Cross Border Weights, Measures & Value

Canada adopted the metric system of measurement in the 1970's. The move was met with protests, not only because of old habits and preferences, but because the US, which was originally to have made the conversation at about the same, backed out.

This left the US as the odd man out in the world and Canada as odd one out in North America. Canadian businesses that depended on cross border imports and exports complained at additional costs of relabeling, as they had earlier complained about bilingualism.

But this was not the beginning of difference in measurement systems in cross border trade. Under the preceding system, Imperial gallons--and their constituent measures of quarts and pints--were 20% larger then US measurements of the same name.

I became aware of the difference as a child in the 1950's when I noticed that Old South Frozen Orange Juice--our family's favourite type--sometimes came to us in slightly different sized containers in Canada Safeway stores. Cartons that had been packaged specifically for the Canadian market were slightly larger.

When these ran out in the warehouse, stock was shipped in containers intended for the American market. With these, we had to use less than a full cup for the three cups of water to be added to the frozen concentrate. Otherwise the resulting juice was thinner. (The alternative was to use the cardboard carton as a measuring cup, which later became standard practice.)

US and Imperial measures were different as a result of changes to the British system that took place after American Independence. The Thirteen Colonies had followed the old English system which had been evolving since the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Imperial system dated from the Second British Empire, in 1824.

A big change for Canada came in the early 1850's with conversion of currency from the British sterling system (pounds, shillings, pence) to the North American decimal system of dollars and cents. This took place by agreement between the colonies (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada East and West) that came together at Confederation in 1867. It facilitated the Reciprocity (limited free trade) Agreement between these colonies and the US that remained in effect from 1854-66.

Since then both Canada and the United States have used dollars, quarters, dimes, nickels and cents, though the names they call these have varied. Fluctuating values of the currencies has accounted for flurries of cross-border shoppers seeking bargains.