Canadian Counterparts Research Articles

Subnational governments and non-state actors in environmental governance: Japan, Russia, and the Northern fur seal

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 put to test the North Pacific regional governance structure, with environmental cooperation overshadowed by security concerns. In this paper, the central government, subnational and non-state actors' potential in finding ways out of environmental governance crises is explored. The authors turn for possible clues to the Northern fur seal conservation and management regimes, which existed in 1911–40 and 1957–84 and laid the groundwork for marine wildlife conservation and management in the North Pacific, in the century replete with military conflicts and international tension. The focus is on Japan and Russia's subnational and non-state actors (private companies, experts, NGOs and indigenous communities), who have received much less attention than their US and Canadian counterparts. Their roles in negotiation, operation and dismantlement of these regimes, are analyzed in domestic and international contexts by applying Putnam's “two-level game” metaphor. Their motives and tactics, interconnections and clout are examined in the light of both states' domestic and foreign policy goals and constraints, and regional and global trends in environmental governance. The recent multi-actor undertakings for marine mammal conservation and management in Japan and Russia are also explored from the multilevel governance perspective. It is hoped that the current diplomatic deadlock may be overcome by utilizing sub-state and supra-state frameworks and channels for communication.

Mediated public perceptions of police encampment clearances in Canada and France: a cross-national study

ABSTRACT This qualitative study investigates public perceptions of police encampment clearances in Canada and France. Our focus is on how YouTube users in these two countries judge police conduct in response to videos of police clearing encampments. Research on police public perceptions and police legitimacy typically focuses on public views of the police institution and perceptions stemming from direct interactions with officers. An analysis of YouTube comments on police intervention videos offers important insights into a relatively unexplored intermediate case: the mediated judgements on concrete, specific police action from individuals outside of the perceived police intervention. Further, the scholarship specifically examining social media and public perceptions of policing in cross-national contexts is almost nonexistent. To address these gaps, we ask the following: What do comments on YouTube in response to videos of police encampment clearances reveal about police legitimacy in Canada and France as perceived by social media users? A total of 8,091 user-generated comments across 25 Canadian YouTube videos and 7,086 comments across 29 French YouTube videos were collected, sorted, and examined using qualitative media analysis. Our analysis confirms that the issue of police legitimacy generates dissensus and polarisation. It demonstrates that public perceptions of the legitimacy of the police clearance are strongly tied to the legitimacy of the encampment itself, and more broadly to moral judgements about the groups targeted by the police. Our findings also reveal that French police are more often perceived as violent than their Canadian counterparts.

Understanding cross-country differences in assessment simulations: insights from South African and Canadian students

AI-based simulations for educational and assessment purposes are gaining global recognition. Informed by cultural comparison research, this study investigates cross-country variations in users’ utilization and perceptions of a simulation-based assessment. Specifically, we conducted a comparative analysis between a sample of South African and Canadian students to uncover potential differences in assessment scores, communication patterns, and reactions vis-a-vis a simulation assessment for evaluating teamwork skills. Data were collected from over 500 undergraduate students in South Africa and Canada who completed a simulation assessment and reported their reactions and perceptions. The findings yielded several noteworthy observations. First, South African students attained higher assessment scores than Canadian students; although, the difference did not quite reach statistical significance at p < 0.05. Second, significant variations were observed in the quantity and style of communication. South African students used fewer words and more polite language, while Canadian students tended to use more decisive language and provided more explanations and help to their virtual teammates. Third, South African students were more likely to perceive their virtual teammates as “human” and were less concerned whether they were real people or virtual. Lastly, compared with their Canadian counterparts, South African students reported more positive reactions and perceived the assessment to be more accurate. These findings warrant further investigation.

