My history is much like Greydogs. I was born in California, and grew up in the Peace country of northern BC. Did a stint in the US military, logged in BC, Alberta, and Colorado. Worked as a mechanic for a time in MO before getting married and moving back to BC, then in the 80s to the Yukon. Still have lots of family/friends in the US. I agree with GD for the most part. Like the US, eastern Canadians are different than westerners. Ive spent some time in the eastern US and the people there are different than the west coast in many ways. Some of the biggest differences I notice, is how passive Canadians are. There is an old joke that holds a lot of truth, " how do you get 10-Canadians out of a swimming pool"? The answer is just ask them to get out. An American would ask why. Like GD mentioned patriotism isnt really a thing in Canada, where in the US it is.

My wife and I saw something in Chicago a few years back that really illustrated another big difference in the two countries. One of her relatives was in the hospital there and we were in the area so went by for a visit. On our way back out as we neared the lobby, we could hear someone speaking real loud. When we got down there we see this big black guy standing on a chair, preaching a sermon. There was about 50-people in the lobby, and they were sitting there listening without complaints that we heard. Nobody came and threw the guy out, he finished his sermon and left. You would never see that here. A guy was telling me just the other day that a lot of Canadian Christians have started moving to the US, especially since the covid crisis.

I think that brings up another difference, although maybe along the same lines. Look at what Canadians are being forced to do right now when they come back to Canada from abroad. They are required to spend a few days at a quarantine hotel, that they pay for. Been a few news stories on it recently, and two different friends of mine have gone through it in the last month. Americans would never stand for that kind of treatment.

As far as earning a living in the two countries, taxes are the biggest difference that I notice. I read somewhere that .52 out of every dollar a Canadian earns now goes to taxes of some sort. Im not sure if that number is 100% accurate, but I do know in Canada you have to make way more money for the same standard of living. Americans enjoy more disposable income, and if they are smart, will resist going down the road Canada has. Its gotten to the point up here now that its really hard to find an incentive to start a business. Between the red tape and taxes, its hard to make it pay. You need at least $30 an hour here to make a go of it, and you wont have a lot left at the end of the month. The carbon tax just went up, so maybe $30 isnt even enough any more.