The government basics of Canada & America are essentially the same. But the experience of interacting with each government service doesn’t feel the same on each side of the border, especially when you’re clicking through forms or standing at a counter.
Here are ten ways Canadians interact with government services differently from how Americans do. Which of these do you recognize?
Federal services are officially bilingual
Almost every federal Government of Canada website makes you choose English or French before you can do anything else. It’s part of the laws around federal language that state that government services must be offered bilingually.
But American federal agencies don’t have the same law. That’s not to say you can’t get bilingual services over there. They simply depend a lot more on agency rules & available translations, rather than actual rules.
Federal logins
You have two ways of signing in to most Canadian federal services. You can either use GCKey, which is essentially a government-issued username & password, or you can use sign in with participating Canadian bank accounts.
There’s no such flexibility with American government services. You only have your Login account, and it’s built as a federal identity system across almost all agencies.
Online tax filing
Nobody likes paying taxes. You’ll need to use CRA-certified software to file personal taxes in Canada, and the system connects through NETFILE. There’s actually a list of approved products that you can use to file that the CRA publishes each year.
The US government gives you a little more freedom in filing taxes. The IRS runs Free File through private partners and also has fillable forms that allow you to file via official & semi-official ways.
Job-loss benefits
A Canadian who loses their job will likely claim Employment Insurance. The federal government handles that through Service Canada, and the entire application process is centralized.
State governments have more of a role to play in America. Federal rules create the regulations for unemployment benefits, but individual states handle how they’re distributed to people. It’s far more state-specific to the south of the border.
Health coverage paperwork
It’s the opposite policy with health coverage in Canada because it’s not one national office that handles it all. Provinces & territories have their own health insurance plans and cards, along with renewals.
But American Medicare is administered federally. The federal government deals with national eligibility & federal enrollment tools, although it’s the state and private partners who deliver it.
Voter registration
The Canadian government is a lot more flexible about voter registration than the American government. You can register at the polling station, even if you’re not on the list, as long as you’re an eligible voter.
Each state sets the voter registration rules & deadlines in the United States. You’ll have to wait until the next election cycle, should you miss the cutoff date.
Personal ID numbers
American Social Security (SSN) numbers are much more useful than Canadian Social Insurance Numbers (SIN). You’ll find that many government systems ask for your SSN as a form of ID.
The Canadian federal government treats these numbers differently. They actually say that you shouldn’t use your SIN as a general ID, and you may refuse to provide it at certain times.
Automatic enrollment
You don’t need to keep being registered for a lot of federal benefits in Canada. Payments tend to start or continue as long as your tax filings make you eligible, whether that’s for child benefits or senior payments.
Most Americans are used to reapplying & renewing for their benefits more often. They have to confirm their details far more frequently than people in Canada ever do.
Trust in government services
The way that people on either side of the border feel about their governments is also different. Surveys have found that Canadians tend to report higher levels of trust in their national governments than Americans.
Canadians are more likely to accept decisions & follow instructions from federal officials than Americans. They have a higher chance of using official services without looking for workarounds.
Online government services
Data from Statistics Canada shows that Canadians regularly use online portals for their taxes & benefits access. Americans are the opposite. Data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management indicates they’re not as likely to use the same services.
It seems that Americans prefer to make phone calls or have in-person follow-ups for their services. They’re not as big supporters of going digital as Canadians are.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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