Voices of the Stacks: A Multifaceted Inquiry into Academic Librarians' Tweets

ABSTRACTTwitter has emerged as an important forum for discussion among academic librarians. In this research, we take a mixed‐methods approach to study the thematic content and sentiment of tweets authored by academic librarians in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. We found differences in the semantic content and themes present in the data from each country that point to differences in how librarians in each country engage on Twitter. While more work remains to be done, we cast new light on how members of professional communities use social media. Our qualitative analysis identified 11 thematic categories in academic librarians' Twitter discussions, focusing on professional topics. UK librarians exhibited a higher frequency of labor‐ and employment‐related terms compared to their US and Canadian counterparts. Sentiment ratios for US and Canadian tweets were similar, while the UK displayed nearly double the positive‐to‐negative tweet ratio. We also present a methodological intervention comparing two different sentiment analysis methods, VADER, and Zero‐Shot Learning (ZSL), to classify posts by academic librarians. ZSL significantly outperformed the off‐the‐shelf classifier, highlighting how accurate prediction is possible without annotated training data.

Pharmacists’ Satisfaction with Work and Working Conditions in New Zealand—An Updated Survey and a Comparison to Canada

As roles have evolved over time, changes in workplace environments have created higher patient expectations creating stressful conditions for pharmacists. To evaluate pharmacists' perceptions of their working conditions, work dissatisfaction, and psychological distress; determine their predictors in New Zealand (NZ); and compare results with Canadian studies and historic NZ data. A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to registered pharmacists in NZ. The survey included demographics, work satisfaction, psychological distress, and perceptions of their working conditions (six statements with agreement rated on a 5-point Likert scale). Comparisons were made with surveys from Canada and NZ. Chi-square, t-tests, and non-parametric statistics were used to make comparisons. The response rate was 24.7% (694/2815) with 73.1% practicing in a community pharmacy (45.8% independent, 27.3% chains). Pharmacists disagreed on having adequate time for breaks and tasks, while the majority contemplated leaving the profession and/or not repeating their careers again if given the choice. Working longer hours and processing more prescriptions per day were predictive factors for poorer job satisfaction. More NZ pharmacists perceived their work environment to be conducive to safe and effective primary care (57% vs. 47%, p < 0.001) and reported that they had enough staff (45% vs. 32%, p = 0.002) as compared to Canadian pharmacists. Pharmacists' job satisfaction and psychological distress have not improved compared to the assessment 20 years prior. NZ pharmacists perceive working conditions to be sub-optimal yet had higher satisfaction than their Canadian counterparts. Work dissatisfaction and psychological distress are high and have not improved over the last two decades.

Differences in Predicted Therapeutic Outcome of Mandibular Advancement Determined by Remotely Controlled Mandibular Positioner in Canadian and Chinese Apneic Patients.

BackgroundIn-lab mandibular protrusive titration using a remotely controlled mandibular positioner (RCMP) could predict the success rate of mandibular advancement device (MAD) and reliably determine the Optimal Protrusive Position (OPP) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. The aim of this study was to compare MAD success rate using in-lab RCMP manual titration performed in Caucasian and Chinese OSA patients.MethodsManual RCMP titration was performed during an in-lab sleep study using the same procedure that had been previously reported in untreated Caucasian and Chinese OSA patients. Success rate was determined according to classical success criteria or to those previously used for RCMP titration.ResultsA total of 160 subjects were included in this study, and conclusive data were obtained from 141 (71 Chinese and 70 Caucasian OSA patients). Chinese patients were significantly younger, with lower BMI and more severe OSA disease than the Canadian counterparts. Among patients with predicted success, the OPP expressed in % of full protrusion position did not differ between the two ethnic groups. Chinese ethnicity, younger age and lower baseline AHI were significant determinants of RCMP success. In a multivariate analysis, only ethnicity and AHI were found to significantly account for success, the odds ratio for success in Chinese compared to Caucasians corrected for AHI being 3.7 and 4.6 depending on criteria used to define success.ConclusionAlthough the OSA disease was more severe in Chinese patients, the predicted success rate of MAD according to RCMP titration was higher in Chinese than in Caucasians. This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03231254).

Do Surrounding People's Emotions Affect Judgment of the Central Person's Emotion? Comparing Within Cultural Variation in Holistic Patterns of Emotion Perception in the Multicultural Canadian Society.

