Honestly, the difference between Canon and Nikon is very very small.
Both have great cameras and great systems from the bottom end through the best in the world professional gear and prices ranging from $300 for a full SLR kit (refurb) to $50,000 for a good kit with lenses.
I think Canons are slightly better for video these days.
Nikon probably has the better features for still photography on the high-end, and has a better flash system for accurate flash, and for wireless off-camera setups.
Both have great lenses. Nikon has the advantage of being able to use any Nikkor lens made since the 1960s, Canons only work with lenses made since the 1990s, but those older lenses are usually specialty things anyway and are (obviously) manual-focus only, so it's probably not a huge consideration.
One of the biggest things i suggest to people is to get a system that is compatible with any friends they have. If your buddy shoots with a Canon, you should get one. You guys can even do things like go in half on a good telephoto and share it for your kids sport events, or a good wide angle, and share it depending on who's vacation is scheduled or who is going on a hike, or who is selling their house (wide angles are great for landscapes and indoor architecture).
But other than that, get whatever is on sale.
I'm a Nikon user myself, but that's just because I found a better deal on a Nikon-compatible SLR when I purchased my first 16 years ago, and the lenses and accessories make it hard to switch systems.