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May 18, 2014

The real truth behind 15 Canadian stereotypes


Tomorrow brings with it the return of Victoria Day, a charming relic of the Victorian era, as one might deduct from the name, a day off from work for many folks, and the unofficial start of summer here in Canada (for more on the history of Victoria Day, see this post, as well as this one, from years past). Unlike most other holidays that we observe in this country, Victoria Day is a wholly Canadian invention that takes place annually on the Monday prior to May 25th.

Chances are, few outside of  Canada’s wide borders (save perhaps for our American neighbours to the south) are overly familiar with Victoria Day, and to be fair, why would they be? It's a squarely Canadian invention stretching back to the day's of this country's official formation in 1867, and "May Long", as it sometimes also called, is our own special way of rejoicing that, at long last we're free of winter's icy shackles once more. It's our moment to usher in summer, bust out the camping gear, fire up the grill, and just have a merry ol' time, Canadian style.



{Hurrah!!! Buh-bye, winter! Hello, gloriously lovely return of summer, complete with scores of days spent outdoors soaking up all the vitamin D, warmth and happiness boasting goodness that the sun can possible deliver. Image source.}



In the course of my nearly thirty years of life, very much including the two years I lived abroad in Ireland, I've come in contact with oodles of people from other countries who know little to (almost) nothing about Canada, or whose expertise centered around certain topics (such as our hockey teams) only.

This is always very interesting to me, because growing up, my classmates and I spent a lot of our school year learning about the history, culture, governments, and traditions of many different countries, especially those of the US and UK. It would seem, however, that by and large, students in those and most other countries do not learn a great deal about Canada, which is genuine shame, as we're a very fascinating country with a rich history, including the making of numerous groundbreaking scientific discoveries and inventions (such as the discovery of using insulin to treat diabetes in 1922 and the discovery of stem cells in 1963).

I've been asked some pretty interesting questions about my beloved country, Canada, over the years including a good many that play into various stereotypes (most of which, mind you I find quaintly charming and am not bothered by personally). Today, in the spirit of Victoria Day, a completely Canadian observation, I thought it would be fun to get to the real truth of the matter when it comes to fifteen of these views that the world holds, whether humourously or seriously, about my country and its lovely people.



1. Does everyone in Canada speak French?

A. No, not all at. While French and English are Canada's two official languages and you'll find both on most government documents, some road signs, a lot of our food and product packaging, at ATMs and various other places, English is by far the more predominantly and widely spoken of the two amongst those who only speak one or the other. According to the Statistics Canada 2001 census report regarding bilingualism in Canada, 74.5% of the population identifies them selves as English speaking, and 24.1% as French. The highest concentrations of French speakers in Canada hail from Quebec, New Brunswick, and Ontario, though you will of course encounter Francophiles all across the country.


2. Is it true that you have snow all year round in Canada?

A. If we count the snow that remains at high mountain elevations, such as that in the Rocky Mountains, and in the highest reaches of the arctic the whole year through, then yes, technically we do have snow (on the ground) in parts of Canada all the time, but for nearly everywhere that is inhabited by humans, the snowy season can span from an average of four to eight or nine (in the case of the Yukon, NWT, and Nunavut) months, with about half the year (from October or November to March or April) being the norm for most parts of the country.


3. Do you live in igloos?
 
A. This one is an eye roller if ever there was. While a small percentage of Inuit people living in the arctic territories still utilize traditional igloos for part of the year, no, the overwhelming majority of Canadians do not live, nor have they even so much as set foot inside of, an igloo.
 
 
4. Why do you include "eh" in every sentence?

Eh. Interestingly, this is a point that not all of my fellow Canadians and I see eye-to-eye on. Some feel that they almost never use "eh", whereas others, myself very much included, certainly do use it sometimes, particularly at the end of some of my spoken sentences and I feel a wonderful sense of Canuck pride when I think of this tiny two letter symbol our or nation's way of speaking. In short though, "eh" is not said by most Canadians as often as sartorial impressions of people from this country would have you believe. 


5. Why is hockey pretty much the only sport Canadians play or like to watch?

A. While it is, and has long been, the nation's favourite sport, it's not the only one we play or delight in watching. Canada has an active sports scene, with lacrosse (our actual national sport), football, soccer, baseball, rugby, track events, ice skating, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, tennis, and cycling, amongst others, all being very popular from coast to coast.


