A lot of the same things tend to bother Canadians & Americans. However, a few complaints tend to pop up more in Canada than they do in America, and it’s usually due to differences in prices or rules. They’re things that Canadians tend to mention in casual conversations.
Here are ten things Canadians complain about more than Americans, and the reasons why they have such an issue with them. But remember, we’re not trying to assign blame, simply pointing out the day-to-day annoyances that people complain about.
Which of these irritates you the most?
Wireless phone plan prices
The cost of wireless phone plans tends to be higher in Canada than in the United States. In fact, research from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada has found that similar plans can be far more expensive in Canadian cities than in American ones.
That’s one of the reasons why Canadians complain more about wireless phone plan prices. They’re paying a lot more for the same kind of service, and that doesn’t really seem fair to many people north of the border.
Housing affordability
Housing costs are something that many Canadians complain about, especially those living in large metro areas. Data from the OECD has shown that real house prices have risen much faster in Canada than in the United States over the years.
But it gets worse. Many Canadian cities are ranked as “severely unaffordable” under Demographia’s affordability ratings, and that’s why home prices have become a common topic for Canadians to complain about.
Wait times to see a family doctor or specialist
Canadians aren’t usually very happy about their healthcare access. It’s mostly due to the fact that, according to research, the nation has some of the longest-reported wait times for primary care & specialist appointments in the world.
Many Canadians are frustrated with how long it takes to book timely doctor visits. However, in America, the wait times tend to be much shorter, so they’re less likely to complain about them than Canadians.
Customer service wait times for government programs
That’s not all for wait times. Lots of Canadians complain about the slow responses they get from federal programs like Employment Insurance & immigration services, even the benefit offices.
They’re quite unhappy about issues like long call wait times.
Canadians claim they need to make more repeat calls and wait longer for updates than Americans do for U.S. federal agencies. They get frustrated by receiving different answers depending on who they speak to.
Dairy prices
You may find that lots of Canadians complain about dairy pricing. It’s due to the fact that the prices are connected to the nation’s supply management system, and over-quota tariffs on imported dairy can sometimes be higher than 200%.
There are even cases where the tariffs are closer to 300%, mostly for butter. It should, then, be no surprise that Canadians generally complain about dairy prices far more than Americans do.
Changing the clocks for daylight saving time
Canadians generally complain about clock changes more than Americans do. Only a few states have actually debated ending the switch. But in Canada, a public consultation found that 91% of participants wish they didn’t have to change their clocks twice a year.
Their solution was to keep a permanent summer time. It seems that Canadians are far unhappier about daylight saving time than Americans are.
Border wait times
One of the most frustrating aspects of leaving Canada is having to come back. Land borders & major airports tend to be quite busy, with data showing that delays can be as long as an hour or more for some crossings.
Many Canadians say that entering the U.S. feels a lot quicker than returning to Canada. They dislike having to deal with slower lanes & extra inspections, while the lack of predictable clearance times doesn’t help either.
Recycling rules that change by city
Another common complaint that Canadians have is with recycling. The rules can be rather different across cities, and surveys show that 54% of Canadians show some uncertainty about the specific regulations. 49% don’t even know how to recycle cartons.
But it’s a different story in America. Labeling tends to be more standardized over there, so they’re less likely to have issues with how specific recycling programs work in their city.
Scam reports
Canadians complain a lot about scams because fraud is becoming more of a widespread issue. Data from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre found that there were over 100,000 fraud complaints and around $638 million in losses in a single year.
Lots of people up north feel like they’re being targeted by phone scams & fake delivery messages. They’re tired of dealing with constant impersonation attempts.
Do Not Call List complaints
Of course, you could try putting your number on Canada’s National Do Not Call List. But that doesn’t seem to be doing much.
The CRTC found that there were over 25,000 complaints about unwanted calls, with some of these including calls to numbers on the List.
Yes, America has similar systems. But Canadians tend to complain more about how the List is enforced, as well as having to deal with repeat offenders who don’t follow the regulations.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
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