Canada and the United States are two of the most promising democracies in the world. However, the politics in both countries vary based on different government systems, political cultures, roles of public opinion, etc. Canada has a parliamentary system of government, while the United States has a presidential system of government. In the United States, the political parties are relatively weaker in the sense that politicians can leverage their votes in exchange for concessions from the serving administration. In Canada, however, this rebellious attitude of the party members is close to none, which makes political parties stronger than they are in the US.

Despite being in geographical proximity to each other, Canada and the US have distinct political environments. For example, one of the very prominent differences in the political cultures of both countries is that Canadian politics is more tolerant than that of the US. It is maybe because the “freedom of expression” in Canada less flexible than that of the US, which prevents hate speech. In political decision-making, the Senate in the United States is more powerful than the Canadian Senate because, in the US, senators are directly elected and have a defined period of service. One of the notable features in comparison between the US and Canadian politics is campaign funding. In the United States, campaign funding has no limit, whereas, in Canada, there are funding limits, which makes US political campaigns more expensive and extravagant than those of Canada.

Some of the differences that reflect in both countries’ political cultures stem from their history as well. For example, since Canada formed as a conservative country, Canadians trust the political institutions and political process for the well-being of the country. Hence, the dominating values of Canadian politics are peace, order and good governance. On the other hand, the United States was formed in the event of a violent revolution, which means American political culture is based on admiration of those who fight for truth and justice, and the dominating values in American politics include liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Moreover, in the case of Canada, provinces are relatively stronger than in the case of states in the United States. Canadian politics allow the provinces to retain their control over various areas, including resources, education, healthcare, trade rules etc. The culture of lobbying, which is bluntly followed in the United States’ political culture, is usually absent in the case of Canada, which also sets the politics of both countries way apart. To conclude, Canada is relatively more diverse in terms of linguistic and ethnic differences than the United States. Hence the political culture in Canada is based on governments focusing on not letting conflicts spin out of control. Hence, in Canada, the political culture is not marked with people having a strong culture of hate against the government, as in the case of the United States. It cannot be said for certainty which political culture is better i.e., US or America, it is sufficient to say that based on history and sociocultural dynamics, both states operate on the politics that fit them best.