of my car on the way to a Saint Patrick's Day party who insisted that the USA entered WWII for no reason other than economic gain.
- I once sat at a small dinner table and listened to the CEO of one of Canada's largest corporations tell a table full of Europeans that the USA was full of itself and needed to be put in it's place.
- I laughed as many Canadians explained to me that Canada's nuclear defense policy was a large array of neon arrows across the northern provinces pointing south toward the USA. That is pretty funny and of course he was just joking.
- One of the funniest things would be that nothing in Canada could be described without the term "the_______ of Canada using a USA icon as part of the description. For example...the Harvard of Canada. The Florida of Canada. The New York City of Canada. The Yellowstone of Canada. The General Motors of Canada. Never just the name of the the thing.
- Time and time again...I was reminded that "Canada won the War of 1812 and burned the USA capital."
- Finally, I really do love Canada. Excepting recent arrivals....they are wonderful people who share many of our values. They are kind and loyal. However....they do have a long-standing jealously toward their big brother that isn't uncommon in many families. Much of it is totally human....I mean, I just used the term "big brother" that regardless of its accuracy is always irritating to the "little brother" in the relationship.
Well, they finally have a champion of their angst toward the USA in Carney and he is milking this long-standing resentment/jealousy/anger/frustration at the expense of Canadian citizens. Don't be fooled into believing that these sudden emotions toward the USA are a new phenomenon....they just finally have a mouthpiece that knows/knew how to exploit those emotions for maximum political gain. And of course....Trump's New York bravado toward all things....including Canadian politicians....played into that strategy for Carney. More evidence that Trump isn't really a politician at heart.
As for the specifics on politics....I always answer their texts with one simple reply. "I hate tariffs. I hope one day soon there will be zero tariffs between the USA and Canada." Never a response...not once....to my reply.
First, my background with Canada. I lived in Canada for a couple of years back in the early 90's working for a very large British company. Specifically, I lived and worked in Toronto. I travelled the areas between Niagara and Ottawa pretty extensively. I dated and travelled with Canadian women. I later worked for one of the largest and most respected corporations in Canada with quite a lot of Canadian colleagues in various countries while living in various locations around the world. For years, I spent a few days a month in Montreal and lived just south of the Canadian border for about a year at one time. A former assistant secretary/minister of ____________ for Canada is a very close friend...I held his dog last year outside the polling location while he and his wife went inside and voted for Carney. I get weekly texts from Canadian friends complaining about our king/dictator.
I feel like I have a pretty decent take on the evolving attitudes of Canadians toward Americans. Here are a few observations of things I ran into at least a couple of decades ago:
- Canadians who were strangers would often jump into an unsolicited conversation at fast food restaurants if I requested a glass of ice. No arguments, no uncomfortableness....just a curt "you know this is Canada and we don't use much ice and you Americans need to realize that when you are in Canada."
- A constant barrage of unsolicited observations on why Canada is so much better than the USA and criticisms of the USA without their having spent any significant amount of time in Canada.
- I once stopped and through a Canadian out of my car on the way to a Saint Patrick's Day party who insisted that the USA entered WWII for no reason other than economic gain.
- I once sat at a small dinner table and listened to the CEO of one of Canada's largest corporations tell a table full of Europeans that the USA was full of itself and needed to be put in it's place.
- I laughed as many Canadians explained to me that Canada's nuclear defense policy was a large array of neon arrows across the northern provinces pointing south toward the USA. That is pretty funny and of course he was just joking.
- One of the funniest things would be that nothing in Canada could be described without the term "the_______ of Canada using a USA icon as part of the description. For example...the Harvard of Canada. The Florida of Canada. The New York City of Canada. The Yellowstone of Canada. The General Motors of Canada. Never just the name of the the thing.
- Time and time again...I was reminded that "Canada won the War of 1812 and burned the USA capital."
- Finally, I really do love Canada. Excepting recent arrivals....they are wonderful people who share many of our values. They are kind and loyal. However....they do have a long-standing jealously toward their big brother that isn't uncommon in many families. Much of it is totally human....I mean, I just used the term "big brother" that regardless of its accuracy is always irritating to the "little brother" in the relationship.
Well, they finally have a champion of their angst toward the USA in Carney and he is milking this long-standing resentment/jealousy/anger/frustration at the expense of Canadian citizens. Don't be fooled into believing that these sudden emotions toward the USA are a new phenomenon....they just finally have a mouthpiece that knows/knew how to exploit those emotions for maximum political gain. And of course....Trump's New York bravado toward all things....including Canadian politicians....played into that strategy for Carney. More evidence that Trump isn't really a politician at heart.
As for the specifics on politics....I always answer their texts with one simple reply. "I hate tariffs. I hope one day soon there will be zero tariffs between the USA and Canada." Never a response...not once....to my reply.