As Canadians, we have endless reasons to be proud. From our sports teams to our vibrant culture, we like to think we're set apart from the rest. While in many respects, we find ourselves in comparison to our southern neighbours, we often like to forge our own path.

It seems, however, that where some laws are concerned, there may be little difference between the two nations. Regarding various Internet privacy and accessibility laws, we might take our cues from well-established American regulations.

New privacy act on the horizon?
In the past few months, a cyber bill that would have required internet service providers (ISPs) to allow law enforcement agents to access client data was thrown out of Parliament. That said, this doesn't mean it's the end of talks about privacy laws - in fact, it's probably only the beginning.

Pique News Magazine highlighted a newly proposed American law and said that if history is any indication, a Canadian counterpart should be on its way. The news source said that some lawmakers are supporting CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, which is similar to the failed Canadian Bill C-30. That said, there are a few differences in the details, prompting industry insiders to ask if these revamped clauses will make their way into a Canadian proposal.

Copyright laws questioned
Global Research also suggested the American lawmakers have some sway where copyright laws are concerned. Because U.S. officials have been outspoken about international copyright regulations, this may have influenced the recently proposed Canadian law.

The source said increasing focus on Canada by the United States may result in Canadians taking a closer look at ratifying the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement as well. According to the news provider, this focus is nothing new. In 2009, American lawmakers placed Canada on a shortlist of countries they did not believe provided good intellectual property enforcement online. The main aim of Canadian lawmakers, the news source claimed, would be to address American concerns.