What Americans Need To Know About Canadians
Welcome to the Cutting Room Floor, a newsletter where I round up all my personal finance articles, put out exclusive content and interviews, and flag my favorite job listings from around LinkedIn.
"Why are all Canadians so nice?"
A friend asked me this the other day, and it got me thinking about what Americans should know about Canadians. How's this for starters: We're not all nice!
It's a positive stereotype I guess, but I had to tell him there are plenty of assholes up north, just like any other society. I was very sorry to burst his bubble.
So now that one stereotype has been blown apart, what 's next? I've been down here 24 years now, so I feel like I have a foot in both worlds. (In fact in that photo above, little Chris grew up just off-camera to the left.)
Personally my favorite quote about what it means to be Canadian comes from the great novelist Robertson Davies: "I see Canada as a country torn between a very northern, rather extraordinary, mystical spirit which it fears, and its desire to present itself to the world as a Scotch banker."
Truth!
I figured I would ask some of my fellow Canadians in NYC media -- of which there are many, trust me, we have meetings -- for a few thoughts about what they should know about us.
Here's what they had to say.
Kristina Partsinevelos, Nasdaq reporter, CNBC
"Learning how to pour from a two-liter milk bag is indeed a true skill for Canadian children. While our American friends are wrestling with gallon jugs, many Canadian families, especially in Ontario and parts of Quebec, are buying their milk in bags. To use this bagged milk, you need to slide the bag into a special pitcher designed just for this purpose, snip off a corner of the bag and fold the cut corner over the edge of the pitcher. For Canadian kids, learning to pour from these bags is like a rite of passage. You haven't truly experienced Canadian childhood until you've accidentally squeezed a milk bag too hard and sent a jet of milk flying across the room."
Ali Velshi, host of "Velshi" and Chief Correspondent for MSNBC; Author, "Small Acts of Courage"
"Something Americans may not realize about Canadians is the degree to which most Canadians understand that a deliberate effort to attract immigration that started in the late 60’s has turned Canada (with roughly the population of California) the global economic powerhouse that it is. Canadians fundamentally welcome immigrants and understand the direct role they’ve played in the nation’s growth.?"
Diane Brady, Executive Director of Fortune Live Media; Editorial Director of Fortune CEO Initiative
"You can spot us when we say sorry to the door that hit us in the face. Canadians apologize to inanimate objects. It's a filler word."
Karen K. Ho, Senior Writer, ARTNews; "Doomscrolling Reminder Lady"
"When Americans ask me about Canadian healthcare, they inevitably bring up how they heard about long wait-times for important procedures. They don't know this idea was perpetuated by insurance executives through giant PR firms. And the long waits are for elective procedures, not for emergency or necessary ones. When both of my parents went through major medical procedures at Canadian hospitals, including cancer surgery, MRIs, and a CT scans, the only thing we paid for was parking fees. These kinds of policies are why Canadians have longer average lifespans, were three times less likely to get a coronavirus infection per capita, and half as likely to die from Covid-19. I didn't have to worry about co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance or losing coverage when I was a full-time freelancer.?
"A recent MRI in New York City, even with employer insurance, was $532, more than a round-trip flight back to Toronto. I needed the scan of my brain. But I still wonder about how many Americans couldn't afford to pay it."
Thanks to my friends for pitching in here. I expect we will have enough material for a second edition, so email me at [email protected] if you're a fellow undercover Canadian and want to be included.
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Fun numerical tidbits from my overflowing inbox
61,233: Number of complaints filed against U.S. airlines in 2023, a new record, according to a report from U.S. PIRG . That's up from 47,591 in 2022. The airlines with the worst complaints-per-passenger ratio: Frontier, Spirit, and JetBlue. On the flipside, the airlines with the least complaints per passenger: Alaska, Southwest, and Delta. These complaint numbers actually came out much later than usual this year -- the reason? "An avalanche of complaints caused the delay, coming in at such a fierce rate that DOT workers (even with help from artificial intelligence) couldn’t keep up." Lol!
60%: Percentage of Gen Z who think that they might never be able to afford a home of their own, according to the new Gen Z Home Buyers Report from Clever Inc. Meanwhile 98% say they are facing barriers to homeownership like high prices and steep interest rates, and only 18% say they could actually afford a home right now. This is all pretty dire, especially for a nation that has always tried to make things better for their kids. Two things I would say here: An increasing number of young adults may have to rely on the Bank of Mom and Dad to come up with a down payment and make this happen. Also, just because the housing market is the way it is, doesn't mean it will always be that way -- a correction will come, whether it's now or whether it's later.
38%: Percentage of jobseekers who say their search is going poorly, while only 15% say it's going well. It seems some storm clouds are gathering on the labor front, which was bound to happen eventually, but it is not ideal for the current administration with an election on the horizon. The Job Seeker Confidence Survey from ZipRecruiter fell to the lowest level since the survey began, according to the firm's recent report on the year's second quarter. Other red flags: The percentages of jobseekers who are actively looking for jobs daily, who are feeling financial strain, and who are falling behind on their bills while doing so, have all been rising.
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"A Couple Won the Powerball. Investing It Turned Into a Tragedy," Jason Zweig , The Wall Street Journal
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As always, feel free to get in touch via Twitter (here), or email ([email protected]), or by DM on LinkedIn -- to suggest story ideas, or ask money questions, or hire me as a freelancer, or sponsor this newsletter, or broadcast your job opening.
Until next time!
-CT
President/Gold Medal Consulting Group Ltd
7 个月Chris—-what a great “piece”—-Thank -you——reminds me of the line—‘Why did the Canadian cross the road!? To get to the Middle! Hope you are well——I would love to have a Zoom one day——when you have a moment pls send me your non-linked-in e-Mail to [email protected]——hope you are well——Ron Bremner
Magazine editor and writer, documentary filmmaker and author.
7 个月I'm so glad that Ali Velshi made this critical point: "...most Canadians understand that a deliberate effort to attract immigration that started in the late 60’s has turned Canada (with roughly the population of California) into the global economic powerhouse that it is. Canadians fundamentally welcome immigrants and understand the direct role they’ve played in the nation’s growth." There is an anti-immigrant backlash bubbling in Canadian society, and it's short-sighted and just plain wrong.