if you’re planning to travel to canada for any other reason, here are a few more things to know
1) Canada is not a U.S. state. It’s a state of mind.
2) Ambient temperatures have no discernible effect on the customer service, which is quite good.
3) Canadians that have made great contributions to American culture include Frank Gehry, Kim Cattrall and Tommy Chong.
4) Bryan Adams? Celine Dion? Shania Twain? Blame Canada.
5) Like us, Canadians love guns. But they are too polite to use them at work.
6) If you’re lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a Canadian national animal, the majestic ... beaver. SEE MORE AFTER CUT>>>>>>>>>
What you should know about the National Flag of Canada (its official name):
1. Proclaimed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it is on February 15 1965, during a Parliament Hill ceremony, that the single 11 points maple leaf design was officially inaugurated.
2. Flag etiquette is not legislated. It is simply a question of respect. Flags are the utmost symbols of patriotism. They signify honour, pride and unity no matter what your origins are, what language you speak, what your values are and for whom you voted.
3. Monday to Friday, weather permitting and on non-statutory holidays, a technically trained employee changes the Peace Tower flag, in a 20 to 30 minute process.
THE LIST
1. We DO NOT have snow all year round. We DO NOT live in igloos. We DO NOT ride around on dog sleds. We DO NOT have to check the back yard for polar bears, before we let our kids go out to play.
2. Stop asking if we know somebody in Canada, when you find out we're Canadian. We DON'T know everybody in Canada.
3. Canadians do not find, "Say 'eh' for me," to be particularly funny.
4. Our president is called a Prime Minister.
5. We have never had a Prime Minister assassinated. Although we've been tempted, a few times.
6. We're a lot bigger than you, in land mass, but our population is considerably less. The populations of Los Angeles and New York City would be around 30 million people. The entire nation of Canada has around 32 million people. Due to the fact that most of our country is in the northern latitudes, we huddle close to the border, for warmth. (That's a JOKE.)
7. In the War of 1812, we kicked your butts. The reason why your Whitehouse is white is because we set fire to it and it was whitewashed to hide the damage (for propaganda purposes). The west wing was almost completely gutted. Some Americans will say that THEY won the war. However, to win, a party must reach their objective. Your objective was to take over British North America (what Canada was called then), our goal was to stop you. You don't have any more northern territory along the Canada/US border than you did before 1812. So who won? (Alaska doesn't count, you BOUGHT that state from Russia.)
8. A form of baseball was played just outside of Toronto, Ontario three weeks before Alexander Doubleday played the 'first' game of baseball in your country.
9. We do not find the term "Canuck" derogatory, like Americans find "Yank" derogatory. It apparently originated during World War One. Your soldiers were call "doughboys" ours were called "Johnny Canucks". I think the British coined the term, but I'm not sure.
10. We did not have a "Wild West". The forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Mounties), the Northwest Mounted Police, kept the peace. Due to the fact that they were a national police force, you could not escape their jurisdiction. They always got their man. Or woman. We have had our share of outlaws, though. Many famous pirates had their headquarters on the east coast of Canada.
11. Speaking of Mounties, they do not all ride horses. So don't try to outrun them if you see their lights in your rear view mirror.
12. We get the same TV shows and channels as you do. So don't ask "Do you get [name of show] up there in Canada?"
13. We are not "just like Americans", we have our own national identity, we just haven't figured out what it is, yet. Someone once said that, "Canadians are unarmed Americans with health care." That pretty much sums it up, I guess. We are internationally (but unofficially) known as the "World's Most Polite Nation."
14. Our national animal is the beaver. Sure it's just a rodent, but they're not even CLOSE to being extinct. You can still get money for beaver pelts. It is NOT our main unit of exchange, we have money, just like you.
15. We do not find the fact that American wear Canadian flag pins (so they can get better treatment in Europe) very amusing. So stop it.
16. Contrary to popular belief, the Klondike Gold Rush happened mostly in Canada, not Alaska. American prospectors were stopped at the border and had their liquor, gambling paraphernalia and firearms confiscated by the Mounties.
17. We have Thanksgiving in October, so we don't look like copycats (it IS an American originated holiday, after all). However, we celebrate Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Passover and other holidays at the same time you do.
18. We were formed, as a nation, in 1867.
19. We do not trade in beaver pelts, blankets and gunpowder. We have currency. Unlike you, however, we have a two dollar bill. (Although you had them during your bi-centennial celebration.) Actually, our two dollar bill is a COIN. Our bills have pictures of birds on them and are multi-coloured. Our one dollar coin has a picture of a loon on it, so it's called a "Loonie". The two dollar coin has a picture of a polar bear on it, so it's called a "Toonie". (Don't ask, I'm as confused as you are on this one.) There are plans afoot to mint a five-dollar coin, we have no idea what to call it.
20. November the 11th is called Remembrance Day, up here. It is a day when all Canadians honour our war dead and the veterans who are still amongst us. It's significance is that on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month the Armistice was signed, ending World War One.