6. Do you get around everywhere on a snowmobile or dog sled?

A. While snowmobiling is a popular winter activity, and some folks do use teams of sled dogs to navigate the snow covered arctic terrain, extremely few people use these means of transportation as their only way to get around the whole year through (you'd need to have snow on the ground 365 days a year to do so, which as you may recall from one of the questions above, does not actually exist in most places here in Canada), and many of us (myself included) have never so much as tried one or the other.


7. Are Canadians really as polite as they're portrayed?

A. First of all, aww, thank you very much for thinking about us like that! Secondly, while I would say that, as a whole, we're a wonderfully polite people who like to use the words please, thank you and I'm sorry like they're going out of style, in this country, as with all nations, not every single person is the picture of perfect manners. You'll find rude folks in Canada, just as you will anywhere else unfortunately. That said, far more folks are polite, friendly, courteous and amicable than not wherever you go across this vast land of ours and this point is one of very favourite things about Canadian culture.


8. Are there tons of bears (especially polar bears) everywhere?

A. Well, if you venture into certain parts of the forest in different provinces, yes, but by and large, while we do have a lot of bears in Canada, they're not "everywhere" by any means. To date, thankfully, I've never come face-to-face with a bear of any kind (though my mom once had one wander into her backyard while she was out in it; truly thankfully, she was able to make a hasty retreat inside the house without the bear chasing or attacking her) and neither have the bulk of most Canadians. We may see them sometimes, especially on the side of the highway in mountainous areas, at campgrounds or in the woods, but they're not exactly cutting in line to get a double-double at Tim Hortons by any means.



{Just like long stretches of unpopulated wilderness, Canada has no shortage of stereotypes, including some of which exists within its own borders, as the tongue-in-cheek map above highlights. Image source.}



10. Is it true that you harvest icebergs?

A. Yes! Each year, come the springtime, in a part of Newfoundland and Labrador known as Iceberg Alley, a small group of innovative entrepreneurs does indeed "harvest" pieces of these icy structures to use in various applications, such as the making of certain spirits and skincare products.


11. Canadians don't celebrate Valentine's Day/Easter/Thanksgiving/Halloween/Christmas/etc, too/like us, do they?

A. Yes, sir/ma'am, we do. Aside from the fact that our Thanksgiving (aka, Canadian Thanksgiving falls in early October, not the end of November), we celebrate all of the same major holidays that Americans do.


12. I heard that you have special highways just for wild animals in Canada. Is that for real?

A. Not everywhere, but yes, in fact, in Banff National Park and on Highway 69 located south of Sudbury, Ontario, special highway overpasses were constructed for the sole purpose of letting local wildlife such as wolves, bears, cougars, moose, bighorn sheep, wolverine, lynx, coyotes, deer and elk safely traverse the vehicle filled roadways below without having to risk being hit or otherwise disturbed by motorists. To date though, most highways in Canada do not have these kinds of animal-safety measures in place. It would be amazing if they did though. Sadly, scores of animals are killed by motorists every year while trying to cross the road.


13. The North Pole is in Canada, right?

A. Under international law, no country owns the North Pole or the area of the Arctic Ocean immediately surrounding it, so no, while it sits at the very top of the world right above the Canadian arctic circle, it is not technically a part of our country. Interestingly though, and very heartwarmingly, for many years now, Canada Post workers and various volunteers have been answering children's letters addressed to Santa Claus at the North Pole every Christmas.


14. Do you eat and drink anything other than maple syrup, ketchup potato chips, beer, bacon, beaver tails (a fried doughnut like pastry), Coffee Crisp chocolate bars, poutine, and ice wine?

A. What, wait...you mean there are other foods? Jokes aside, while all of these thoroughly scrumptious items are popular Canadian foods, we do indeed eat countless other things as well. Canada is a melting pot nation founded by, and comprised of, immigrates from across the whole world and the cuisine of our culture is highly influenced by this fact. In addition, Canada's First Nations and Inuit peoples have contributed their own tasty offerings to the awesome mosaic that makes up the Canadian diet. You're just as likely to find any of the items in this question from coast to coast as you are things like Pad Thai, pierogis, sushi, Rice Krispies, bannock, pizza, hamburgers, popcorn, blueberry muffins, curry, or countless of foods with roots stretching near and far alike.


