Originally Posted by
Ber2dca
It's undeniable. Ireland was part of the UK for a long time and many things remained essentially the same after independence. To this day the countries have incredibly close links especially commercially but also culturally.
The main difference between the scenarios is that in spite of the closeness between Ireland and the UK there's significant and, among a minority, even militant antipathy on the Irish side toward Britain whereas I believe Canadian-American relations are almost entirely cordial (the occasional snark aside).
The commercial ties between Canada and the U.S. are very strong. Both are each other's largest trading partner.
There is an element of anti-Americanism among Canadians although it hasn't been militant since American invaders were sent packing in 1814 and lost their nerve in 1846 when they signed the Oregon Treaty.
It's difficult for people who do not live here to not appreciate the differences. Americans frequently have a difficult time grasping that it's a different country when they visit or attempt to do business here.