Previous studies in cultural psychology have suggested that when assessing a target person's emotion, East Asians are more likely to incorporate the background figure's emotion into the judgment of the target's emotion compared to North Americans. The objective of this study was to further examine cultural variation in emotion perception within a culturally diverse population that is representative of Canada's multicultural society. We aimed to see whether East-Asian Canadians tended to keep holistic tendencies of their heritage culture regarding emotion perception. Participants were presented with 60 cartoon images consisting of a central figure and four surrounding figures and were then asked to rate the central figure's emotion; out of the four cartoon figures, two were female and two were male. Each character was prepared with 5 different emotional settings with corresponding facial expressions including: extremely sad, moderately sad, neutral, moderately happy, and extremely happy. Each central figure was surrounded by a group of 4 background figures. As a group, the background figures either displayed a sad, happy, or neutral expression. The participant's task was to judge the intensity of the central figures' happiness or sadness on a 10-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 9 (extremely). For analysis, we divided the participants into three groups: European Canadians (N = 105), East Asian Canadians' (N = 104) and Non-East Asian/Non-European Canadians (N = 161). The breakdown for the Non-East Asian/Non-European Canadian group is as follows: 94 South Asian Canadians, 25 Middle Eastern Canadians, 23 African Canadians, 9 Indigenous Canadians, and 10 Latin/Central/South American Canadians. Results comparing European Canadians and East Asian Canadians demonstrated cultural variation in emotion judgment, indicating that East Asian Canadians were in general more likely than their European Canadian counterparts to be affected by the background figures' emotion. The study highlights important cultural variations in holistic and analytic patterns of emotional attention in the ethnically diverse Canadian society. We discussed future studies which broaden the scope of research to incorporate a variety of diverse cultural backgrounds outside of the Western educational context to fully comprehend cultural variations in context related attentional patterns.

The Violent Extremism Ideological Framework Explained

Following the lead of Canadian counterparts and working with representatives from a number of agencies involved in Aotearoa New Zealand’s counter-terrorism efforts, the Combined Threat Assessment Group (CTAG) led the development of a uniquely New Zealand framework intended to be a specific, objective and accurate representation of the threat from all forms of violent extremism relevant to New Zealand. This was a deliberate effort to seek a set of accurate terms that avoided unduly securitising legitimate, non-violent political, ethnic and religious communities and beliefs, while simultaneously not adding unwarranted legitimacy to violent extremist ideologies. This article outlines and explains the Violent Extremism Ideological Framework increasingly in use across security sector agencies – and is written by those whose created it.

“We document everything”: Interpretations of HIPAA and their impact on ASO staff charting practices in the context of HIV criminalization in the state of Georgia

Abstract&#x0D; Introduction: The growing professionalization of AIDS Service Organizations (ASO) and the criminalization of HIV nondisclosure have reshaped both ASO staff interactions with people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) as well as ASO staff charting practices.&#x0D; &#x0D; Methods: Building on a recent national research project in Canada, we conducted semi-structured interviews in February-April 2017 with N=12 ASO staff in Atlanta, Georgia to investigate their charting practices in the context of HIV criminalization.&#x0D; &#x0D; Results: Our data showed no variation between professionalized and peer ASO staff in terms of charting practices, although the American participants reported being less protective about the content of their notes and less concerned about the risk their notes may pose in cases involving the criminal prosecution of an alleged HIV nondisclosure incident than was previously reported by their Canadian counterparts. In fact, we identified a false sense of security among American ASO staff stemming from their belief that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) would protect them from having to disclose their charting notes.&#x0D; Conclusions: We suggest that training and educational opportunities for both professionalized and peer ASO staff are needed to sensitize them to the implications of record-keeping on the prosecution of HIV nondisclosure.