15. Do you know so-so and from [insert name of town or city]?

A. No, I don't know Richard from Ottawa or Prince George or Regina or Yellowknife. Sorry, that's playing into a stereotype all its own there, as Richard is an extremely common male name, especially for men in the 35 to 65 year old age bracket in this country. While Canada's population is dwarfed by that of America, with nearly 35 million people and counting, chances are I don't know someone else simply on the merits of the fact that they too are Canadian. However, if they hail from somewhere I’ve lived or have relatives, there's a very small chance I might know them, and in that case, I'll tell Rick that you said hello. :)



 photo canada2s_zps68597da3.gif




Just as with many stereotypes, there is usually a grain of truth or understandable path that lead to their inception, and those regarding Canada are no different. We do love maple syrup and bacon, wear a fair bit of lumberjack inspired plaid, occasionally pronounce about as "a-boot", spend half of the year in the snow, say "sorry" frequently, spot a beaver every now and then (especially while out paddling a canoe), and adore our hockey something fierce.



 photo edcf04f0d2bd2b8ca7b9f2291de2ca2e_zps25bd6fed.jpg

{Just another typical moose, snow covered mountain, big horn sheep, maple leaf, bear, and Mountie filled day in Canada. Image source.}


We're a fun loving, hard working people who, come tomorrow, will rejoice in summer's unofficial return. For many, this will mean cracking open a 2-4 (a Canadian term for a 24 case of beer), tossing some burgers on the grill, and putting our snow shovels back into hibernation for another six months. And to that I say, have a very happy Victoria Day, eh! 




75 comments:

  1. You mean you DON'T live in an igloo and travel by dog sled? ;)
    I had never heard of the speacial wildlife highways, that pleases me immensely xxx

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  2. Thank you for such an intelligent and funny Q and A about Canada. Living in central New York, I have visited Canada many times and find it a wonderful country, though most. Americans have very little knowledge of your country. Hope to visit again soon. Love your blog.

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    1. How terrific that you've been to Canada many times over the year. I just visited the States (for all of five hours) for the first time ever last year, so I have a lot of catching up with you to do on the hopping-over-the-49th front.

      I don't like generalize about such things too much, by and large, experience has shown me that what you said is spot on, many Americans know little verging on nothing about Canada I find this so interesting (and a tad perplexing) given that we're neighbours and that Canadians are raised on, and educated about, a steady stream of facts about the States, its history, culture, geography and so forth, but evidently the same is not true for most Americans when it comes to these same kinds of points about Canada. Shame! We have so much in common with the US, as well as plenty that makes us awesome unto ourselves, and it would be fabulous if more Americans were well educated on Canada. Perhaps I'll just have to launch a line of Canadian history textbooks aimed at US students! :)

      ♥ Jessica

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    2. And by the way, thank you Canada for Murdoch Mysteries. I LOVE them!

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    3. Aww, you're - on behalf of my country - very welcome. I'm a massive fan of that show as well. Great stories, fab historical costumes, and it's set in Toronto, what's not to adore? :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  3. Happy Victoria Day dear Jessica! You Canadians sound pretty awesome to me!

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  4. well probably because Ive always lived reltively near too Canada Ive never believed any of those stereotypes, some I never even heard of! I find much the same with living in the New York area there are plenty of people who have a lot of stereotypes of New Yorkers: rude, fast, no trees, all wealthy, crime non stop etc, and on the the other end New Yorkers who when they find out that I am originally from a rural area assume that I must be from a close minded place devoid of culture. This post is quite fun, I like how you dispel the myths

    retro rover

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    1. Thank you very much, sweet Kate. I wanted something lighthearted, fun and unique to celebrate this festive weekend with and thought that taking a stab at some of the most prevalent Canadian stereotypes would be the way to go. I've heard all those things about NYC, but don't believe a one of them. Those folks I know who live, or have lived or traveled there, always have warm, awesome things to say about the city and its inhabitants and I would welcome the chance to visit NYC anytime.

      ♥ Jessica

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  5. Brilliant post! I really enjoyed learning more about Canada and Canadians. Happy Victoria Day to you.

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  6. This is such valuable information. I concede that Americans are inexcusably ignorant and provincial when it comes to anything outside our borders. I don't recall ever seeing someone set us straight -- and that's sorely needed. I can't wait to visit your igloo and eat poutine with you. :-)

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    1. Anytime, Ally, I'll bust out the company toques, our finest aged Molson brewskies, and we can watch hockey on CBC. :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  7. And everyone has seen a moose right? I think the one thing I know which or may not be a stereotype, is as a European you better not ask a Canadian if they are American if you want to live to tell the tale!

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    1. Good one! :) I've seen a moose (several actually), but Tony, our darling Italian import to this fine land, has been here since 2006 and has yet to see one in the wild. Perhaps this will be the year he finally does.

