What do y'all know about Canada (this is for the American folk)

Canadian whiskey will kick your ass if you don’t give it the respect it deserves.

That Canadians are awesome.

That’s it. I know nothing else about Canadian government or history. Sad, but true.

I don’t know the minutia, but the general history. It became a Dominion in the late 19th Century. It is still loyal to the Queen, but is essentially sovereign. It has treated the First People with dignity (at least over the last fifty years). The western provinces are fiercely independent of Toronto.

That’s enough, eh?

Not much. I barely know how Canada’s government works. I do know that the Canadian Navy is allowed to drink on their ships (as long they’re not on watch). They have vending machines with beer in them. And they also make some alcoholic milkshake called Moose Milk that is really good.

A bit. Just curious why you are curious. Are you interested in the state of American geographical knowledge, or just looking for an excuse to bash Americans if they don’t happen to know the capitols of all the provinces?

In my own (and probably many Americans’ defense), I don’t really care very much about US history, either. I was just forced to learn that.

@YoBob No bashing.

Actually, I will be moving to the U.S. in a few years. I need to brush up on my American history.

I know that Canada produced the best TV show ever.

I’ve heard the stereotypical stuff like how nice Canadians are, but other than that, not much.

I know the Geography of Canada.
I know that Canadian bacon is far from what we consider bacon.
I know that their domestic beer product is better than American domestic beer.
Canadian whiskey is very different than American whiskey.
There is amazing fishing!
They try to play baseball only because they are so awesome at hockey.
I am sure there are more in my noodle.

It has the longest coastline in North America, possibly the world.
Michael Moore likes it, but that’s hardly Canada’s fault.
At least one province has uranium mines.
It still kinda, sorta, recognizes the Queen of England as some sort of sovereign.
It was established on July 1st, 1867, without a single shot being fired.
The name itself is a Anglicization of an Iroquois term for “town” or “village.”
Canada has Toronto, which was the site of the highly controversial Toronto Blessing.
Until very recently, the United States and Canada effectively shared an open border.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are pretty cool.
At least some of the Japanese see it as the U.S.‘s level-headed twin.
Quebec is the closest thing to France this side of the Atlantic Ocean, making it ideal for the budget-conscious tourist.
A lot of people in Quebec would rather not be in Canada.

I hooked up with a woman from Winterpeg that was very political. I know that I hate Winnipeg and I know that I should hate Stephen Harper. And I hate snow. It is pretty hard to make Oregon weather look good but Manitoba does it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5AacGXjkKE

@blueiiznh – I just wanted to point out that “Canadian bacon” isn’t known by that name here – it’s either back bacon or peameal bacon (because it’s coated in peameal before it’s sliced). We eat “normal” bacon all the time. ;)

@johnpowell Not a fan of Harper here.

Some of what I think I know:

The Canadian head of state is the Prime Minister, but I don’t know who the current one is.

There were 10 provinces, but I thought I read that an 11th one was added.

The largest province in area is or at least used to be Quebec. The primary language of Quebec is French.

I think Toronto is now the most populous Canadian city.

All of the Great Lakes have shores on the province of Ontario, and I think Ontario is the only province on which the Great Lakes have coast lines.

The highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan, which is near the border with Alaska.

The last Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver, BC.

The tallest free-standing structure in the western hemisphere is the CN Tower in Toronto.

The last Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup were the Habs in 1993.

In terms of land area, Canada is the world’s second largest country, although I think some references indicate that it’s the third largest.

Cortney Love’s band, Hole, played in Tuktoyaktuk.

In 1985, some of Canada’s greatest musical artists did a video to help end famine in Ethiopa. They performed using the group name, Northern Lights, and the video is titled, Tears Are Not Enough.

I was born in Toronto, my brother and father were born in Vancouver.

We lived in the Canadian capital, Ottawa for 3 years before we left for the US.

In 2009, the Canadian parliament (IIRC) passed a measure that granted citizenship to ex-Canadians, thereby giving me US & Canadian citizenship.

Most of western Canada’s southern border is the 49th parallel.

@Nullo Another tidbit about Toronto.

The Canadian national anthem is cooler that the US’s.

This should be the Canadian national anthem! :-D

I think Canada has more fresh water (not ice) than any other country in the world.

I seriously wish that all of you could visit. It’s a beautiful country.

We’ll bypass Winnepeg, though. ;)

That’s an excellent point Jude. If anyone is thinking of checking out the any part of North America they should leave some time free for a visit to Canada. BC is beautiful, the western part is amazing, and the middle is awesome. And what’s wrong with Winnepeg? They just got a hockey team so they can reclaim they’re real name, Loseepeg.