A Case of (Decreasing) American Exceptionalism: Single-Family Zoning in the United States, Australia, and Canada

Problem, research strategy, and findings Today, the United States stands alone among high-wealth countries in its copious use of exclusive zoning for single-family detached homes (single-family zoning, SFZ). Australia and Canada, however, are two countries that mirrored U.S. practices through the mid-20th century, and these countries still have SFZ, though it is less widespread today. We theorized reasons for the United States’ divergence in a review of histories and other studies from the three countries. We observed that when fiscal, affordability, and environmental concerns took hold globally in the 1970s, Australian and Canadian governments addressed these issues in part by opening single-family areas to more housing types, whereas nearly all U.S. governments left SFZ unchallenged. We show here how historical racial composition and prejudice in the United States, though long intertwined with zoning practices, began to distinguish American residential zoning practice from its Canadian and Australian counterparts at this time, explaining that American planners faced revanchism in the wake of civil rights legislation and White flight. A recent flurry of reform in the United States, however, indicates that U.S. residential zoning practices are reconverging with those in Australia and Canada. Takeaway for practice Observing how American zoning paralleled and then diverged from its Australian and Canadian counterparts has revealed another way in which U.S. racial composition and prejudice have distinguished the climate of planning in the United States. We also demonstrate how a more equitable way of zoning, one that opens more urban land to housing mixture, can provide a basis for building more sustainable cities in the United States. As American zoning begins to reconverge with its Australian and Canadian counterparts, U.S. planners can look to these countries to understand the potential and limits of undoing SFZ in pursuit of environmental, fiscal, and housing goals.

The impact of COVID-19 on road safety in Canada and the United States

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the implementation of unprecedented public health measures. The effect of these lockdown measures on road safety remain to be fully understood, however preliminary data shows reductions in traffic volume and increases in risky driving behaviors. The objective of the present study is to compare self-reported risky driving behaviors (speeding, distracted driving, drinking and driving, and drugged driving) during the pandemic in Canada and the U.S. to determine what differences exist between these two countries. Data was collected using the Road Safety Monitor (RSM), an annual online public opinion survey that investigates key road safety issues, administered to a representative sample of N = 1,500 Canadian drivers and N = 1,501 U.S. drivers. Respondents were asked about the likelihood of engaging in risky driving during the pandemic as compared to before COVID-19. Results show the majority of respondents indicated their behavior did not change, and most positively, a small proportion reported they were less likely to engage in these risky driving behaviors. However, notable proportions indicated they were more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors during the pandemic, as compared to before COVID-19. Of those who indicated this, U.S. drivers had significantly higher percentages compared to their Canadian counterparts. Behaviors most often reported by this sub-section of drivers who admit to being more likely to engage in risky driving during the pandemic were speeding (7.6%) and drinking and driving (7.6%) in the U.S., and speeding (5.5%) and distracted driving (4.2%) in Canada. Logistic regression results confirm that country was a significant factor, as U.S. drivers had greater odds of reporting they were more likely to engage in these risky driving behaviors, with the exception of speeding. Age also had a significant effect, as increasing age was associated with lower odds of reporting that these risky driving behaviors were more likely during the pandemic. Conversely, sex did not have a significant effect. Overall, the current findings suggest that a small proportion of drivers reported being more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors and the pandemic may have led to changes in the profiles of those drivers engaging in risky driving behaviors during lockdown measures. These results have important implications for policies and can inform how to manage road safety during future lockdowns.

Explaining cross-cultural variation in mirror self-recognition: New insights into the ontogeny of objective self-awareness.

Mirror self-recognition (MSR) is considered to be the benchmark of objective self-awareness-the ability to think about oneself. Cross-cultural research showed that there are systematic differences in toddlers' MSR abilities between 18 and 24 months. Understanding whether these differences result from systematic variation in early social experiences will help us understand the processes through which objective self-awareness develops. In this study, we examined 57 18- to 22-month-old toddlers (31 girls) and their mothers from two distinct sociocultural contexts: urban Canada (58% of the subsample were Canadian-born native English-speakers) and rural Vanuatu, a small-scale island society located in the South Pacific. We had two main goals: (a) to identify the social-interactional correlates of MSR ability in this cross-cultural sample, and (b) to examine whether differences in passing rates could be attributed to confounding factors. Consistent with previous cross-cultural research, ni-Vanuatu toddlers passed the MSR test at significantly lower rates (7%) compared to their Canadian counterparts (68%). Among a suite of social interactive variables, only mothers' imitation of their toddlers' behavior during a free play session predicted MSR in the entire sample and maternal imitation partially mediated the effects of culture on MSR. In addition, low passing rates among ni-Vanuatu toddlers could not be attributed to reasons unrelated to self-development (i.e., motivation to show mark-directed behavior, understanding mirror-correspondence, representational thinking). This suggests that differences in MSR passing rates reflect true differences in self-recognition, and that parental imitation may have an important role in shaping the construction of visual self-knowledge in toddlers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Factors influencing consumer choice: a study of apparel and sustainable cues from Canadian and Indian consumers’ perspectives

