Social Practices in Canada
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Most people in Canada believe in equality, diversity, and respect for all individuals in society. Under Canadian law, women, men, children and seniors are all equally respected.
The following are guidelines for behavior that is commonly accepted in most situations.
Time: People are expected to be on time for appointments, business meetings, work and school.
- You should arrive at the scheduled time or a little early for all appointments or meetings.
- You may lose your job or be suspended from school if you are often late.
- In business settings, people will generally not wait more than 10 or 15 minutes for someone who is late.
- For social events, people are expected to arrive within a half hour of the scheduled time.
Introductions: People generally smile and say “hello, how are you?” or a similar greeting when they first meet.
Many times when people are first introduced they greet each other by shaking hands.
- Many times when people are first introduced they greet each other by shaking hands.
- It is considered impolite to refuse to shake hands with someone who has extended their hand to shake yours.
- Hugs and kisses are not used except for very close friends and relatives.
Personal Space or Distance: Many people are uncomfortable if someone they do not know touches them or stands too close to them.
- In most business and social settings, people stand about an arms length away from one another.
- Standing too close to someone or touching someone you do not know is not appropriate.
- In crowded situations, like public transit, it is okay to be closer.
Eye Contact: In most cases, it is okay to make eye contact with anyone you are speaking to. This means you can make eye contact with:
- A man or a woman
- An older person or a child
- Someone in authority such as a manager or police officer.
Public Behavior: Public space is for everyone. That means thinking about everyone who uses it.
- It is considered rude to have loud conversations in a public place.
- Smoking is not allowed in most public places. Ask permission to smoke in someone’s home or car.
- Jaywalking (crossing in the middle of the road) is against the law. Pedestrians are required to cross the street at marked crosswalks.
- Littering or throwing garbage on the ground is not accepted. Garbage cans are in most public places such as shopping malls, parks and streets.
Other Social Practices: In Canada people are generally expected to be polite and courteous in most situations. Here are some situations to keep in mind.
- In Canada, it is considered impolite to ask someone you do not know very well certain personal questions, such as:
- How much money do you make?
- How much did you pay for your car or house?
- How old are you?
- How much do you weigh?
- Why aren’t you married?
- Why don’t you have any children?
- Bargaining or haggling over the price of an item or service is uncommon in Canada. The price marked on an item is generally the price you are expected to pay.
- When waiting for service, people in Canada follow the policy of “first come, first served”. This means people are helped in the order that they arrived.
- Violence in any form is strictly forbidden in Canada. Hitting and threatening anyone is against the law. This includes women, children and family members. It applies to public places or your own home.
- Bribery is not allowed.