Canadians say “eh” a lot.

Canada is what the U.S. could have been if they weren’t lead by warriors instead of politicians.

Nobody hates Canadians.

@bob. Not true. :)

Cute kid singing about the provinces. I learned this song in third grade.

Mostly items related to US History, revolutionary war battles, etc…

Although I had a Canadian friend. He didn’t say eh a lot. He moved here because he said there were no jobs except fishing 13 weeks a year and unemployment the rest of the time. Then he went home to visit and he told me there were now skyscrapers all over his hometown.

@Jude eh is a western Canadian thing isn’t it? There’s also aboot instead of about.

Aint Canda that cuntry yonder narth of hear?

@Adirondackwannabe Haha. No. ;)

Oh, another thing, a good number of Americans that live in southern states think Canadians live in igloos. They were surprised when I went to work for a Canadian company that specialized in computer control. They didn’t know that Eskimos had computers.

“no jobs except fishing 13 weeks a year and unemployment the rest of the time”?
Sounds like your friend wasn’t looking in a very diverse job market.

And psst, @Ron_C – They’re called Inuit, not Eskimos.

MOOSE

—@Jude I only wish that is was as cool to be proud to be American as it is to be Canadian
Unfortunately if Americans show any pride in their country they are cut down for being arrogant.
@bob_ Lake Michigan does not border on Canada, but the other four Great Lakes do. :-)

I probably know a little more about Canada than some of the folks that don’t live as near as I do.
I don’t know as much as I would like, and I did study about Canada and it’s provinces, cities, and culture in school , but that was a very long time ago.
I know that I have Canadian change in my purse and it spends in my state just like U.S. currency.
I know that it can be harder to get back home into the U.S. than it is to get into Canada.
I know the words and how to sing at least the first verse of O Canada. It is often sung at sporting, music, and other events where I live as there are usually some Canadians present. It’s a very nice song to sing.
I know that Canada protects it’s workforce very strongly and I wish that The U. S. did as well.
I know that I feel almost as comfortable in Canada as I do at home.
I understand the language and most Canadians seem to enjoy hearing me speak too. ;-)
I know that a majority of Canadians live in southern Ontario. (I think? is that right?)
I know that the weather in southern Ontario is very much like the weather in Michigan.
I know that I like Hockey and that Canada loves hockey. Go Redwings!
I know that some folks in Canada and the U.S. think that all Americans are arrogant and rude and that Canadians are much nicer than Americans. I know that this isn’t true, that there are rude people in Canada just like there are rude people in The U.S. and that there are nice folks in both places too. I guess it has a lot to do with your environment, and that is very diverse in both countries.
I know that Canada Geese are not Canadian geese. They have no nationality. ;-)
I know that the indigenous people were treated badly in Canada as well as the US, at one time; but they were often harder to “round up” because of the vast area and remote places where they lived. Fortunately, this gave their language and culture the advantage of being saved more that it was in the US.
I know that sometimes Canadians feel a bit like the stepchild of the British Monarchy, like they are a forgotten part of the Crown (I’m not sure I’m saying this right.) Like Australia and other countries loyal to the crown, but not part of the British Isles.
I know that I like Canada.

@wilma nice list.

Although many Canadians live in Ontario if you were to take the populations of Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia there would be more people than all the people in Ontario. Plus more and more people have moved/are moving west.

I used to deal with a company from Vancouver and met up with them when I was in a convention in Detroit. And I swear I have never met a bigger group of horn-dog womanizers! I mean skirt chasing is no biggie to me but when you are married??? No female within 100 yards of these guys was safe! And then when we crossed the bridge to Windsor all hell broke loose! I was single then and truly embarrassed by these guys. Are all Canadian men like this? or just those 6?? ;)

The jelly who liked Cruiser’s comment is a hater. Haters be hatin’. ;)

@Cruiser, nope, not all Canadian are horndogs. ;)

Ooops, not @bob_ about the lakes, I meant @Brian1946 .

@Jude I liked it. The guys from Canada I know are aaaaaaallllllllllll about the ladies. Obnoxiously so.

@Cruiser – “No female within 100 yards of these guys was safe!”

You mean “No female within 91.44 metres”, right? ;)

@redfeather A great deal of the guys that I’ve met from Michigan are obnoxious pervs that hit on ya. My girlfriend who is from Michigan agrees. haha! :)

10 provinces
3 Territories
Constitutional monarchy, federal parliamentary democracy
Current PM is Stephen Harper.
Plus they have a 2 dollar coin, which weighs a ton if you have enough of them in your pocket.