      True, true about asking if we're America. I lived in Ireland for two years and always, without fail, had people think I was American. I didn't mind, as I have tons of love for my American friends and their country, but it would have been nice if even one person had stopped to phrase their question as something along the lines of "Are you American or Canadian?" Then when I told them I was Canadian, most people were shocked I spoke English, not French, as my first (and only truly native level) language. C'est la vie! :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  8. Stellar post, Jessica!
    Triple thumbs up.
    You've ended it up with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer! (raise hands; all yee who remember Fraiser and Diefenbaker from "Due South"?) :)
    ..now, there's a cliché I mostly heard about Canada: all policemen are Mounties. If ALL policemen in Canada were from Royal Canadian Mounted Police - I'd be the first one to move there. :D

    Hug
    Marija

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    1. Oh my gosh, how much do I flat out love that you got Due South in your country, that's awesome!!! I had no idea it was broadcast to parts of Europe, too. Sooo cool!!! :)

      That's another big stereotype for sure. While I don't have any stats to hand, there are certainly a lot more members of the RCMP than than are of local police forces, something that usually exists only in larger cities, but of course not all members of our fine law enforcement service are Royal Canadian Mounted Police (those in our town all are though - another reason for you to come visit me one day? :D).

      Thanks for your fabulous comment, honey!
      ♥ Jessica

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    2. Now I'm REALLY considering a visit. :D

      Marija

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  9. Entertaining and informative! I don't know why we don't learn more about Canada in the UK - it's not exactly a small place! I learned literally nothing about it at school, but I'm making up for it as an adult. Fascinating post.

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  10. This is such a great post, Jessica, I enjoyed thoroughly. I am quite familiar with Canada, but perhaps that is because of the bond Canada and the Netherlands have for many years already, due to WWII, and we got that alot in history class.

    And beside that ... didn't Weird Al Yankovic sang a song about Canada ;-)? Joke ofcourse, I know it's filled with stereotyping too.

    Anyway, the way you feel about people knowing so little about Canada, is what I feel about people knowing so little about the Netherlands, too. There are certainly quite a few stereotypings going on, on my country which are, by far, not true in most cases. Such as: Dutch people walk in wooden shoes all day, eat cheese all day and work in the mill which stands in a huge field of tulips, we are all chubby and have milkmaid braided hair. Oh, and smoke weed all day in Amsterdam. The latter is quite true to a certain extend ... Amsterdam is famous for it and people all over the world come to my country to experience that and álso take a trip to the red light district. I, personally, haven't smoked pot in my life ever by the way.

    I wish you a happy Victoria Day!

    xoxo

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  11. I have never heard of some of these stereotypes but they were quite entertaining. I am slightly saddened that not all Canadians say "eh" after every sentence. But you do all pronounce about like "a boot" right?

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    1. Some definitely do, especially the further east you head in this country, but not everyone does. I say it "about" myself, but do pepper my daily speech with plenty of "ehs". :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  12. Some of these stereotypes have been said about Finland as well, snow year round, polar bears (??) etc.

    Nice post and I'd love to visit Canada, but at the moment it's too costly.

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    1. I'd absolutely love to visit Finland myself, one day. Your country is beautiful, boasts an incredible education system, and has some of the friendliest and most polite people I've ever met - what's not to adore?

      Fingers crossed we're both able to make it each other's lovely lands some day.

      ♥ Jessica

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  13. hihi!
    fun read! thank you for making my day!!!
    xxxx
    <3

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  14. Hehehehe ... this is awesome! :D Ah, my three favorite Canadian foods: poutine, ice wine, and beaver tails! WAHOO! YUM. Since I'm a NYer and camped close to the border or in Canada as a kid, I always associate the "great outdoors" with Canada. And let me tell you, all the Canadians I've ever met have been super polite -- you included, darling! I really love the fact that Canada honors it's heritage and wild parks, protecting both the old architecture and its parks. Quebec is such a dreamy, wonderful city ... one of many in Canada.

    Happy Victoria Day, darling gal! And Happy Summer!

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  15. Oh, this post is lovely! Thank you for writing it! I'm sorry to say I, like most of my fellow Americans, don't know much at all about Canada. But from the photos you post, it looks simply beautiful! I can't believe you've encountered these "stereotypes". Apart from the "eh" one.......I do admit to having (lovingly) given into that one! And the "do you know so and so" is, I think, fairly international. Me? "No, I don't know so and so...in fact, I haven't even heard of the town they're from. Do you know how big California is???" haha... but this was really fun reading. Enjoy your holiday!

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  16. So funny that you posted this, Jessica. I was just looking at my calendar last night trying to plan out our week and noticed "Victoria Day" in the corner and was wondering what it was.