21. Not every Canadian speaks French. In fact, Canada is the only country where speaking French is not cool.
22. We spell words differently. Honour, valour, defence, neighbour, colour, centre and other words are from the British way of spelling. We also pronounce the last letter of the alphabet "zed", not "zee".
23. The Queen of England is not our national leader. She's' just a figure head and somebody to put on our money with the birds. (Some Royalists in Canada will have something different to say about his, but they're a minority.)
24. In Canada the term "bilingual" does not mean the person can speak two languages, it specifically means "speaks both English and French". Canada has two official languages, they are (coincidentally) English and French.
25. Members of our Senate are appointed by the national party in power. It is a life time position. Even though they are not elected by the people, they can still control government legislation.
26. Our states are called Provinces. We even have three Territories.
A territory is created through federal law. In this case, Crown (government) lands in the territories are retained by the federal government in the Crown in right of Canada. This differs from the provinces, which own provincial lands in the Crown in right of the province.
Secondly, in a territory, federal Parliament may enter into provincial-type affairs, such as school curriculum.
Thirdly, territorial governments are not included in the Constitutional amending formula (this is the way Canada decides if we want to change something in the Canadian Constitution). Provinces get a vote when a change is proposed — territories don't.
The provinces and territories are, from east to west:
PROVINCE
CAPITAL
POPULATION
FLOWER
BIRD
MOTTO
Newfoundland and Labrador
"The Rock"
St. John's
568,349 (1986 census)
Pitcher plant
Atlantic puffin
quaerite prime regnum dei (Seek ye first the kingdom of God)
Nova Scotia
"Canada's Atlantic Playground"
Halifax
873,199 (1986 census)
Trailing arbutus ("mayflower")
Kingfisher
munit haec et altera vincit (One defends and the other conquers)
New Brunswick
"Picture Province"
Fredericton
710,442 (1986 census)
Purple violet
black-capped chickadee
spem reduxit (Hope was restored)
Prince Edward Island
"Home of Confederation"
Charlottetown
126,646 (1986 census)
Lady slipper
Blue jay
parva sub ingenti (The small under the protection of the great)
Quebec
"La Belle Province"
Quebec City
6,500,000 (1986 census)
Madonna lily
Snowy owl
je me souviens (I remember)
Ontario
"Canada's Heartland"
Toronto
9,101,694 (1986 census)
White trillium ("white lily")
Common loon (under consideration)
ut inceptit fideles sic permanent (Loyal she began, loyal she remains)
Manitoba
"Keystone Province"
Winnipeg
1,063,016 (1986 census)
Pasqueflower
Grey owl
???
Saskatchewan
"Canada's breadbasket "
Regina
1,009,000 (1986 census)
Western red lily ("prairie lily")
Sharp-tailed grouse
???
Alberta
"Wild Rose Province"
Edmonton
2,365,825 (1986 census)
Wild rose
Great horned owl
fortis et liber (strong and free)
British Columbia
"Pacific Playground"
Victoria
3,029,000
Pacific dogwood
Steller's Jay
splendor sine occasu (Splendor without diminishment)
Yukon Territories
Whitehorse
23,504 (1986 census)
Fireweed (member of primrose family)
Raven
???
Northwest Territories
"The beautiful land"
Yellowknife
52,238 (1986 census)
Mountain avens
Grayfalcon
???
Nunavut
"Our Land" (the Inuit homeland)
Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay)
24,730 (1996 Census)
Purple Saxifrage
Rock Ptarmigan
nunavut sanginivut "Nunavut, our strength."
For a map of Canada, click here.
27. Our governors are called Premiers.
28. Our Federal Governments are formed by the party who received the majority of votes (just like your system). Unlike your system, we do not vote for the person who we would want to be leader of our nation, we vote for the local representative in the territory they are responsible for (called a Riding). The party who had the most local representatives (seats) voted in -- is the ruling party. The party who came in second is known as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. (This is done because we have more than two national parties.) The Opposition's job is to keep the ruling party honest and prevent them from getting into any skulduggery. (It doesn't always work.) We have elections every four years, but the ruling party can call an election earlier, if they so choose.
29. Our Prime Minister does not have a limit on how many terms in office they can do. The most recent record is held by Liberal leader Pierre Eliot Trudeau who stayed leader of the country for around 16 years. It is known as the Trudeau Era. A WWII era Prime Minister, William Lyon MacKenzie King, served for longer than this, by the way.
30. We have had a women Prime Minister. Her name was Kim Campbell. She was Deputy Prime Minister (that's what we call our Vice President) when the Prime Minister of that time, Brian Mulroney, quit. There was an election shortly after that (the Deputy PM is not allowed to finish the term, like the Vice President is).
31. You don't have to be born in Canada, to be Prime Minister.
32. Many Canadians have never played hockey in their lives. There are many who do not like hockey.
33. Besides, our national sport is not hockey, it's lacrosse. It's one of the few sports that originated on the North American continent, it was played by the indians.
