Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Australia has a higher proportion of British descent than Canada, and more British immigrants (and in turn I believe there are more Australians than Canadians in the UK). Yet Australia has a stronger republican movement in spite of - or perhaps because of - this.
Canada's British-born population peaked in 1931; Australia's I think peaked around 1980 or so.
So overall how does the British influence compare in these two former "white dominions"?
Australia has a higher proportion of British descent than Canada, and more British immigrants
Only sightly; the Brits are a pretty minor part of the population in both countries. Post WWII and today, Australia has, and has had, a higher proportion of its population born elsewhere than Canada. Historically, I suspect Australia had a lot more Irish Catholic influence than Canada which would have influenced how 19th and early 20th century Australians viewed the UK.
Canadians I have met here in Australia and in Canada seem way more Euro-centric and Euro-aware, including UK focussed, than Australians who on average seem far more focussed on Asia and the Pacific. You can't escape from the impact of geography, commerce and the broader institutional frameworks that binds countries. The UK is Canada's 4th largest trade partner (one of four EU counties in the top ten) , while it ranks number 7 for Australia (one of 2 EU countries in the top 10). Canada, unlike Australia, is still very much an Atlantic country.
As for the Australian diaspora, I remember reading recently that there are more Aussie expats the US and than UK. Today, time spent in Singapore, Hong Kong or Japan would look much better on your resume than the EU.
Last edited by Bakery Hill; 02-14-2016 at 03:18 AM..
As an Australian I am surprised, most white-Australians are MIXED English ( mainly West-Country/Londoners and Irish (South) . New Zealand is more Scottish/North English and Maori-of course. To say Australia is more Irish influenced is plain silly.
Only sightly; the Brits are a pretty minor part of the population in both countries. Post WWII and today, Australia has, and has had, a higher proportion of its population born elsewhere than Canada. Historically, I suspect Australia had a lot more Irish Catholic influence than Canada which would have influenced how 19th and early 20th century Australians viewed the UK.
Canadians I have met here in Australia and in Canada seem way more Euro-centric and Euro-aware, including UK focussed, than Australians who on average seem far more focussed on Asia and the Pacific. You can't escape from the impact of geography, commerce and the broader institutional frameworks that binds countries. The UK is Canada's 4th largest trade partner (one of four EU counties in the top ten) , while it ranks number 7 for Australia (one of 2 EU countries in the top 10). Canada, unlike Australia, is still very much an Atlantic country.
As for the Australian diaspora, I remember reading recently that there are more Aussie expats the US and than UK. Today, time spent in Singapore, Hong Kong or Japan would look much better on your resume than the EU.
I agree about Canadians being more eurocentric. But in overall Britishness Australia swamps Canada. Don't forget a quarter of us speak French as a our primary tongue, me included. That should decide it right out of the gate. You won't find anglo Canadians playing cricket, they play baseball, nor would you find them playing all that much rugby, they play Canadian football (which is American football with minor rule changes).
I agree about Canadians being more eurocentric. But in overall Britishness Australia swamps Canada. Don't forget a quarter of us speak French as a our primary tongue, me included. That should decide it right out of the gate. You won't find anglo Canadians playing cricket, they play baseball, nor would you find them playing all that much rugby, they play Canadian football (which is American football with minor rule changes).
Baseball (aka rounders) is a British game, it just never became a major adult sport in the UK. Australia has AFL which is definitely not British in origin. Don't forget that Anglo Canada was largely settled by British empire loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, whereas Australia's earliest arrivals were a largely a mix of British and Irish who had very different attitudes towards the UK.
Baseball (aka rounders) is a British game, it just never became a major adult sport in the UK. Australia has AFL which is definitely not British in origin. Don't forget that Anglo Canada was largely settled by British empire loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, whereas Australia's earliest arrivals were a largely a mix of British and Irish who had very different attitudes towards the UK.
Canada was not largely settled by loyalists, they were a trickle of people moving to a French country who mostly returned to the US anyways. Canada also largely settled by the French who after two centuries of assimilation policies is still the primary language of about 1/4 Canadians, Australia has a lot more British ancestry and customs like driving on the left and having a union jack on their flag, as well as being more adamant about defending their Britishness (see: Australianness) in the face of immigration. Canada and the concept of being Canadian is a French invention, and many "anglo-Canadians" are from an anglicized French background. Not a lot British about poutine, la bastringue and girls named Jeanne-Marie Boucher. Baseball is American and has been exported around the world by them. Cricket is more British than baseball by all accounts, and I think the AFL is a lot more British than our football. Even your accents sound British, very difficult to distinguish an Australian accent from a local British accent. I am a little surprised because I figured it was a well agreed point that the Australians and Kiwis are very British.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bakery Hill
Don't forget that Anglo Canada was largely settled by British empire loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, whereas Australia's earliest arrivals were a largely a mix of British and Irish who had very different attitudes towards the UK.
Canada was not largely settled by loyalists, they were a trickle of people moving to a French country who mostly returned to the US anyways. Canada also largely settled by the French who after two centuries of assimilation policies is still the primary language of about 1/4 Canadians, Australia has a lot more British ancestry and customs like driving on the left and having a union jack on their flag, as well as being more adamant about defending their Britishness (see: Australianness) in the face of immigration. Canada and the concept of being Canadian is a French invention, and many "anglo-Canadians" are from an anglicized French background. Not a lot British about poutine, la bastringue and girls named Jeanne-Marie Boucher. Baseball is American and has been exported around the world by them. Cricket is more British than baseball by all accounts, and I think the AFL is a lot more British than our football. Even your accents sound British, very difficult to distinguish an Australian accent from a local British accent. I am a little surprised because I figured it was a well agreed point that the Australians and Kiwis are very British.
"The Wild Colonial Boy" is actually an Irish-Australian song about an Irish rebel who is transported to Australia and becomes a Bushranger. The link is to that song being sung by an Irishman.
Last edited by Bakery Hill; 02-14-2016 at 06:44 PM..
Canada was a lot more diverse earlier than Australia. In addition to being a quarter or so francophone, Canada received a lot more continental European immigration in the early 20th century than Australia which was about 90% British or Irish ancestry as late as WWII.
The question is really moot, as historical British ties influenced Canada and Australia in different ways.
But.... Some Canadians really do need to study up on Australian history.......
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.