    I, like most Americans, don't know much about Canada so I found this post very interesting. I remember a news story from a few years back in which the government imposed a new tax but exempted all personal care products because they were considered essential. Only issue was that they left the tax on monthly feminine supplies which caused some to (rightfully!) protest. I was impressed how quickly the government fixed the problem. Here in the US it would have taken a bit longer.

    So do you know Mike Meyers or Jason Priestly? LOL

    Sarah

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    1. That would be awesome, but no, I haven't met either of those famous Canadian chaps yet. In fact, I really haven't encountered many celebrities in my lifetime - perhaps because so many of them end up moving South for work and rarely, if ever, make it back up to their home igloos, errr, I mean towns. :)

      Thank you very much for your great comment,
      ♥ Jessica

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  17. I always have a giggle at national stereotypes, although I have to confess that I know very little about Canadian ones. Being English I have come across many, which usually make me chuckle, especially people who cannot understand that I live nowhere near London nor am I on tea taking terms with Her Majesty! (although the Queen Mother waved at me once, though I was less than impressed because I wanted my lunch at the time!)

    Thank you for sharing these with us.

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  18. I never learnt anything about Canada at school, and for a long time growing up assumed Canada and the US were one and the same. I even studied the history of medicine and didn't know that about the insulin and stem cells! Shocking really, and makes no sense as we learnt plenty about the US. It would make more sense for us in the UK to learn about Canada as we're in the same commonwealth if for no other reason.
    I enjoyed reading this post a lot, and I hope you have a lovely Victoria Day!

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  19. Jessica! I loved this post! You really are such a talented writer. As someone who loved international travel, I completely agree with you. Considering how diverse our education system is regarding learning about other cultures (I distinctly remember learning about Russia, Sweden, Japan, China, Brazil, European history, American History, Australia and NZ, on top of Canadian history and politics). I get that Canada is a small fry in the grand scheme of things on an international scale, and in relation to many other places still very newm but you are completely right. Sometimes it baffles me how little other people know about anywhere else besides their own borders. Living in England on and off for several years, some people thought we were a territory of the states! I always found that crazy as we are a British colony and the queen is technically still our head of state. I had no idea about the iceberg harvesting! That's awesome. Happy May Long to you indeed. Crack a Molson and watch CBC, eh?

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    1. Thank you very much, dear Charmaine, it is comforting to know that I'm not the only Canuck who has been left scratching their toque covered over the fact that startling few people outside of our vast borders, seem to know much about Canada, yet as you wisely said we learn so very much about other nations and their histories as part of our education system. I wonder if, in part, that's because we're such a fabulously multi-cultural country these days and it just makes sense to extend that melting pot quality to our nation's school books.

      Adored your comment, honey, thank you again, eh!

      ♥ Jessica

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  20. My family has friend in Toronto, so I've visited Canada a couple times over the years (and our friends definitely used "eh" quite often!). I've never heard of the wildlife road passes you talked about in point #12, so I learned something new!
    We always watched 'The Red Green Show' when I was growing up, so that's my only experience with Canadian television, they riffed on cultural stereotypes sometimes for the fun of it.
    I do find it incredibly funny when you say you're from or have been to a certain country and people immediately ask you if you know so-and-so who lives in that country. Also related: when people meet Angel and immediately tell him that their granddaughter married a guy from Guatemala (because obviously there's some sort of connection between Mexican American Angel and the unknown guy from Guatemala?)

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  21. Happy Victoria Day lovely Jessica! I'm from Australia and the main Canadian stereotype we have here is that if you ever meet a friendly polite 'American' they must be from Canada :) and I mean no disrespect to all the truly friendly polite Americans out there <3

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    1. Thank you very much for the lovely Canada Day wishes, my dear. I've encountered that stereotype as well and though there is some basis for it, of course there are legions of super friendly and very polite Americas as well, so it doesn't hold up.

      Hugs from sunny British Columbia,
      ♥ Jessica

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    2. " if you ever meet a friendly polite 'American' they must be from Canada" this is so funny (and might be a little true)
      signed a fellow Canuck

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  22. Regarding #2, we on the coast can measure our snow in days rather than weeks or months! (The rain, on the other hand...) Oh, and smoked salmon is inevitably my favourite Canadian food.

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    1. True, true! (I lived on the Coast until shortly before my ninth birthday.) It's interesting how just a few hours north, here in the Okanagan, we usually have snow for at least some of the time from late October/early November right until March or even April some years.

      Yum! Smoked salmon is a fabulous Canadian delicacy. I can certainly see why it's your favourite of our nation's many scrumptious eats.