@Jude well I can’t really agree or disagree on that because I’ve never met any guys from Michigan. Must be Canada rubbin off on em.

@redfeather haha! How many guys have you met from Canada?

@Jude I don’t think anyone “lurving” my comment is hating! That IMO is an assumption on your part! I saw something that night that in all my then 25 years had never seen before. At least not in the married men I had been around. Sure Amercian men skirt chase but these guys the lot of them were outright beyond obvious and very vocal and loud about it and they were not hiding the fact they were married! Just something I have not seen here! Simple factual observation. No hate implied…really!

@Seelix Thanks for the correction!! ;)

@Jude dunno, 10 maybe? A couple in high school. Cousins of friends who were visiting. One from my Spanish class a couple semesters ago. A family in my neighborhood…

let’s just agree the country with the most girl crazy horndogs is Italy ;)

Again, I love the U.S.. My girl is from Michigan and I will be moving there and raising a few kidlets.

I am pretty proud of my country, though. I asked the question because I was curious what Americans knew about Canada. I admit, I don’t know a lot about American government and history. I do plan on educating myself, though.

No hate my part. :)

@Jude I will add I do have a Customer from Alberta who drives down here twice a year to pick of product from me and he is an ex army man is by far the most standup honest respectable man I have EVER met! I do have a dream goal of taking my boys to explore the Canadian Rockies! I hear they unreal beautiful!

Not much TBO. From what I’ve heard (don’t ask from where, I couldn’t tell you), Canada has a free healthcare system but you have to wait a long time to see a doctor.

But free is not actually free considering higher taxes… and why does everything with a price on it have a higher Canadian price on int?! I’ve always wondered.

I also imagine it always being cold in canada, really cold.

Also, in Bowling for Columbine, it is suggested that in Canada most people don’t lock their doors… is this true, or is the movie edited to make it seem that way?

@Jude Why do you affect the Internet’s affectation of the speech patters characteristic of the Southern United States?

@mrrich724 – Thursday’s forecast for Toronto has it at 97F; 115F with the humidity factored in. Still chilly? ;)

@Nullo Who are you talking to here?

@Seelix my friend is considering going back to Nova Scotia (?) I think it was, as it is now a high tech capital.

@Jude He’s asking why do you use terminology like “y’all”.

@FutureMemory Yep, I figured it out.

@Nullo I just finished chatting with a friend from Houston. She rubbed off on me a bit. :)

@mrrich724 I can see my doctor in 2 days…if it’s urgent I can see him that day. Canada’s health care is generally triaged. If your that hurt/sick you’ll get help immediately.

I had a college girlfriend from Toronto. She was beautiful and hardly talked funny at all :-).

By area, Canada is the 2nd biggest country on Earth. Much of it is lightly inhabited. The scenery and wildlife are EPIC!

The US and Canada cooperate a lot on Great Lakes issues.

I have never been to the Banff, British Columbia or the Maritimes but I know I would love them all.

My paternal grandmother was born in Ontario. We visited some distant cousins near Ottawa when I was a kid.

The Quebecois are chauvinistic about French language and Quebecois culture. Other Canadians are often resentful about what they see as special treatment for French Canada.

The Parliament guards wear the big ol’ bearskin hats like the Buckingham Palace guards.

Curling is popular. I was surprised to find a separate curling rink when we went ice skating near Toronto.

Pam Anderson was cute when she was Canadian.

Toronto is very tidy for a big city.

Canadians are more rational about health care and the metric system than a certain large country to the south.

Loonies and toonies are $1 and $2 coins.

^^That was awesome. :) And, @wilma,‘s as well.

Hmmm…I know that people that say Eh frequently should have their tongues cut out.

@josie and @Brian: Good work. :)

In teacher mode.

@jaytkay AFAIK the United States has officially adopted the metric system. It only ever caught on in the soft drink industry (and then, only thanks to marketing, and even then, only with respect to the larger volumes), making our adherence to the Standard system a democratic one.

For anyone who thinks that I don’t care for Americans:

I am looking into dual citizenship and hope to live in Traverse City, Mighican in a year. Part of my family comes from the U.S.

I celebrated the 4th will my partner’s family. Banging pots and pans and chanting “what do we want? Freedom! When do we want it? Now!” And, I sang along to “America, The Beauiful”.

:)

Traverse City is one of my favorite places. I will be up there in a few weeks!

It’s cold.

I know all the provinces/territories and their capitals (including Nunavut). I know that Ontario is the largest in population and contains the capital of the country.

I know that Quebec’s official language is French and there are some who think Quebec should become its own country.

I know that Canada had residential schools where Native American children were “Westernized” and in the process molested and abused.

