To answer the original question, Nikons are far better than Canons.
[Re. previous sentence: Sarcasm Alert.]
I've noticed that in the Digital Photography Review forums, the Nikon and Canon advocates have almost entirely stopping slagging each other. That action has moved to the NEX/m4/3 forums, even though NEX and m4/3 have little to do with each other.
I've been using Nikons since the 70s, and they simply seem to fit my hand. I can pick up almost any Nikon, film or digital, and be happily using it in a couple of minutes -- I just understand Nikon thinking. Canons always feel odd to me. Long time Canon users will tell you the same thing, the other way around. I think if I were starting fresh, I'd look around and see if one system or the other were dominant in my area; if one was, I'd go for that one, because there are probably better repair options available, and a better supply of equipment, both new and used. If both systems are common in your area, I guess I'd do a lot of research and then buy based on what kind of photography I was most interested in. I know a few years ago, most architectural photographers went with Canon because of the better Canon shift/tilt lenses. People who did a lot of macro work went with Nikon because of the better micro lenses, and also the more flexible flash system. (I believe if you plan to use a lot of camera-based flash, Nikon is the better system. For some reason, Nikon has always seemed to pay a lot of attention to flash.) Most sports photographers tend to use Canon, because Canon achieved an early digital dominance in that field. Nikon has caught up from a technical aspect, and some would say they've gone Canon one better, but still, at major sporting events, most of the sports pros still use Canon. As far as "feel" is concerned, I think you become accustomed to what you have, and that after a while, either will begin to feel natural. They are somewhat different, though.
But, basically, with current cameras, the choice between Nikon and Canon is fairly trivial -- almost everything else to do with your photography is more important.