      Thank you for your lovely comment - I hope you had a great holiday!
      ♥ Jessica

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  23. A post to rival Rick Mercer . Enjoy your long weekend!

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    1. I am flat out humbled, dear Debra, thank you very much for such an utterly awesome compliment.

      ♥ Jessica

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  24. Part of our homeschool curriculum includes Canadian history, and until we moved earlier in the year we had a poster of the Canadian Prime Ministers on our kitchen wall. That always got some funny looks from people visiting us for the first time, but it was quite a useful teaching tool. You're right though, there isn't much taught about Canada in our schools after the early explorers (which may contribute to the image of Canadians all being French speaking fur trappers). I certainly never learned about Canada's role preventing WWIII during the Suez Crisis when I was at school, which seems like a rather major bit of history to overlook. I guess if we can't take the credit, it isn't important!


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  25. Great post Jessica, I'd heard of a few of those stereotypes but most of them were new to me! I actually know a few people who live in Canada, but I've not made it to your lovely country yet. My other half plays ice hockey here in England and a few of his team mates now play in Canada, so I've no doubt that if and when we do make it over here I'll be dragged to a few hockey games!

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  26. Your post just made me smile. I have been to Canada twice in my life, and it's really a wonderful and beautiful place to see - and to live, I guess. As much as there are "wrong clichés" about your nation and your country, there are as many about other people. Swiss people are all bank employees, we live on cheese and chocolate, cows everywhere, we all like to yodel and we wear strange costumes... just to name a few. I could add some more stereotypes about my Italian husband's nation, which would fill several posts. Makes me always laugh (or shake my head) when I talk to people from abroad about how life is Switzerland, according to them.

    But no matter what the stereotypes are: I only met nice Canadians so far. :-) And I would like to travel there once more with my family. Had such a splendid time there!

    ♥ Doris

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  27. Very interesting! I'm in the UK, and I'd always thought that Canada liked its links back to England and Scotland. But the impression I have from your post is that the real affinity now is with America, which is understandable given its proximity. But don't feel offended that Americans know little about Canada! The stereotype is that they don't know much about any country other than their own...

    I like a book by Dick Francis called The Edge, in which the English hero crosses Canada coast to coast by train. It's a mystery, and the author clearly liked and was impressed by Canada. But it was first published in 1988 so must be rather dated by now.

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    1. Historically, I would say that Canada was more akin to the UK and certainly early British and Scottish settlers and explorers helped shape this country tremendously, but in recent decades there has been a pronounced shift towards relating more with the US. I feel that we strive to have our own independent identity, but perhaps haven't fully succeeded there yet (a topic that whole books have been written on). I like to think we embody some of the best elements of each country, as well as many others from the multitude of immigrants that have shaped and made Canada home for hundreds of years now. We're a true melting pot nation and that's a wonderful thing in my books.

      Many thanks for your lovely comment,
      ♥ Jessica

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  28. This is so funny. When I moved to California from Colorado, people would literally ask me if I go skiing all the time, and is it always snowing there, and did I live in the mountains. It's kind of cute how people form these impressions of what it's like to live somewhere based entirely off of snippets of movies and tv that they've seen.
    I like to think I'm fairly well clued in to Canada. My sister in law is actually from Toronto, so she and my brother celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, just to make her feel more at home. I don't think I've ever heard of Victoria Day before, though. Sounds a bit like Memorial Day here, a nice way to start your summer.

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  29. ha! this is really cute! i can imagine you have been asked things like this, much like i have been asked stereotype questions about my state, Kansas. (apparently, to most people its flat, everyone is Old MacDonald, it is boring and we have tornadoes every day lol... which, by the way, isn't true)
    but i did enjoy this. Especially the little word map you included. Countries and even small spaces are really quite diverse, and once we get to know even just a small slice of creation, i feel like our appreciation for the natural world really expounds!
    ~Abigail

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  30. Hahaha that was very entertaining, Jessica! I love how you educate yet poke some humour into the stereotypes. I really should do one about New York (where I live)/New Jersey (where I grew up) - there are WAY too many stereotypes for this area! Sad thing is a lot are true! LOL.

    -Holly
    Veronica Vintage

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    1. You totally should, that would be fabulous!!! Of all the places in the States, I think only the South (to epically generalize) faces as many stereotypes as NYC does.

      ♥ Jessica

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  31. Hahaha I loved your melding of humour and information in this post! :-) I really should create one about New York (where I live) / New Jersey (where I was born & raised) - there is a veritable laundry list of misconceptions and stereotypes around here. But the sad part is a lot of them are true! LOL.

