Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" on the Differences Between the Governments of USA and Canada

Yesterday I wrote a brief "overview" of Canadian Government and some of the ways it is different from the US Government. Today I want to look more at how Canadian and US Governments differ - and this "Lost Canadian" has learned some of these differences are significant. I learned the following on-line - "While Canadians and Americans share fundamental democratic rights, they do not have the same rights, as their laws differ significantly. Canadians are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, offering rights like universal healthcare, official bilingualism, and stronger collective rights. Conversely, Americans have distinct constitutional rights, notably the right to bear arms and stronger protections for free speech." So, what does this mean?

• The U.S. Constitution (Second Amendment) guarantees the right to bear arms, which does not exist in Canada, where gun ownership is a regulated privilege. We can see this difference in the vast difference in the number of gun-related crimes (especially in mass shooting events) in the US and Canada.
• Canadians have a legally recognized right to universal, government-funded healthcare, which is not a constitutional right in the U.S.. Again, we are able to see this difference in the significant number of US citizens who go bankrupt each year from healthcare costs - approximately 530,000 to over 550,000 U.S. households file for bankruptcy annually due to medical bills or illnesses, with medical expenses contributing to 66.5% of all U.S. bankruptcies. In Canada personal bankruptcy specifically caused by health issues is rare, with few to no direct "medical bankruptcies" reported.
• Canada generally offers stronger employee protections, such as restrictions against "at-will" firing, and tighter personal privacy laws regarding public access to criminal records.

You will find the full post at this link.