America is a beautiful country. For the first time in my life, last summer I travelled to the Eastern USA. I flew from Seattle to Houston to Pittsburgh. I met nothing but helpful and kind people along the way. It made my mini vacation a thrill. However, I'm going to try and put into perspective what upsets us Canadians a little bit. We love America, but it's the ignorance we are shown that is frustrating.

A few examples:
1992 World Series when the US Marine Corp. flew our flag upside down while in colour guard.
After 9/11, when GWB (nuff said), gave his speech to your congress I believe, and when mentioning allies, failed to mention Canada and the fact that many of your citizens were sitting in our homes waiting to go home.
During televised sporting events, like the MLB All-Star game, your networks ALWAYS cut to a commercial for the Canadian National Anthem, which is really a pet peeve of mine because it shows no respect.
NBC will not show a Canadian team on its hockey coverage.
Garry Bettman. If you don't know who he is, you're not missing much.
The typical question, "Do you know Ted or Jen in Toronto?".

A great spoof movie, if you ever get a chance to rent it, is Michael Moore's Canadian Bacon. Watch it sometime, as he makes a good movie over Canada-USA relations. Now my examples above are just sentiment. I love the USA, and much of what has become of it.

Canada is were I love to live and am proud to be from. But we have our own issues here. Every tree hugger in the world feels the need to protest the Olympics. We have a gang war going on in my area where innocent people are being shot and killed. Canadian parents allowing their sons to be victimized by playing soccer. Light beer. Yes we have our problems here.

My concerns for the USA though. It's time to move into the 21st century on a couple of issues. Get some standardized healthcare for your people, especially those who need it. Learn Canada's provinces, so that way we don't have to hear an announcement of "Vancouver, Canada" when it should be "Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada". And for god's sake, do something about your gun laws. It's rediculous that I was able to read today that a 10-month baby boy is a registered owner of a firearm. The slogan may be that guns don't kill, people do, but putting guns out there as a right, is antiquated. Less guns = less violence. Proven fact people.

Long Live Canada
God Bless the USA

We need each other to survive, except in Gary Bettman's hockey world.

Chris Scaccia

But we do know Canada is north of us. The End.

@ Those that want to bad mouth people…..I’ve been to Canada several times so calling someone ignorant just looks bad on you. I have nothing against Canada but was speaking as a whole of the U.S. Most people don’t care what is going on in the next state over much less the next country. Take a chill pill!

Cindy…Ga."

Who annointed YOU as the one to speak for all? Free health care!! Free health care!! Free health care!! FREE health care!!

But, while geographically Canada is second in size only to Russia, we have one tenth of the population of the United States. One of the important facts that should be known isn't just the number of Canadians serving as part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, but the percentage of our military force that this mission entales, and the percentages when compared to the other NATO forces. And our military, like our banking system, may be small, but is one of the best in the world. It was German soldiers that coined the term "storm troopers" to describe Canadian forces in World War I.

Today I am especially proud at the welcome President Obama received in Ottawa. Like Canada itself, Prime Minister Harper may look middle of the road, but the American press interest over the past few days has, hopefully, shown the American people that we live by the motto of "True North Strong and Free."

I'm grateful for having such a great neighbour (even if they spell neighbour wrong :p ) to the south. And every American I've met is grateful for having such a great neighbour to the north.

I've travelled all over the USA and met nothing but wonderful people (even the New Yorkers :p ). When I meet people who don't know anything about Canada they are always keen to ask questions and learn.

If you find Americans to be "ignorant" of Canada it's not their fault as individuals that their media just ignores us. And if you find Canadians feel "snobbish" towards Americans it's not their fault as individual that our media loves to broadcast anti-American pablum.

It's amazing that the only way Canada ever makes the American news is if something blows up here or the US President graces us with his presence. But really that's ok, we prefer to be the quiet intellectual type anyway.

Sadly, I belive that the sentiment reflected by one or two Americans below, most Americans know nothing about Canada. Don't forget, Canada is America's number one supplier of oil and comedians!

Ok, now where's my hockey stick? I have a game in an hour!

I logged onto AC360 after watching the CBC coverage of President Obama's arrival here in Canada. I was pumped watching it! Excited for our country that he is here & what it means to me.
But wow – I wasn't expecting such hostility on this blog! Why?
You all sound like kids in a sand box arguing about whose castle is bigger and better!

