The Same But Different

  In many ways, the people of Canada and the United States are the same. We have the same basic principles, morals, and lifestyle. Or at least I used to think this. This past trip and some of the conversations I had have changed my mind. Too many of the things that make us distinctly Canadian are the polar opposite of our neighbors to the south. But let's focus on just the two biggest.

  We had the opportunity to spend some time with a doctor and his wife. Nice people who were fun to hang out with. One conversation was about universal healthcare and I can honestly say his response to me was not anything I would have expected. He, as a man of medicine, does not believe health care is a right but a privilege. That threw me. Surely a doctor would believe that everyone is entitled to the same access to care. While he does believe everyone should be able to go to the clinic without concern he does believe they should pay for it.

  He was okay with a woman leaving the maternity ward after an emergency c-section with a baby under one arm and a huge medical bill under the other. Why should others pay for her operation was his reasoning. I guess he could see the bewilderment on my face, I'm not very good at keeping my face neutral most of the time, and tried to explain his point in a slightly different way. He went to school for many years. He has massive student debt that takes many years to pay off. Why should his tax dollars be going to a total strangers care who should be figuring out a way to pay for their own insurance premiums while he is responsibly paying off his debt? Their medical bills were the same as his college tuition...debt that was his own responsibility to pay off.

  Again my face gave away my feelings. I explained that as Canadians we do not and cannot understand that concept. Most of us have never had to pay to see a doctor. Or have an operation. The idea of not being able to buy groceries or losing our home because we got sick just doesn't exist to us. We don't get it. No amount of reasoning can make us understand. Yes, medication can cause some financial problems but we have many social programs to help us out with that as well. We believe, and rightfully so I think, that healthcare is a basic human right. Our conversation ended just as it began. Both of us not understanding the thinking of the other.

  Another big difference I noticed is guns. The way we use them. Our access to them and our mentality about them. It couldn't be any more different. Gun enthusiasts in the United States do not want to talk about gun regulations at all. They bring out the "right to bear arms" speak immediately. They know the writers of the constitution were not talking about automatic and semi-automatic machine guns when they wrote those words. Yet that is the go-to defense.

  Here we want rules that keep guns out of the hands of children, irresponsible owners and people who are mentally ill. We insist on a background check and a safety course. If you have a history of violence then you should be restricted from owning one. Basic simple rules that protect us. Are they perfect? Of course not. We do have gun violence but nothing like they do. Are there illegal guns in this country? You bet. 

  Hunters have talked about needing an AK47 to feed their family. Ummmm I'm not a hunter but I think any animal that was shot for food would not be edible with fifty to one hundred bullets in it. Home defense is another big topic. I personally know people who have handguns in their nightstands. One and that's where it stays. They don't take it on the bus to work or the grocery store or on a fun Sunday family drive. Chances are the bullets are somewhere else especially if there are kids in the house.

  Healthcare and guns. They are divisive topics in the United States and the biggest differences between us. Maybe we will never understand each other's positions. Maybe we don't have to to get along. And maybe next trip south I'll pick safer topics of conversation.

  Ang