Every culture has different norms for behaviour. Approximating appropriate behaviour for a given context will lead to you being seen as competent, even though it has no bearing on your actual knowledge or abilities. Here are a few of the main norms that are relevant in Vancouver (and most of English-speaking Canada).

1. Grooming (see also this page on business attire).
   1. Boring is good: natural-looking hair, conservative clothing, unobtrusive makeup.
   2. Clean is good: clothes, shoes, and other accessories should be clean, well-fitting, and in good repair.
   3. Absence of strong smells is good. This ties in with the clean thing: it will be very embarrassing to all concerned if you don’t wash regularly. It’s also a specific cultural thing: in some cultures strong fragrances are normal, while in Canada subtle fragrances are fine in most settings but many office and healthcare environments nowadays are scent-free, so err on the side of boring (again).
   4. Grooming (brushing hair, cleaning teeth whether with a toothbrush or a toothpick, trimming nails, ideally even blowing nose) is done in private.
2. Nonverbal communication
   1. Personal space. Canadians generally have fairly large and rigid personal space. “Close talkers” are seen as alarming and social touching is frowned upon.
   2. Eye contact. Although Canadians may avoid eye contact while walking down the sidewalk (for example), they generally have strong eye contact in conversation, and not making eye contact with the person you’re talking to will make them see you as shifty, uncertain, or unreliable.
3. Punctuality. This is the most important item on the list! It is essential that you be early for all professional appointments, so that the group can start on time. This means being present and having all of your materials ready 15 minutes early. Arriving at the stated start time means that the rest of the group will be waiting for you to get set up, and as such is unacceptably rude.
4. Greetings and farewells. It’s standard to stand up and shake hands (firmly but not violently) at the beginning and end of meetings. There isn’t much formality about who initiates handshakes. Saying goodbye isn’t as drawn-out a process as in (say) England; Canadians tend to be polite but succinct.
5. Participating in meetings.
   1. It’s expected that everyone at a meeting will contribute; if you don’t speak up or offer your own opinions, you will be seen as disengaged or incompetent.
   2. It’s not necessary to be deferential to higher status people; you can contradict anyone as long as you back up your position with facts.
   3. Interrupting is very rude. (It’s still sometimes done, for various reasons!)
   4. Being  succinct and clear are highly valued: if you try to impress by name-dropping or making inflated claims, it will backfire.
   5. Turn your phone off before the meeting begins or leave it in your bag with the ringer off.
6. Chatting with colleagues. Having friendly relationships with your coworkers is essential to you enjoying your work! Over time, you will end up sharing more personal details as you build relationships with your colleagues, but Canadians tend to take a while to get there.
   1. Asking direct questions about people’s lives can be seen as rude, but open-ended light questions like “Do you have anything planned for the weekend?” are generally fine.
   2. Be very careful about making personal remarks. “Nice haircut!” is generally fine, but commenting on a woman’s makeup is offensive. Never ever ask anyone if they’ve lost weight–it implies both that you thought that they were fat before and that fat is bad–and never ever ever ask a woman if she is pregnant–if she wants you to know, she’ll invite you to the baby shower. (Fun exercise: think of as many reasons as you can why someone might burst into tears when you ask them if they’re pregnant. I can think of 6 off the top of my head.)
   3. Generally stay away from politics, religion, and money until you know someone very well. If someone has political views that you find repellant, but you still have to work with them, it’s best not to know.

What are your observations about Canadian professional etiquette?