I'm Canadian, grew up in a border city only to marry and move to another border city. I have "American" friends, my brother lives in St. Louis, I've dated "American" men.
We are two different countries with a lot of different views on a lot of different topics – the thing about Canada is that we get the majority of the media coverage from the US so yes – we likely are more informed about what is happening there.
Hey – if CNN was based in Toronto – America would know more about what happens in Canada.

But hey, I'm getting off topic here. I'm happy for the US that Barack Obama was voted President. He seems like a great man – I'm actually a bit jealous to be honest. I'd like it if he secretly had a twin that was born in Canada and could run for PM.

Bottom line is Canada & the US are neighbours – we should get along. We haven't been getting along since Bush had a hissy fit when we wouldn't go to war in Iraq. We were already in Afghanistan helping him look for Bin Laden.

I'm hoping that President Obama will help mend the broken white-picket-fence between our two countries.

I am happy to say this has all seemed to change on a dime with the election of Obama. Thank you America! I am FINALLY proud to be an American.

Things I would like Americans to know about Canada? We are not ALL nice people. Friendly might be a more accurate term. We don't ALL say Eh after every sentence and we don't live in igloo's.

The big difference I see between Canadians and Americans? We don't sue our neighbours. We just simply say "I'm Sorry". AND we don't have to worry about losing our home because our children get sick. Living in Canada makes life a little less stressful. Don't cha think?

Yet, you seem quite fond of showing just about every OTHER move he makes,no matter how minor.

As for the title of this post,I find it very condecending in its attitude.
If you were going to drag this out again today,at least pick a better title,or better yet,do not drag it out at all.

Was there NO OTHER title that could have been used,that did not seem so uninformed,to the point of arrogance,
and,as many previous posts here have said,ignorant?

Or,perhaps you should follow the saying, "if you don't have anything good to say,don't say anything at all."!

Oh,and it is Ottawa,Ontario,Canada,by the way,and a LOT of us do not go around saying EH all the time,either.
Neither are we boring,or do many of us find the US very interesting,either.

If you DO decide to post my comment,please do me the courtesy of NOT censoring it by removing my orginal words,like you did on my previous post with this story .
You removed MINE,but yet left it alone in others??
There were/are far worse ones here than what I ORIGINALLY said,that ONE word, which is used here by others:ignorant.

Having said that, there are great differences between the cultures, but a suprising similarity in a peculiar ignorance and sense of superiority. Many of my Canadian friends stereotype all Americans as stupid and ignorant. And many of my American friends stereotype Canadians as some kind of gay lumberjacks. Simply stated: ignorant people are ignorant.

The fact is that Canadians know much more about America because we are raised on their news/television/movies/music/sports, etc. Unless you live in Upstate New York or some other border area, American get no Canadian content whatsoever. Other than Degrassi Junior High or the Trailer Park Boys, Americans know nothing about Canadian pop culture beyond Brian Adams, Celine Dion and Nickleback. That is not exactly anyone's fault though is it? If you live where I live, the only thing you ever hear about Canada is that there is some oil in some tar pits up there or something.

So, to sum it all up, Americans need to know that Canadians are a proud, peace loving people who respect themselves, their environment, and the people with whom they share the world. And Canadians need to know that Americans are idealistic because of the principles on which their country was founded, proud of the traditions and culture that they give to the world – acknowleging their influence upon it – and basically just trying to make their way in the world. Just like everybody else.

That said, THANK-YOU for writing it as it IS needed. I am proud to be Canadian and I am excited that you now have Obama. I look forward to being shown a bit more respect for the role we play in your lives as we respect and often look up to Americans.

We are very different in sometimes subtle ways. We are a sovereign nation with a unique history that diverged from yours not so long ago. Lets celebrate our differences as we work together. But lets actually work together and see the relationship spoken about in the media.

AND bring Omar Khadar home Harper. He was a child solider and should be rehabilitated as such by the country he called home.

There is shared blood between us: US and Canadian troops served side by side in the 1st Special Service Force during WW2; Canadian troops protected the retreating US and South Korean forces at Kapyong; US soldiers liberated Canadian POWs in Japan. Civil aid has been important too: when the Halifax Explosion took place aid and support from the US was vital to helping rebuild the city; when Katrina took place Canadian rescue teams were made available to assist US assets and when the FAA grounded air traffic on 9/11 Canadian airports absorbed the bulks of the traffic.

There is a lot of ignorance on both sides of the border. Unfortunately ignorance is part of the human condition. The chattering of those dismissive of either country is simply an indication of their own limited understanding of the world. When all one does is absorb TV and consume it is easy to believe your country exists in a vacuum.