34. We didn't invent hockey, we just made it better.
35. Canadian football is different. The Canadian Football League (CFL) has larger end-zones, the football is bigger, and they have one less 'down'. We don't support it much and a few teams have gone bankrupt. Despite the fact that many say it is better than American football, others (who don't particularly like Canadian football) use the expression "run, pass, kick" to describe the game. Apparently, they feel this best describes every offensive strategy in the CFL.
36. Even if an "American" team wins the Stanley Cup (the "World Series" of hockey) it doesn't matter to us, because all your best players are Canadian.
37. On the other hand, if a "Canadian" team wins the World Series we ignore the fact that all our baseball players are American.
38. New York City has more murders in a week than the entire nation of Canada does all year.
39. We have no right to keep and bear arms. So leave your guns home if you're visiting, otherwise they'll be confiscated at the border. We have very strict gun laws, and fully automatic weapons are pretty much illegal. It almost takes an Act of God to get a licence to own a pistol. (This may be a contributing factor as to why we only have about 600 homicides a year, nation-wide.)
40. The border between Canada and the US holds the title of the "World's Longest Undefended Border".
41. Our side of Niagra falls is nicer looking than your side. In fact, even when Americans use images of the Falls in advertising and movies, they film the Canadian side. It's called Horse Shoe Falls, by the way.
42. That movie you thought was filmed in New York, or Seattle, or Chicago, or Los Angeles -- may have just been filmed in Vancouver, Montreal or Toronto.
43. On average four hundred thousand Americans visit Canada each year.
44. Canada has rednecks, too.
45. We pay anywhere from forty to forty-five percent income tax. This does not include Provincial Sales Tax (from 0% to 11% of many purchases, dependent on the particular province) or the national sales tax, the Goods and Services Tax (7% of any purchase over $1.00). Visitors to our country can get the GST they paid reimbursed by filling out a simple form.
46. Our country got its name by mistake. When Jaques Cartier, a French explorer, came to the new world (around where present day Nova Scotia is) they met with local Natives who invited them to their 'kanata' or village. The Jesuit priest with Cartier's party (who was supposed to be providing translation services) misunderstood the native's meaning and told Cartier the name of the country was "Kanata" or Canada.
47. Canada is the only nation to have committed genocide (the complete eradication of a race of people). The Beothuk (bee-ah-took) indians of Newfoundland were hunted like animals. The last one died in prison in the early 1800's. There are no more Beothuk indians left in the world.
48. We call eskimos "Inuit", because that's what they call themselves.
49. We own the North Pole, and therefore Santa Claus is Canadian. The internationally recognized mailing address for jolly old St. Nick is:
Santa Claus
North Pole
Canada
H0H 0H0
So you better not pout, you better not cry, you better not shout, I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is a Canuck.
So there you have it. Now you just might know more about Canada than most Canadians do!
Flag guidelines and respectful practices
4. The National Flag should dominate the space where it is displayed. Trees, lampposts or buildings, should not shadow it.
5. Flags that are not in good condition should not be displayed. Worn out, frayed, faded or ripped flags should be disposed of with dignity. A private burning is recommended.
6. In our country, the National Flag takes precedence over all other national flags. Protocol dictates that it should be on its own mast, not paired with another flag.
7. Covering a statue, a work of art or other objects with the Canadian flag is discouraged. Even on the Stanley Cup, when a Canadian team wins it.
8. A flag should not be used as a decoration. It should not be draped, made into a flower, used as a tablecloth, seat cover, shawl or to cover a lectern.
9. Nothing should be attached, pinned or sewn to it. It is also inappropriate to mark or write on it. This would also include signatures of prominent Canadians.
How to display your flag
10. Generally, the Canadian flag may be flown 24 hours a day.
11. Hanging horizontally: on a wall, a fence, in a window or from a mast or pole, from an observer's point of view, the point of the leaf is always at the top and the bottom of the stem is at the base.
12. Hanging vertically: from an observer's point of view, the tip of the maple leaf is to the left and the stem is to the right.
13. On a boat: When in harbour, it is to be flown from 0800 to sunset, usually at the stern.
14. On a car: it is secured to a firm pole and displayed on the right chassis.
15. On a podium: from the observer's point of view, it should be to the speaker's left.
16. In a parade: when marching single file, in our country, the National Flag of Canada will lead the others.
17. On a lapel: it should be worn on the left.
18. On a backpack: we, and the rest of the world know of the value of this Canadian symbol, eh! More than "I am Canadian'," it says what we are not. Display it with pride and keep it looking dignified.
Saluting the flag
19. When a flag is raised, lowered, or when it passes by in a parade, men should remove their hats and we should all remain silent. Uniformed personnel will salute the flag accordingly with their hand.
Getting a flag
20. Don't have a Canadian flag yet? Get one for free, by adding your name to the waiting list. Be prepared to wait though. The expected delay for your flag delivery is now up to 38 years for a Peace tower flag. If you want to diminish your wait time by 13 years, order an East or West block block flag.