I know that Canadians do not say “aboot”, but they do say “aboat” and “hoase” and they can deny it all they want, but I’ve been to Canada and I’ve heard locals say it. I’m sure they don’t all do that and it varies by province, however. :)

@DominicX actuall its not that cold up here, its gets cold in the winter time but thats about it.
right now its 32 degrees Celsius out but it feels like 39 outside

@DominicX Canada is typically a little warmer than we are in Upstate NY, even in the winter. Right now it’s 84 degrees F or about 29 or 30 degrees C.

I’ve visited on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts, Calgary, Banff, Toronto, Quebec, and the Quetico region between Minnesota and Canada. It’s an absolutely beautiful country. But what I like best is the people. They are much more polite than people from the U.S. A wonderful quiet sense of humor abounds. They seem to take things in a more relaxed down to earth way, which I like, and are accepting of eccentricities, which I also like. I hope you don’t miss it too much when you move here.

She won’t miss all of that where she is going.

As a Canadian, I think all of your comments are awesome, hilarious, and some a pretty accurate. I think my favourite (yes Canadians use the British u still) was the womanizer comment. I think there are womanizers in every country. Unfortunately, you just got stuck with the 6 Canadian ones! Keep up the good work y’all (yes, I lived in Texas for a summer. I use y’all all the time, much to the chagrin of my compatriots).

Damnit why does everyone hate Winnipeg so much lol? :( I lived there for like 12 years, and it’s awesome.

Ahem. Ketchup chips rock, and Stephen Harper can suck my dick.

@Symbeline In addition, milk in a bag and poutine!

@Schroedes13 Milk in a bag is awesome. It looks like pillows, and that makes me laugh. And hell yeah, poutine!

But about actual government stuff…apparently, prisons here aren’t nowhere near as bad as those of the USA. Still wouldn’t wanna go though lol.

@Symbeline Ya, I can’t say I’d ever want to visit a prison for any length of stay. Also, since Americans don’t have any coin bigger than a quarter, do they have metal wrapped, chocolate quarters?? Cause that would be silly. Chocolate loonies are the best!

I am proud that the one of the base denominations in my currency is called a loonie!

I hate chocolate loonies, it takes forever to get that damn wrapping off. But I’m with you all the way when it comes to the loonie pride thing. :D

Ya I always end up using my teeth to start it. I find it easier than those damn small, chocolate Easter eggs. You know, the really small, solid ones. They take forever. And it you miss a piece, ouch! lol

Yeah man lol, those things will come out of your butt 12 hours later screaming survivor. XD

As a Canadian, these answers are scary, save for 3.5.

I have enjoyed the Canadians that I personally have met, they are (for the most part) friendly & interesting. However, some of their governmental attitudes seem to have been copied from the good old USA & that definitely leaves something to be desired – law enforcement tends to be rather heavy-handed just as law enforcement in the US is. And from what I have read, they treat their native peoples (native indian tribes) even worse than the US does & this is a very sad thing for what could be a really good country. One has to wonder what it is in the mentality of both the US & the Canadians that causes them to hold the native indian peoples in such disdain & to go to such lengths to try to destroy their culture.

Destroy native culture?

I don’t know why everyone hates on Winnipeg, but this is why John K. Samson does. And I think it’s a great song.

@Seelix Thanks for the info on Canadian bacon. My daughter makes fun of it, so now I can give here the Canadian side of the topic.

@Seelix Winnipeg? Did you not see their record when they were an alleged member of the NHL?

This jealously thing cracks me up. Couldn’t be further from the truth.

@Jude – Do you mean the idea that we as a country are jealous of the US? Yeah, that’s just ridiculous.

@Adirondackwannabe – Let’s hope the Jets are better this time around :)

@Jude Yep, that we’re jealous of the U.S.

@Seelix @Jude I don’t see the jealousy thing at all. If anything, I’m a little jealous of you guys. Canadians are similar to the US, but with more class and health care.

—@Adirondackwannabe I made a mistake. It was posted in another thread that Canadians are jealous of the U.S. because the U.S. excels in sport.

@Jude Ever try to figure the ridiculous amounts of money we spend on sports in the US?

@Linda_Owl Native Canadians have been given the choice of staying on their land (and not paying taxes) and self governing or leaving the reserves and paying taxes. It is really important to know that the individual bands are responsible for governing themselves. Some do better than others. Because they are self governing is it really fair for the Canadian government to get involved would we dare after the mess we made of it in the past? This is a really hard question, one that our politicians/Indian bands/citizens have to wrestle with.

Some bands are doing a great job of bringing their people into the current century. They create viable business opportunities on their reserves and then share the profits with the members.