    -Holly
    Veronica Vintage

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  32. I love your article, because it's a fact there are a lot of "opinions" of people in the world... Here you explain how Canadian are (I can do it for french hihihihihih) Very interesting as usual !!!

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  33. Wow my dear! What a wonderful post talking about your country! Very cool indeed, loved to know about Victory Day (I did not know this holiday) and also other facts about his beloved country. Here in Brazil is much talk of American culture and virtually nothing of Canada. This information is great and very welcoming to our cultural enrichment. Here in Brazil we also have some holidays "invented" as the Day of the Indian, Tiradentes Day, Abolition of Slavery among others. One day I'll talk about these holidays in my blog, because I find it interesting because some people only know Brazil for Carnival, Pele, Carmen Miranda, and lately by the demonstrations against the World Cup. Anyway, I'm ending here, congratulations post! Tons of hugs from his vintage friend here in Brazil.

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  34. I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it, but we really only touched on the basics (such as a general overview of European colonization) when it came to learning about Canada in school and most of the things I know are based off of things I've read on my own (interest peaked by L.M. Montgomery). It such a pity, especially since our country borders yours.

    Hope you are having a nice Victoria Day! ♥

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  35. My brother-in-law is a Canuck and as a native Michigander I often hear many of these same things (you know it's all frozen tundra anywhere north of Ohio, Jessica! ;D), so this is fun to read. I love hearing "Eh?"—from my Canadian friends as well as my Upper Peninsula (MI) relatives! My grandfather would say it often and one of my UP-dwelling uncles still does; I'd love to know how that got started and where it really came from, wouldn't you?

    Canada has some fine horse racing, too, something no doubt inherited from England (I was sad when the superb Wando passed in January). Several Canadian-bred horses have taken some major prizes away from we Americans over the years, but I have to be honest, it's hard to get upset about it when that happens.

    Happy Victoria Day. :) Being so close, I visited your country fairly often as a girl and still do on occasion! We never fail to have a good time and meet wonderful people.

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  36. LOL-fun post. I live on hippie island in what should be renamed geriatric town. I never say 'eh' and always thought it odd that it is attributed to Canadians. I don't know many people who do say it and suspect it might be a regional thing. Now, I"d better go because the sled dogs need feeding and I think perhaps my igloo is melting. Damn that global warming! ;-)

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    1. It's very interesting how some Canadians fall squarely into the "eh camp" and others never so much as utter the tiny word. I say it fairly often myself - not to a comical level, but likely at least a few times over the course of a given day. It's just such a natural way for me to end a question or add (usually) happy emphasis to what I'm saying.

      Thank you for your smile-inducingly fun comment,
      ♥ Jessica

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  37. Thanks for your interesting post! I have to confess I don't know very much about Canada, and unfortunately many interesting countries aren't subject of study at school...I was impressed to read that exist special roads for wild animals ...it is so nice!
    p.s. needless to say that, once more your selection of photos is lovable!
    Happy Victoria Day!

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  38. Dear Jessica,

    This was such an enjoyable post! Funny some of those questions people ask! Just love that map of Canada.

    I wanted to post about our 2005 trip to Canada, and finally did...it took me quite some time to roundup the collection of old photos. I came to your blog yesterday and decided I would get that post up before leaving you a message here.

    I have to say, Come to think of it, I cannot remember meeting a single rude person while in Canada. It is a lovely Country indeed!

    ♥Hope

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  39. Happy Victoria Day! This was really interesting as I learnt lots that I didn't know about Canada. I laughed out loud when I read the igloo, the snowmobile and the food questions. What were people thinking!?

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  40. What a great article! I love to learn about culture from other countries and since the Canada is one of my fave countries (i wold love to live there, actually) read about all those stereotypes is really interesting. And i loved the Map that you posted ^^

    XoXo
    vintagepri.blospot.com

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  41. haha great post. i would love to do one about small towns or australia, but i'm too much of an insider to even know what an outsider thinks. lol. I never even knew these ones about canada exhisted (well except the manners one because of an american facebook friend). I remember thinking Canada was super awesome in primary school because Avril Lavigne was from there. I went through a phase. lol.

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  42. This was down right funny! We too as American's have our stereotypes, and for the record except for the fact of saying 'eh' at the end of sentences pretty much knew that most of these were just that, stereotypes. I do agree highly that the Canadians are a friendly folk. :) You often remind me of my own Hoosiers {as we are known for our Hoosier Hospitality. A take on the fact that so many southerners after the Revolution and prior to the Civil war had emigrated to Indiana. Which is why we have such a southern influence in our state culture. Whew, that was too long and I'm sure a little boring}.

