Canadian historians, can you tell me why Canada is more progressive leaning than the US and more accepting of progresive ideas? Because a lot of things such as sphc(single payer health care) that the us derides as socialist or far-left are much more accepted in Canada.
Also I noticed a lot of my friends view not only Bernie Sanders with a great deal of reverence, but Green Party leader Jill Stein as well. Even some of my friends who want Clinton to win have a degree of admiration for Stein(two people I knew who ran as NDP MPs in October 2015 said they would vote Stein if they lived in the US, a IDS student told me Bernie should have endorsed Stein instead of Clinton or at least "forever held his peace", and one of my friends who supports Clinton says he hopes one day someone like Stein will be able to take office in the US).
So why is Canada more progressive leaning than the US? What is the historical basis that allowed this to happen?
I would assume the historical basis has to do with their political origins. The US' revolution from the British and the government that followed was incredibly weary of politics and government, so a fear of big government became almost engrained in American politics. This meant the inclusion of checks and balances in the constitution which strifles progression and change, and makes it hard for both Congress and the President to make significant changes. Canada, on the other hand, remained more loyal to its roots in the British Empire and was not as sceptical of big government. It's parliamentary system means the PM can actually make big changes across the board as well.
Slavery is another important point. While the US became divided over the issue of slaves, Canada abolished slavery quite quickly and this meant racial tensions were lower in Canada than its American counterpart. Ultimately, this meant Canada experienced a greater acceptance of immigrants/people of different races, the "mosaic" of different cultures and people. The issue of slavery is integral to understanding America and its slower progress, civil rights was, and arguably continues to be, an issue that shapes the views of Americans.