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to investigate the salient effects of product evaluative cues from a cross-national perspective. A web-based survey consisted of eight measuring items of environmental commitment and behaviour, 20 items of product cues, and demographic and behavioural questions were employed. A total of 321 and 309 usable surveys were collected from Canada and India, respectively. The results revealed that Canadian and Indian consumers were more concerned about psychic/aesthetic and physical/functional cues than extrinsic and sustainable cues. In particular, fit and comfort were perceived as the two most important evaluative criteria by both samples. Indian consumers relied more heavily on ‘no child labour’ and ‘no animal skin usage’ cues to evaluate apparel products than their Canadian counterparts. The findings underpin several implications, including aesthetic longevity, versatility, durability, and affordability of clothing, as well as transparency on sustainable production and practices

U.S. and Canadian College Students' Fear of Crime: A Comparative Investigation of Fear of Crime and Its Correlates.

Being fearful of crime is, unfortunately, a common experience. Research shows that many factors influence a person's fear of crime, demonstrating that certain groups are generally more fearful than others. Even though they are typically young, college students express being fearful of crime on and off campus. What has yet to be investigated is whether college students who attend school in the United States are fearful at similar levels to their Canadian counterparts. Further, the correlates of fear of crime may also be different. To explore these issues, data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment II survey of U.S. and Canadian college students are used. Results show that Canadian college students generally perceive their safety as being higher than U.S. college students, even though they face elevated victimization risks. Further, some correlates of fear of crime differ for U.S. and Canadian college students. These findings suggest the need for additional cross-national comparative work to see if patterns generalize across contexts.

Chronic health conditions, healthcare experience and life satisfaction among immigrant and native-born women in Canada

PurposeTo compare chronic health status, utilization of healthcare services and life satisfaction among immigrant women and their Canadian counterparts.Design/methodology/approachA secondary analysis of national data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), 2015–2016 was conducted. The survey data included 109,659 cases. Given the research question, only female cases were selected, which resulted in a final sample of 52,560 cases. Data analysis was conducted using multiple methods, including logistic regression and linear regression.FindingsRecent and established immigrant women were healthier than native-born Canadian women. While the Healthy Immigrant Effect (HIE) was evident among immigrant women, some characteristics related to ethnic origin and/or unhealthy dietary habits may deteriorate immigrant women's health in the long term. Immigrant women and non-immigrant women with chronic illnesses were both more likely to increase their use of the healthcare system. Notably, the present study did not find evidence that immigrant women under-utilized Canada's healthcare system. However, the findings showed that chronic health issues were more likely to decrease women's life satisfaction.Originality/valueThis analysis contributes to the understanding of immigrant women's acculturation by comparing types of chronic illnesses, healthcare visits, and life satisfaction between immigrant women and their Canadian counterparts.

Dental personnel in Israel, Canada, and France during the COVID-19 pandemic: attitudes, worries, emotional responses, and posttraumatic growth.

The spread of COVID-19 has posed significant challenges for dental professionals worldwide. The aims of the present study were twofold: (i) to study the attitudes, emotional responses, and worries among the dental personnel; and (ii) to look for the ability of dental personnel to experience posttraumatic self-growth as a result of the distress caused by the pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey using an anonymous questionnaire was performed simultaneously in Israel, Canada, and France during the initial lockdown period. Israeli dental practitioners were less worried about their physical health, mental health, or relationships with family and friends than their Canadian and French counterparts. The Canadian dental practitioners were most committed and most willing to treat their patients, as well as most concerned about not being able to treat patients in the same personal way as before the lockdown. French dental practitioners showed the highest level of fear to treat patients. There were no differences in dental practitioners' levels of anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic growth among the countries. Dental practitioners' posttraumatic growth was significantly associated with worries regarding their physical health. Responses of dental personnel to the COVID-19 pandemic varied worldwide. Despite the differences, evidence exists that some of the dental practitioners' worries and concerns are associated with psychologic growth as a result of the pandemic. Better understanding and acknowledgment of dental personnel's worries and concerns can facilitate growth and enable positive functioning under the continuous situation of uncertainty.