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    1. I'm delighted to know that it brought a chuckle your way, sweet Sean. Definitely, there are plenty of stereotypes that Canadians (and others) have about Canadians, but I can attest firsthand and few (negative ones) have even so much of a grain of truth to them. We're hoosiers up here for sure, though some see the term as a positive, some as a negative. It's fun and a bit camp (it was more popular during the 70s) to me and I don't take any issue with it.

      Not boring in the slightest! Have you ever known me not to adore anything related to history and sociology? :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  43. This was a super interesting and informative post. I loved the bit about the Canadian post workers writing all those letters from Santa. So cute!

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  44. Hi there! Living in California and America for that matter, we get our share of stereotypes as well. It is actually fun to hear what crazy ideas that people have of us. The ones that I get most often is "Do I surf?", or "How often do I see celebrities?". Having been to five Canadian provinces, I do have to say that I have yet to meet a Canadian that I did not like, they have all been quite friendly. Being a hockey fan, I can also say that I know the Canadian Anthem by heart.

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    1. Hello there yourself, my lovely visitor :) Thank you very much for your great comment. I've heard a few of the ones that folks in California get, too, simply by sheer extension of the fact that BC is on the Pacific coast. Everyone I've met from California so far has been awesome, friendly and pleasure to know, just as you feel about us Canucks. (that's cool! I know the US anthem from watching sports with my male relatives as a youngster.)

      ♥ Jessica

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  45. Ooh, this was fun. :) I've told you before that I have family in Kelowna, now I'm glad I didn't ask if you knew them - of course you don't, I know. Two years ago we visited the US, and when we talked Danish everybody looked puzzled at us and asked where we were from? Denmark, we replied, and then it was always like "Aah, the capital of Sweden!". Haha! In Europe our favourite joke is that there are no kangaroos in Austria. ;) Thank you for this truly funny and entertaining read - and now I'm not behind with your blog anymore.

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    1. As unlikely as it is that I'd know your relatives, you're always welcome to ask. Even if I don't know them, there's always a chance I might meet them somewhere one day (Kelowna, after all, isn't that huge). Too funny! How could anyone not know that Denmark is a country unto itself. Whatever happened to the days of teaching world geography in school?

      I'm delighted to know you enjoyed this post. Thank you very much for your great comment!

      ♥ Jessica

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  46. I loved this post! The comments come in at a very close second - so interesting to see what everyone has to say about (or should I say a-boot) our lovely home. Makes me proud to be Canadian!

    Lisa.

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    1. Agreed, the comments on this post have been some of my faves in the blog's history. I was thinking about you so much, my fellow vintage loving Canuck, as I was penning this post. It sure is funny how some folks see our land and its people. I've been wanting to write a post that explored some of the stereotypes we face for ages now (especially since I encounter some of them online, as I'm sure you do, too) and love that I had a chance this Victoria Day long weekend.

      Well, off to sweep the igloo, feed the moose, iron my toques, and boil some maple syrup - chat more later. :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  47. Fab post! I live in Ontario - the smog part, judging by your map - I use eh, I am not Canadian, only a few people around me say it. It is preferable to the British 'innit' in my opinion! What do you mean we don't get around by dog and sled? Talk for yourself! Anyway, best go - the sled is illegally parked and
    I need to go move it!!

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  48. Oh Jessica thanks for writing this! As Fellow Canuck I have found all of these stereotypes frustrating ( except the polite on cause well that's true lol) .
    It's funny because I have found the further east you go the more eh's there are and the further west the eh's become Hey's.
    Other than maple syrup, I don't eat any of these lol....but then again I don't like Hockey or Winter either .....maybe I'm not A real Canadian HA!

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  49. This is the first I've heard of your holiday, even though I did know most of the answers to your questions.
    Laurie

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    1. Isn't fascinating, isn't it, how the 4th of July is pretty much world famous, but Canada's own birthday is little known outside of the country, even by many in the States. Clearly we need better PR here in this country! :D

      Thank you very much for both of your blog comments today. I hope that your week is off to a great start!

      ♥ Jessica

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  50. Too funny, I'm from Florida and say "Eh" all the time :). What I really enjoy hearing are the words with "pro". You guys seem to pronounce it correct PROgress while we say pragress (even though it is spelt progress).

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    1. Three cheers for "eh", eh! :D Good observation. I'd agree that we do tend to pronounce the "pro" with more of an "o" sound than an "a" sound, though perhaps less so when a Maritime accent is involved.

      Thank you for your comment. Have a great rest of the summer!

      ♥ Jessica

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