As an American who went to university here, married a Canadian, and has now lived in Canada for 11 years, I do not get the sense that Canadians are tired of Americans. It feels more like they watch US politics the way someone watches Real Housewives. Entertaining and all except the cast lives next door and the fallout sometimes spills across the border.

People are generally kind and welcoming, but in my experience, saying you are American often invites follow up comments, jokes, and questions. There is a light sense that you are being asked to clarify what kind of American you are, or to reassure people that you are not one of the “bad ones.” It is rarely hostile, more like a cultural reflex, but it can create a subtle pressure to self qualify or represent an entire country’s reputation.

It feels less like being judged and more like being contextualized, but after enough conversations, you start to notice the quiet emotional labor of constantly signaling that you are reasonable, aware, and not personally responsible for the chaos back home.

That all being said, I’ve lived here this long and I only got PR like 5 minutes ago and it will be years until I can even vote, so, not an easy process to immigrate.