Comparing negative health indicators in male and female veterans with the Canadian general population

IntroductionSex-based information on differences between Canadian veterans and the general population is important to understand veterans’ unique health needs and identify areas requiring further research. This study compared various health...

Moral evaluations of modest statements in light of maternal disciplinary method and cultures

ABSTRACT The roles of culture and age in Canadian and Persian children’s moral evaluations of lie- and truth-telling in modest situations, as well as the impacts of parenting disciplinary methods, were assessed in this study. Data were collected from 360 children total: 180 children from both Canada and Iran. Participants’ were 5, 7, 9, and 11 years of age (M = 7.99 years, SD = 2.25 years), 55.2% males and 44.8% females. Parents completed a demographic form and a parenting disciplinary methods questionnaire. Children were read four vignettes about characters facing moral dilemmas in modest situations. For each vignette, children were instructed to rate how bad or good the lie or truth told was by using a six-point Likert scale. Hierarchical linear regression model analyses revealed that the major cultural differences lay in children’s moral evaluations of modest false statements in both cultures. Results showed that Persian children rated modesty lies more positively compared to their Canadian counterparts. Also, with age, Persian children became more likely to evaluate modesty lies positively compared to Canadian children. Lastly, hierarchical regression analyses showed that children whose parents used power assertion discipline more often rated modesty lies more negatively. These current findings suggest that societal factors contribute significantly to children’s moral understanding of lie- and truth-telling.

A Canadian’s Reflections on American Psychiatry

A Canadian’s Reflections on American Psychiatry

Digital Footprint of Vascular Surgery Training Programs in the United States and Canada

The digital footprint of vascular residency and fellowship programs may have an impact on an applicant's likelihood of selecting a given program. This may include content and accessibility of a particular program's website as well as its social media presence. The goal of this study is to evaluate the online presence of all accredited vascular surgery training programs in the United States and Canada. A list of accredited vascular surgery training programs in the United States was obtained from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Society for Vascular Surgery websites. Canadian program websites were sourced from the Canadian Society for Vascular Surgery website. Each program website was individually queried. A systematic Google search of each program was carried out to determine website accessibility. Thirty-one individual content and quality metrics were used to appraise the websites. Three major social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram) were individually searched for program profiles. A total of 105 independent vascular surgery fellowship programs in the 5+2 paradigm and 55 integrated vascular surgery residency programs in the 0+5 paradigm were identified in the United States. An additional 10 Canadian programs were also identified, including 10 integrated residency programs and 4 independent fellowships. Ninety-nine percent of integrated residency and fellowship programs were accessible through Google search. Program description was also almost universally available. Significant differences between US and Canadian programs were observed including the mention of salary information (43% vs. 10%, P=0.039), clinic responsibilities (38% vs. 90%, P=0.001), teaching responsibilities (34% vs. 100%, P<0.0001), program director contact information (47% vs. 80%, P=0.045), mention of journal club (52% vs. 100%, P=0.003), research requirements (50% vs. 90%, P=0.014), and past and current research (30% vs. 70%, P=0.009 and 37% vs. 80%, P=0.008, respectively). Additionally, there were significant differences in mention of institutions from which trainees came from (48% vs. 10%, P=0.021), mention of hybrid operating room (42% vs. 100%, P=0.0003), advertised medical student rotations (25% vs. 90%, P<0.0001), and finally social media presence (13% vs. 70%, P<0.0001). The overall digital footprint of the majority of training programs in the United States was small, unlike their Canadian counterparts. Although the vast majority of websites for vascular surgery training programs were accessible via simple internet searches, they lacked information that could have been important to applicants. Additionally, the significant underuse of social media platforms by American vascular surgery programs indicated a potential missed opportunity to target the millennials who make up most of the applicant pool to these programs.