I wish that things were a bit more strict here. I think with new construction it definitely is, but anything older, you never know what you are going to get. I saw a home improvement guy from Canada once and he said he would never do a renovation in the US because things weren't as locked down and there were so many unknowns once you get into things. I think a lot of older houses in the US have three prong outlets, but they aren't really tied back to a common ground for the house.