Got to “We Could Have Been Canada” and closed the tab.
No, that’s not it. Most Canadians are not, in fact, Canadian: in addition to a healthy influx of immigrants from around the world, the single largest origin of immigrants is the United States, continuously and also in large waves. At one point mid-century, immigrants from the United States made up more than a third of the population of the western provinces. That is simply too many people to have had no effect on Canadian culture.
Also, no, you couldn’t have been Canada. Canadian confederation happened in large part because Britain and the United States were prepared to swap Canada for reparations after the Civil War, an appealing prospect for both sides since Manifest Destiny was a popular idea back then, and the British were eager to be rid of the expensive northern colonies. I don’t entirely remember how the debate went, but the Canadian delegation convinced them not to do it, and that Canadians would have to consent either way, paving the path to Canadian independence.
Without an independent United States, Canada never would have had the opportunity to become independent when it did. Maybe not even today.