If You Need More Reasons To Escape To Canada, Read This

Don't get me wrong, the United States is an amazing country, but our neighbors to the north definitely have some things going for them. There is a lot that Canada has that the U.S. doesn't but should definitely start considering. From free health care to ketchup-flavored chips, this list will surely get you wanting to hop on the first plane out to move to Canada.

Santa Claus Is An Official Canadian Citizen

Santa Claus
Photo Credit: Mike Arney / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Mike Arney / Unsplash

In 2012, Canada declared that Santa Claus was indeed a Canadian citizen. Did you ever notice that his suit is red and white—the colors of the Canadian flag?

Children everywhere in the world can mail their letters to Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0, Canada. Volunteer elves even work on responding to some!

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They'll Say "Sorry" Even If It's Not Their Fault

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Sorry
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Photo Credit: Tim Mossholder / Unsplash
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Canadians are known to apologize for everything, even when no apology is required. It's part of their communication culture. Rather than make fun of it, know that studies show that saying sorry boosts happiness and strengthens relationships.

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Researchers at the University of Waterloo even found that apologizing to a cop when pulled over for speeding can get fines reduced an average of $51.

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They Have A Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve

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Maple syrup
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Photo Credit: Gabriel Gurrola / Unsplash
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Canadians don't just pour it on pancakes and waffles; you'll likely find maple-flavored everything, from bacon and salad dressing to ice cream toppings.

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Thankfully, to feed the syrup dependency, Quebec has an actual strategic reserve of the sweet stuff, the same way that the U.S. has a strategic oil reserve. Canada produces more than 75% of the world's maple syrup, so it's really quite the business.

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You Get Mandatory Paid Time Off Work

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Work
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Photo Credit: Marten Bjork / Unsplash
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Canada has slightly more of a focus on work/life balance than the U.S. While an American can easily work an average of 39 hours a week, Canadian workers put in an average of 36 hours per week.

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In addition, Canadians are encouraged to take 30-minute breaks every 5 hours and at least one day off a week. The best part is that companies give a minimum of two weeks of paid vacation time per year by law.

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One Word: Poutine

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Poutine
Photo Credit: Lewis Geyer/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Lewis Geyer/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
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If you like fries, cheese, and gravy separately, imagine how good they taste combined. Canada takes credit for this national dish. It comes in many different variations, with popular additional toppings including bacon and pulled pork.

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Basically, you can't go wrong. You'll find poutine at most fast food places and fairs!

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You Can Be Neighbors With The World's Largest Coin

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Photo Credit: fw42 / Flickr
Photo Credit: fw42 / Flickr
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The world's largest coin, suitably named the Big Nickel, is located in Sudbury, Ontario.

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It’s a reproduction of a 1951 Canadian nickel measuring 9 meters (29.5 feet) wide. You might feel rich just looking at it.

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Free Health Care, So You Can See The Doctor Whenever

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Doctor
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Photo Credit: Online Marketing / Unsplash
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Imagine being able to just walk into a clinic, show your health card, see a doctor, and then walk out without owing an arm and a leg.

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Everyone in Canada is eligible for free healthcare, and special coverage for things like massages can be added (also for free) through jobs and school systems.

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All Hail The Caesar, Canada's National Drink

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Caesar drink
Photo Credit: Maude Frederique Lavoie / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Maude Frederique Lavoie / Unsplash
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A Caesar is similar to the popular American "Bloody Mary," including vodka, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce as ingredients. The main difference is the juice. Canadians use Clamato juice, which is a mixture of clam and tomato juice. Clam juice might sound odd, but somewhere around 350 million Caesars are consumed annually in Canada!

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Quite The Variety Of Unique Chip Flavors And Candies

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ketchup chips
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Photo Credit: @mnmtwinz / Instagram
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Canadians get quite creative with their snack food flavors. The most famous being the ketchup chip followed by the all-dressed chips. People tend to be divided on whether they love them or hate them.

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It's not limited to chips, though. Canada also has Coffee Crisp chocolate bars, kinder surprises with a toy in the middle, and butter tarts.

