I know Canada is the only country to burn down the white house (war of 1812, check it out).
p.s. I'm Canadian
Well, technically it was the British, Canada didn't really exist as a country until 1871. Incidentally, my gr gr gr gr grandfather and his brother who lived in Markham, mostly sat around and got drunk during the War. They were supposed to be guarding the fort in Toronto... Perhaps it was their drunkenness that allowed the Americans to burn the fort. The British retaliated by setting fire to the White House.
Also, I couldn't help but notice that they keep their streets far cleaner than we do. I don't know if they're tidier or they're more efficient at picking up trash, but I remember being astonished at how rare it was to see litter along the highway. I felt embarrassed.
Canada is very similar to Switzerland in that way. It's always a shock to see things so tidy.
My experience cross-Canada (from PEI to Victoria) is that Canadians sometimes have more in common with the major US city in its longitude than Canadian cities in latitude. (I haven't been in the North, tho.) The biggest shock for me (other than nearly wetting my pants when I first saw curling on TV; having colored money; and getting a Queen), was understanding the Canadian provinces are not the same as states in the federal system of the U.S.
A good book on Canada is
Portrait of Canada by June Callwood It was published in 1981 but she has a great sense of humor and the book is well written. According to her, Canada was variously Europe's Cod Farm or Europe's fur farm. She also emphasizes how tenuous Canadian Confederation is and was.
I've been to Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, skiied at Mt Tremblant and have spent a fair amount of time in Vancouver.
I agree with those who say that Canadians have an insecurity complex, however, I think they're kinder, more generous and more outgoing than Americans. They also have fewer class hangups than Americans do, which is sort of odd. The Quebecois are somewhat of an odd lot.
Anything east of Richmond B.C. is simply too cold to live.