# Is Canada a free country or is it not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 6, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506 "2013-02-06T18:12:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/101 "2013-02-09T04:49:52Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Freedom to mooch? That’s an interesting use of the word. Paying _lower taxes_ is mooching? ---
**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 9, 2013, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/102 "2013-02-09T05:19:39Z")
I thought we’d agreed that Canadian strippers on salary instead of tips were mooching? Man, this thread is moving too fast. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/103 "2013-02-09T05:21:00Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Here’s a web-page which attempts to do so, but only for the federal tax systems: [Comparison of Canadian and US federal tax rates for 2011 | The Dragon Well](http://slumbuddy.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/comparison-of-canadian-and-us-federal-tax-rates-for-2011/). > > I don’t have the knowledge of economics/tax to judge whether he does a fair comparison, but he makes two interesting points: first, judging from his graphs, he concludes that the two tax systems are roughly comparable, with slightly lower rates under the Canadian federal tax system. > > Second, he notes that one of the major expenditures of the Canadian federal government is the universal health care system, paid for out of general tax revenues. Americans do not use their taxes for that purpose. Instead, they pay their health care premiums themselves. By way of a thought experiment, he produces a separate analysis, showing what the combined US taxes and health care premiums are, to compare what Canadians and Americans get for their federal taxes, since Canadians pay for their health care collectively, through their federal taxes. By that measure (and again, > I don not have the technical skill to assess the merits of his analysis) Canadians come out really ahead, since we get to keep more of our income and get health care. But the USA gets to be Europe’s navy, and that makes it all worth it, right? ---
**Author:** ![hansel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6bbea6/32.png) [@hansel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hansel)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/104 "2013-02-09T05:22:08Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > If you need to find a reason for Netflix’s poor showing in Canada, the more likely cause, or at least the place Netflix is trying to place the blame, is high broadband costs and data limits. The head of content of Netflix said that Canadians had “third world access” to the internet, and called the price of data plans in Canada “a human rights violation” When I moved from Wisconsin to Vancouver, the cost of my broadband dropped by 60%, and the bandwidth increased by 100%. Americans get sodomized on their broadband in comparison to everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/105 "2013-02-09T05:27:36Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I thought we’d agreed that Canadian strippers on salary instead of tips were mooching? “Mooching”? Is that what the kids are calling it these days? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/106 "2013-02-09T05:28:40Z")
> [@hansel](#): > > Americans get sodomized on their broadband . . . Or, that? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/107 "2013-02-09T05:32:06Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Likewise, our Canadian versions of cable networks like Discovery lack some of the programming that the American versions have, and some shows like Mythbusters seem to be delayed for long periods of time before airing here. I find that stuff extremely annoying. Of course, there are also issues of licensing and copyright and such that get in the way, but Can-Con laws have to be part of it. So Discovery airs Mythbusters here on a regular schedule, albeit some months behind the American version, and you think Can-con rules are to blame? How exactly does delaying the airing of Mythbusters episodes increase the percentage of Canadian content on Discovery? I gotta confess, I’m completely baffled as to your thought process here. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/108 "2013-02-09T06:52:41Z")
I thought I put enough caveats around that. I don’t know how much red tape Can-con rules generate for people bringing content to Canada, but I would think it can’t be zero. For example, Amazon only opened a Kindle store for Canadians this month, and one of the things they mentioned is that it would have ‘special Canadian only content’. I also noticed that many titles available in the American store were not available in the Canadian Kindle store. Now, I don’t know if the ‘special Canadian content’ is a marketing ploy, or whether it took the Kindle store this long to open in Canada for other reasons just as copyright issues. I honestly don’t know. But if Can-Con rules apply, then it must have taken some time to manage that and to set up a store that had the right percentage of Canadian Content. But I don’t even know if that was the case. I was merely speculating. I also said in my first message that the effect of Can-Con rules is small compared to other issues, and that it wasn’t something I was particularly worried about. As for Mythbusters, again I was speculating. Do Can-Con rules apply to new content and change once the content is no longer considered first run? I don’t know. I suppose a more likely explanation is that the Canadian distributor negotiated a deal for a lower price to take a later feed or something, but that seems odd too. Quite frankly, I don’t understand why anyone would air a popular show months after it aired in the U.S. It seems like a strange decision for any reason. But they do it. Or at least they did. Plenty of shows don’t air in Canada at the same time as they air in the U.S. or the UK. It annoys the crap out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/109 "2013-02-09T14:42:41Z")
So far as I can tell, the only Can-Con red tape is in getting a program certified as Canadian if it isn’t produced entirely in Canada by Canadians. I presume that burden falls on producers and not broadcasters. If you look at the CRTC rules, they’re all about how many Canadian shows you need to air in which time slots. That’s it. Once you’ve aired enough Can-Con, the CRTC doesn’t care about what else you air. You can’t earn Can-Con credits for showing second run foreign material. I’m sure your Mythbusters peeve is entirely due to licensing costs. Capitalism at work. I suppose you could petition Shaw to pressure Discovery to pay more for current Mythbusters episodes and tack the difference onto your cable bill? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/110 "2013-02-09T14:50:30Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I thought I put enough caveats around that. I don’t know how much red tape Can-con rules generate for people bringing content to Canada, but I would think it can’t be zero. For example, Amazon only opened a Kindle store for Canadians this month I’ve been buying books for Kindle from Amazon for a year, at least. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/111 "2013-02-09T15:49:35Z")
