# ...and of course in Canada, the whole thing's flip-flopped! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476 "2015-02-12T15:18:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/61 "2015-02-13T06:58:07Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Probably the most significant reversal is in the writing of dates: > > American standard: 12/02/2014 = December second. > Canadian standard: 12/02/2014 = February twelfth. This is a myth perpetrated by Microsoft. Only the government writes the date backward, everyone else does it normal, like the USA. However, most people also tend to use 2015-02-12 which sorts better in Excel if it gets turned into text. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/62 "2015-02-13T07:36:19Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Also, at least in Quebec, they often reverse the comma/decimal convention that we use in the states: > > American: 1,234.56 > Canadian: 1.234,56 In my experience: In English it’s 1,234.56 In French it’s 1 234,56 > [@md2000](#): > > Not sure where that “aboot” comes from because it seems to demonstrate a complete lack of knowledge of Canada. We pronounce it that way from time to time for the ironic value. “I’ll drive to Buffalo aboot 10AM tomorrow…” [Canadian raising](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_raising) is a thing, but “aboot” is the the exactly wrong way of referencing it (cue “Americans are stupid” joke). American pronunciation: Uh-bah-oot Canadian pronunciation: Uh-buh-oot Both have the “oo” sound as the latter half of the diphthong, so “aboot” misses the mark in distinguishing the pronunciations. \*In my experience, only a small fraction of Canadians actually speak this way. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/63 "2015-02-13T08:11:50Z")
In the USA, flip-flops. In Canada, snowshoes. ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/64 "2015-02-13T21:36:06Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Bob and Doug McKenzie (aka Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) used to do a bit about how down in the States they call back bacon Canadian bacon. I used to work in the states with a guy from Ontario, and we became friends. We once went to Canada to see a concert and visit his parents, and before we left, he said we had to run to the grocery store to buy some Canadian bacon. Turned out his parents liked the stuff he could get in the states better than the “back bacon” from up north, so much so that they made him bring some up whenever he visited…so maybe we have better Canadian bacon than Canada. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/65 "2015-02-13T21:44:08Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > This is a myth perpetrated by Microsoft. > Only the government writes the date backward, everyone else does it normal, like the USA. However, most people also tend to use 2015-02-12 which sorts better in Excel if it gets turned into text. I always do day/month/year, but this probably has nothing to do with being Canadian. I simply don’t understand why anyone would EVER flip the numerical day/month. Desc/Ascending formats just seem normal. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/66 "2015-02-13T22:15:14Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > when Jian Gomeshi, a long beloved, high profile celebrity was accused of violence and sexual assault, we believed the women. That’s kind of an opposite too! It may seem quirky and old-fashioned, but there actually are a lot of Americans who think this sort of conclusion should derive from evidence rather than mere belief. (Probably true of at least a few Canadians as well.) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/67 "2015-02-13T22:17:40Z")
I think the intended point was that the Canadians didn’t automatically decide that the sexual assaults didn’t happen and that the victims were lying whores. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/68 "2015-02-13T23:34:30Z")
Right - and my point would be that it’s highly dubious to assume that Americans are much different in this. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/69 "2015-02-14T01:52:20Z")
Today in Canada saw the demise of SunTV, a total far right FOX like station that was heralded to change the face of Canadian news coverage. It was like a clone with outraged anchors and blowhard wing nuts, etc, etc. When it started up most people looked at it a little stink eyed and wondered if this would fly in Canada, like Fox has in the US. Seems they just couldn’t make a go of it here! 🙂 I read today there max viewership was less than 10,000 people! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/70 "2015-02-14T02:16:02Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > …Depends on the state/province. Here, almost nothing is obviously regulated (beyond tax, licensing, etc.) and I can buy liquor, beer, or wine at the grocery store. Some states require you to buy it in state-owned stores, or others only sell in dedicated liquor stores (beer and wine are often allowed in grocery stores). Some states have “sin laws” where you can’t buy during certain hours and/or on Sundays. IIRC Alberta is the only province where alcohol sales are fully privatized; in the rest of Canada there’s a provincial/territorial alcohol monopoly of varying strictness. Ontario has both a government monopoly of wine & spirits and a _private_ monopoly on beer sales (The Beer Store, 98% foreign owned). Also the drinking age is either 18 or 19 depending on province verses a uniform 21 in the US. _All_ Canadian judges are appointed for lifetime terms (though there’s a mandatory retirement age). In the US that only applies for federal judges (minus mandatory retirement); state judges are usually elected in same way for fixed terms. Canada doesn’t have anything like US’s heavily partisan judicial confirmation process for federal judges. Some state judges are even elected in partisan elections just like any other office. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/71 "2015-02-14T03:06:19Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > _All_ Canadian judges are appointed for lifetime terms (though there’s a mandatory retirement age). This may just be a linguistic difference, but we don’t say they’re appointed for lifetime terms. They are appointed for a set term, based on their age at appointment and the mandatory retirement age. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/72 "2015-02-14T03:08:11Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > This is a myth perpetrated by Microsoft. > Only the government writes the date backward, everyone else does it normal, like the USA. I have to disagree. I first saw the odd reversal of month and date when I was in the United States and I’ve never used it. The standard for me is dd/mm/yyyy. ---
**Author:** ![Sizzlefry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Sizzlefry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sizzlefry)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/73 "2015-02-14T03:13:38Z")
Actually, most of the rest of the world does it the different way which you describe. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2015, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476/74 "2015-02-14T04:20:02Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > I always do day/month/year, but this probably has nothing to do with being Canadian. I simply don’t understand why anyone would EVER flip the numerical day/month.al. Well. It’s very easy to understand; ask a Canadian to SAY a date. If you ask me what day D-Day was, I will likely say “June 6, 1944.” M/D/Y is how dates are often stated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-in-canada-the-whole-things-flip-flopped/712476.md?page=3)