Country Info.
Canada’s population: 34,604,000 October 4, 2011
Religion in Canada: Christianity is the most common religion, at 77%.
What you need to know about traveling to Canada.
Currency It's recommended that visitors use Canadian funds in Ontario. Currency
exchange offices, conveniently located at most Ontario Travel Information Centres at the U.S./Ontario border, offer a good rate of exchange and are open daily.
Customs Requirements All travelers, including US citizens 16 years of age or over, entering the
United States from Canada by air, land or water will be required to have a passport.
Weather Conditions Due to Ontario's size, temperatures vary tremendously from region to
region, even within the regions themselves. Generally, the weather is considered continental with the lowest temperatures being recorded in January and the highest in July.
Canadian Lingo
BC Dinner Jacket-Canadian slang expression for a plaid flannel shirt, worn untucked and open, with a t-shirt underneath.
Biffy- Bathroom, could be inside or outside
Brutal- You are bad at something i.e “Bro, your brutal at hockey”
Bunny Hug – Hooded sweat shirt
Making appointments
Office hours for most private areas can run from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Flex hours are becoming more popular as traffic delays in the major urban centers are fast becoming a major issue for companies.
In the public areas, government workers take a hardy lunch, which means that if you try to contact a particular person around 12:00-2:00pm you will more then likely be stuck waiting.
Buisness Dress
Winter: Canadians usually dress in dark business suits.
Spring and Summer: Grey and Light Blue
Behavior
Canadians pride themselves on their non-judgmental attitudes, which means that Canadians prefer not to express opinions on various subjects for fear of offending.
Canadians are known throughout the world as polite, but not always the most friendly of people.
Addressing Others
Mr.” or “Ms.”, followed by the person’s surname, are the preferred forms of address.
The term “sir” is rarely used in Canada, And business names such as “Dr.” are not prominent and are generally thought to be pretentious.
Canadians drive on the right and pass on the left, and that also goes for walking up escalators, roads and streets.
In business contexts, men do not wink or whistle at women. They have sexual harassment laws against this just like we do in U.S
It is polite to wait for a third party to introduce you to others in business settings.
“Hey” or "How are you?" are common forms of address that do not require an answer.
When speaking to a Canadian, keep an arm's length distance from the person. Maintaining personal space is important to Canadians.
No shouting or calling attention to oneself is acceptable. Canadians tend to embarrass easily, so while Canadians are generally casual, they are not loud.
Gift Giving
Gift-giving does not play a big role in Canadian business culture.
Christmas/New Year’s cards are appropriate, particularly as a ‘thank-you’ in business settings.
If you were invited to a home for dinner, it would be inappropriate to bring desert, or a bottle of wine.
Negotiating
Americans are much more assertive whereas Canadians are generally low-key and prefer to ease into business discussions.
Being aggressive in a business meeting is frowned at and will most likely get you nowhere.
Entertaining
Something I found interesting about social entertainment in Canada is; If you are invited out to a pub in Canada, known that each person is expected to pay for a round of drinks. Neglecting your turn to pay for a round will create a bad impression.
Conclusion: Canada/U.S
Canada’s customs are very comparable to U.S. some things acceptable in America wouldn’t always pass directly with Canada, Such as America’s people are more loud and aggressive. As to where Canadians are known more for being passive and quiet.
Most Canadian customs and practices are so similar that to foreign countries Canadians and Americans could easily be mistakable for one another.
Quiz (T/F)
Canadians are aggressive (T/F) Canada is part of the united states (T/F) Canadians are similar to Americans (T/F) Canadians use the U.S.D (T/F) Canada is part of North America (T/F)
Quiz (Multiple Choice)
A well known food in Canada is…(A): Lasagna (B): Chocolate ©: Flipper pie
Pick the country with the largest population.(A): United States (B): Canada ©: Pakistan
The Canadian currency is?(A): U.S.D (B): Canadian Dollar ©: Yin
If you were going to a important business meeting in Canada in the winter, Your suit would be the following color….
(A): Black (B):Light blue ©: Pink
What term is generally not used in Canada?(A): Ms. (B): Mr. ©: Sir
Quiz (Short Answers)
Write a short paragraph comparing the United States to Canada.
How is negotiating in Canada different then the United States?
What is one thing interesting that Canada has/does that differs from the U.S?