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I think that being part of a smaller country makes you think more pragmatically. Pragmatism = centrist politics.
Canada is also more of a secular society which also tends to dampen the political pendulum.
I do believe that there are extreme left and right wing people in Canadian politics, but they must function in the middle to succeed.
Makes absolute sense to meI was raised in a small prairie town and although most people were definitely conservative, it wasn't scary right wing conservative stuff to me.
Most of the people I know are definitely centrist....although we discuss politics we hardly ever have heated discussions over major policy issues.....I guess some people would call us boring
Conserative or liberal, most canadians fall in the centre when it comes to politics.
Our debates tend to be a little boring, but then again, I wouldn't want to have endless left vs right polarized bickering like they have in the US. Though this silly arguing is slowly showing up in our media.
I think our current Prime Minister is a lot more conservative than we think. Since his reelection, he tries control information more than ever and he's trying to appeal to different religious communities...to name a few things.
I think there is an element that would like to see Canadian politics become as polarized as our American counterparts, but I don't see it happening. Most Canadians just want things to work. If an NDP, Liberal, or Conservative government does a decent job most of the electorate are content to keep sending them back to power, until they screw up.
I agree, whether conservative or liberal, most Canadians fall in the centre when it comes to politics. I don't mind at all that the debates may be boring, at least in the long run the majority are all on board with each other in the best interests of the country. I'd hate to see the country's populace divided and at each other's throats because of divided politics the way it appears to be with so many people in USA. In Canada the words liberal and conservative don't get used as dirty words to describe people's political leanings.
Politically speaking. I hear so much about american politics and the infamous bible belt consisting of conservative bible thumping rightists who hate "change" be it political or social or otherwise-Everyone knows conservative media pundits and the attitude of those living in the "flyover states"-A huge space if you ask me.
What is the Canadian equivalent of this ?
I always thought it depends as much on the basis of geographical location as it does with history-Like New York and Los Angeles are liberal coastal towns and same could be said for Boston
Toronto and Vancouver seem pretty liberal.Ottawa for some odd reason seems conservative in its ideals but I am wrong till corrected by reliability.
Is there a Canadian equivalent of the midwest-Any towns or states or is most of Canada pretty liberal compared to the United States ?
That's a great question and one that I have thought a great deal on. The answer to the question hinges on the definition of Conservative. In the classic sense and understanding of the word their are conservative Canadians all over the country. If you use what has become the understanding of the word in the USA there are very few in this country. The republican party has been hijacked by a group that call themselves conservatives but in reality are really just a bunch of nut bars. To most Canadians that follow politics the GOP is nothing more than a comedy show that really isn't funny because it's ideas are dangerous to not only America but to the entire world. Many of the very top leaders of the GOP would not be elected to be the local dogcatcher in Canada. We have such a different culture here. If you appear to be stupid you don't have a hope in public life. If you have a history of dishonesty forget it. If you are seen to be closely connected to special interests, you are not going anywhere here. Americans really don't seem to care too much about the basic character of their political leaders and it leads to the election of people like Richard Nixon as president even though the entire world knew what he was.
Because of these types of differences the political culture of the two countries really can't be compared. Politics in the USA is almost totally corrupt with many pols being arrested and jailed for their crimes. I believe the FBI and the DOJ just touch the very edge of political corruption in the country. In Canada political corruption is rare and at a lower local level usually. You are likely to be caught if you are on the take.
Another huge difference is that special interest groups can't buy politicians. They are not allowed to give any money at all, ziltch, nada, Zero. Because of this the top 5% that drive everything in the USA and are almost always conservatives don't have the same influence here.
There is much more to say on the subject but enough for now.
I am falling in love with you country, you know that ?
In all honesty-Why did I spent so much time learning about the US and its culture when a nation which is far more appealing in every aspect sits there right on top!
My girl-friend(A caucasian american) refers to Canada as America's hat and I refer to America as Canada's used condom and we roll along,
We also don't have crazy talking heads like Glen Beck, Bill O'Reilly, or Rush Limbaugh in our country.
They seem to do a great job of poisoning the political landscape of the United States, all while making millions of dollars. I don't understand why so many people follow these guys. They only care about themselves.
maybe because they are simply not well read or well heeled...That is the real education(to have a yearning to now about everything) but most Americans simply do not care to know anything except their nation.This makes some of them gleam with pride but in actuality shows their unworthiness,.
Many people state the reason being the United States's huge size but its not much larger than Canada, and while I do agree that hicks exist in Canada,they are not prominent and know their limits.....Most Canadians I've met have been well traveled folks who love to experience the world.
Too bad most Canadians seem to have this inferiority complex or something....Why not be proud of your great land....Why do you wanna rush off to New York City and Google and Hollywood...
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I was raised in a small prairie town and although most people were definitely conservative, it wasn't scary right wing conservative stuff to me. 