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You Can't Walk A Block Without An Opportunity To Buy Tim Hortons Coffee

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Tim Horton's
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Photo Credit: Conor Samuel / Unsplash
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Tim Hortons is the beloved and patriotic coffeeshop that occupies almost every single street in Canada. You'll also find them in movie theaters, bus stations, malls, and even mobile trucks.

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How can you resist a box of colorful little Timbits and $1.79 coffee?

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Consuming The Most Mac N Cheese In The World

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Mac N Cheese
Photo Credit: Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images
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Did you know that Canada consumes the most macaroni and cheese of any country in the world?

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In fact, they eat 55 percent more than Americans do, consuming 4 million boxes of "Kraft Dinner" (as they call it) a year.

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You Can Live In Three Of The Most Liveable Cities In The World

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Toronto
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Photo Credit: Richard Kidger / Unsplash
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Canada can brag that three of its cities (Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver) all made it the 2019 list of "Most Liveable Cities in the World."

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If you're looking for low crime rates, awesome culture, and stellar education, this is the place to be!

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You Can Swim In 20% Of The World's Fresh Water

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Lake
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Photo Credit: Stephane Kirouac / Unsplash
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Canada has more surface area covered by lakes than any other country in the world. The Great Lakes alone contain about 18 percent of the world’s fresh water.

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That’s not only a lot of water, but also a lot of stunning scenery and hiking opportunities.

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You Get To Say "Eh" At The End Of Every Sentence

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Canadian
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Photo Credit: Lucas Favre / Unsplash
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It's no secret that Canadian English has its own slang, but the most popular term has got to be "eh." it's regularly used to mean "right?" like when you say "I know, eh?"

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It is so widely used that it even got added to the Oxford Dictionary.

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You'll be Buying Milk In A Bag (And Saving Money)

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milk
Photo Credit: Tijana Drndarski / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Tijana Drndarski / Unsplash
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Canada is one of the only places in the world where no one raises an eyebrow when they pour their milk out of a plastic bag from a specially designed jug.

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Why go through all that trouble instead of a carton? It's more cost-effective, with the bag option providing 4 liters for about $3.99 CAD. A one-liter carton costs $3.29 CAD, so the bag is obviously a better deal.

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You Can Speak More Than One Language, Including "Goose"

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Geese
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Photo Credit: Vivek Kumar / Unsplash
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Not only does Canada have two official languages, English and French, but it has an official third language. This language isn't part of the curriculum.

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The "goose" language is unique to Canada geese, who actually have around 13 different calls they use to communicate with each other. This classification makes it possible to identify a structure in their "speech."

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You Might Live Longer Than The Average American

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American Canadian
Photo Credit: Kevin Lanceplaine / Unsplash
Photo Credit: Kevin Lanceplaine / Unsplash
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Statistics show that Canadians born today will live an average of three years longer than Americans. The average life expectancy is 81 years in Canada versus 78.7 in The U.S.

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This gap has actually been widening with each passing decade. In the 1970s, there was less than a year's difference between the two countries.

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They're Prepared For Aliens

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aliens
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Photo Credit: Donals giannatti/ Unsplash
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Canada is the first country in the world to create a landing pad specifically for UFOs.

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The pad has been awaiting our friends from above in Alberta since 1967. The structure also contains a time capsule, to be opened in 2067, so you might want to be around for that.

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You Get To Experience 140 Cultures All In One Place

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Multicultural
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Photo Credit: Phan Anh Tran / Unsplash
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Canada offers a unique and diverse culture thanks to its welcoming immigration policy. Over 20 percent of the Canadian population comes from other countries.

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Citizens come from all over the world and bring with them a little piece of their customs, cuisine, celebrations, and language. In Toronto, more than 140 languages are spoken.

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You Can Experience All Four Seasons In One Day

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Leafs
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Photo Credit: Chris Lawton / Unsplash
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The weather can go from -19 degrees Celsius to 22 degrees Celsius in one single hour. OK, that only happened once in 1962 in Alberta, but it's possible!

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The weather isn't normally that extreme, but it's not uncommon for it to drop 10 degrees in a couple of hours and go from warm to snowy in a matter of days.