Geographically and topographically there's not a whole lot in common between the two nations, but historically and demographically it would appear at first that many similarities can be seen.

Take the British colonialisation of apparently empty lands, poor treatment of indiginous communities and the sheer vastness of the land in comparison to its populations, for example. It seems both Canada and Australia had similar circumstances surrounding their births, but each evolved into culturally unique societies that are deceivingly similar at first contact.

Obviously it's much colder in Canada than in Australia, but don't let that fool you into thinking houses in Australia don't have furnaces in the basements, or that hot water systems can be casually installed outdoors. It would freeze otherwise! And why would you ever need to change your vehicle's tyres twice a year? the oblivious Australian will question.

But it goes much deeper than mere weather patterns. The average Australian will be shocked to learn that in Canada, flannel (or plaid, thats pronounced without the 'i') is simultaneously a highly sought after fashion item and a redneck favourite, donned by 99% of the population. Surely such attire is reserved only for bogans and their foreign brethren!

It's natural to assume different slang and cuisine evolved due to varying enviromental factors, but in Canada their southern neigbour has accutely shaped the nation's culture. Likewise with the Australians following their British roots into the modern age. Its rare to find a bakery selling fresh bread, pies and other baked goods anywhere in the Great White North, and in Australia you'd be hard pressed finding chain takeaway coffee and fast food outside of cities and larger towns. Those canucks will be hurtin' for a double-double down under.

Aside from aesthetic and culinary differences, the mentality of the average Canadian varies greatly from that of their Australian counterpart. In my experience, I've found that Canadian society allows for a specific alotment of 'holiday' time each year, usually a time when people migrate to their family cottage or head south to all-inclusive Caribbean farces. There's no space for any ideas about 'travelling', and retirement is usually a far-flung impossibility. Australians live for their lesiure time. Everyone is saving up for a big trip abroad or anticipating a great weekend at the beach playing cricket. Its easy to get extra time off from your day job because your boss is thinking along the same lines as everyone else. I've had alot of difficulty in securing time off from the jobs I've held in Canada.

Having said that, Australians are a particularly unfriendly bunch when it comes to serious issues such as immigration and the environment. We could certainly improve on our conservative foreign policies and archaic views on global warming. Many people will be shocked to hear this, and true enough most Aussies that I know are quite liberal in regards to such issues; but unfortunately this is not reflected in majority of the nation's recent political history. Certainly not the case in Canada (though it looks like the Haprer government could change that).

Of course many Canadians do travel and take extensive time off for recreational purposes, however the mentality of the nation as a whole is much more focused on careerpaths. Australia has fallen out of favour with more progressive thinking nations due to its lack of foresight for its own natural beauties and resources. Canadians and Australians alike are notorious for their friendliness and love of sports yet there appears to be many things the two nations could learn from each other and use to grow with their similarities rather than apart with their differences.