John Gault.. Canada is most definitely a different country and, no they are NOT just like us. For starters. in the Gaspe Peninsula area no one will speak English. they could but why should they? Beyond that their political system is different, their philosophies are different and their currency is different and worth lots more than ours. Man you gotta get out more!
They call it International AT because the trail runs through two countries (US and Canada). Personally, I'd prefer the IAT became the CAT or Canadian Appalachian Trail. But then the french translation would not fit in crossword like fashion as the IAT translation of SIA (Sentier International des Appalaches) does.