I just finished reading John Ralston Saul's biography on Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin, and came across many references to the Orange Order. A cursory wikipedia search revealed some information on the general background of the Canadian organization, which mentioned that Scottish and English individuals also joined. However, I'm more interested in the ideological and social aspect of the organization.
With that in mind, how different were the two organisations? Did they share the same ideology, or celebrate certain dates like the Irish Orange Order? Was the Canadian Orange Order an extension of the Irish organization, or did it operate separately? How aware would members of one be aware of the activities of the other? If there are any reliable sources on the subject, where could I find them?
The Canadian Orange Order is an extension of the Northern Irish organization. and shared the same ideology of loyalty to the British crown and the support of Protestantism, complete with parades and occasional violent conflict with Catholics. Here is an article about an academic conference held in 2005 about them.. You may also want to look for this book.