Yeah, we’ll we got our first Target store a month ago, so I think you’re wrong about it being because of cannon, which does not apply to retail stores at all. Being that far behind is par for the course here, not exactly proving your point. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/112 "2013-02-09T15:57:59Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > That’s right - nobody is marrying horses _or_ hunting toddlers for sport in Canada. > > > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > > > Yes, well, I’m afraid the risk is greater here. Remember, you have a country with no Texans in it. I was gonna get all offended for a second. But then I remembered on reading Mr. Ekers’ post that I thought: “Wow, it’d be great to chase a toddler on a horse. Maybe just a catch and release thing. We could use lassos.”\* So, in all fairness, I do love me some terrified toddlers. On the other hand, I want to ride the horse not marry it. Now, there was a documentary that used to be broadcast pretty regularly about some love triangle between Dudley, Nell and Horse that happened in Canada. So you’re probably half right. - Yes, I am a Texan who has ridden a horse, thrown a lasso, and has no concern for the safety of children. Yet, even I wouldn’t vote for someone like Rick Perry ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/113 "2013-02-09T16:08:11Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > On the other hand, I want to ride the horse not marry it. Most fundamentalist horses will demand you marry them before riding. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/114 "2013-02-09T16:47:09Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Most fundamentalist horses will demand you marry them before riding. I don’t care what it thinks, it’s a horse. Which is why I don’t want to marry one - I’d never respect it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lurker\_Above](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Lurker\_Above](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lurker_Above)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/115 "2013-02-09T16:51:06Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > If you need to find a reason for Netflix’s poor showing in Canada, the more likely cause, or at least the place Netflix is trying to place the blame, is high broadband costs and data limits. The head of content of Netflix said that Canadians had “third world access” to the internet, and called the price of data plans in Canada “a human rights violation” Data limits can be low with the big providers, but when I looked at Netflix they had a horrible selection of streaming content for Canadians. Unless they’ve improved a lot since they first started up here I’d blame that instead. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/116 "2013-02-09T21:42:49Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![emacknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/117 "2013-02-20T18:31:54Z")
As an example of what it’s like to operate a business in Quebec [‘Pasta’ on Montreal menu cooks up controversy with language watchdog](http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/pasta-on-montreal-menu-cooks-up-controversy-with-language-watchdog-1.1164367) Quebec’s language watchdog has set its sights on one of the trendiest restaurants in Montreal, over the inclusion of the word ‘pasta’ on its menus. According to the letter, the menu’s use of Italian words in the titles of some dishes, despite their being accompanied by descriptions in French, falls short of compliance with the province’s language charter. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/118 "2013-02-25T23:30:01Z")
A lot of the Amazon/Netflix issues are likely due to licensing differences. While most US origin books are sold for the North American market, some of the books on Amazon may be licensed for publishing/sale only in the US market, with Canada included in the British & Commonwealth market. This would require either negotiating a separate licensing agreement, or a way of excluding these from Canadian sales. Ditto for Netflix movie/TV rebroadcast rights. Netflix may have an agreement with CBS for a TV show, but Global has the Canadian rights to that show, so a new agreement or a way to exclude the show from their lineup for Canadian customers. (Note also that for the hard-copy DVD rental business, Netflix has an existing Canadian competitor in Zip.ca. Whether Zip can survive without being overwhelmed our bought out remains to be seen.) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/119 "2013-02-26T00:43:15Z")
> [@emacknight](#): > > As an example of what it’s like to operate a business in Quebec > > [‘Pasta’ on Montreal menu cooks up controversy with language watchdog](http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/pasta-on-montreal-menu-cooks-up-controversy-with-language-watchdog-1.1164367) > > Quebec’s language watchdog has set its sights on one of the trendiest restaurants in Montreal, over the inclusion of the word ‘pasta’ on its menus. > > According to the letter, the menu’s use of Italian words in the titles of some dishes, despite their being accompanied by descriptions in French, falls short of compliance with the province’s language charter. The language commission backed down on this one. You’re trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill: as a lot of Anglo-Canadians like to do. I completely get why the Quebecois want to protect their language. Is it any different from traveling through Wales and seeing signs in both languages? It really is a unique culture; I wouldn’t want it any other way. I don’t want to travel to Quebec City some day and see English-only McDonalds and Walmarts. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506/120 "2013-02-26T00:51:44Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Is it any different from traveling through Wales and seeing signs in both languages? In that you probably don’t need to be in an epileptic seizure to pronounce French words. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-canada-a-free-country-or-is-it-not/649506.md?page=7)