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33 Things Americans should know about Canadians

Ironwood

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Just some fun stuff from north of the border!


1. Our president is called a Prime Minister.

2. Baltimore, Maryland has more murders in a week than the entire nation of Canada does all year.

3. You don't have to be born in Canada to be Prime Minister.

4. Canadians do not find, "Say 'eh' for me," to be particularly funny.

5. Canada has rednecks, too.

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.

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). 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 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."

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. We were formed, as a nation, in 1867.

15. 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. Its significance is that on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month the Armistice was signed, ending World War One.

16. Not every Canadian speaks French.

17. 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".

18. 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.)

19. Our states are called Provinces. We even have three Territories.

20. 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.

21. Many Canadians have never played hockey in their lives. There are many who do not like hockey.

22. Besides, our national sport is not hockey, its lacrosse. It's one of the few sports that originated on the North American continent, it was played by the Aboriginals.

23. We didn't invent hockey, we just made it better.

24. 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.

25. On the other hand, if a "Canadian" team wins the World Series we ignore the fact that all our baseball players are American.

26. Stop asking if we know somebody in Canada when you find out we're Canadian. We DON'T know everybody in Canada.

27. 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.)

28. The border between Canada and the US holds the title of the "World's Longest Undefended Border".

29. Our side of Niagara 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.

30. 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

31. We call eskimos "Inuit", because that's what they call themselves.

32. 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.

So there you have it. Now you just might know more about Canada than most Canadians do! But best of all ,we are friends!
 

Ty1on

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Just some fun stuff from north of the border!


1. Our president is called a Prime Minister.

2. Baltimore, Maryland has more murders in a week than the entire nation of Canada does all year.

3. You don't have to be born in Canada to be Prime Minister.

4. Canadians do not find, "Say 'eh' for me," to be particularly funny.

5. Canada has rednecks, too.

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.

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). 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 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."

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. We were formed, as a nation, in 1867.

15. 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. Its significance is that on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month the Armistice was signed, ending World War One.

16. Not every Canadian speaks French.

17. 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".

18. 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.)

19. Our states are called Provinces. We even have three Territories.

20. 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.

21. Many Canadians have never played hockey in their lives. There are many who do not like hockey.

22. Besides, our national sport is not hockey, its lacrosse. It's one of the few sports that originated on the North American continent, it was played by the Aboriginals.

23. We didn't invent hockey, we just made it better.

24. 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.

25. On the other hand, if a "Canadian" team wins the World Series we ignore the fact that all our baseball players are American.

26. Stop asking if we know somebody in Canada when you find out we're Canadian. We DON'T know everybody in Canada.

27. 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.)

28. The border between Canada and the US holds the title of the "World's Longest Undefended Border".

29. Our side of Niagara 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.

30. 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

31. We call eskimos "Inuit", because that's what they call themselves.

32. 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.

So there you have it. Now you just might know more about Canada than most Canadians do! But best of all ,we are friends!

In regards to #7, do you remember when your older brother use to pick on you brutally? Then you both grew up, and you now outweigh him by 60 pounds and he doesn't act so tough anymore? ;)

And how could Canada have sacked the presidential estate when Canada wasn't even a country? The British sacked the presidential estate, maybe with help from its subjugated citizens that lived in the Canadian territory. And the same British with help from subjugated Canadians also repelled a disorganized US attempt to invade Ontario. After that, we routed the last remnants of British war-makers at New Orleans and they went back where they belonged.

Did I mention that the US defeated Britain, to whom Canadians were subject at the time, twice?
 
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derb

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What is a Canada anyway.
Once I heard someone say...
thank a Canadian....they
agreed to take the frozen
part of N America.
 

theo

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CBC "Talking to Americans"

Some years ago, a good friend in Nova Scotia sent me a videotape of a CBC segment entitled "Talking to Americans". It was essentially a serious-sounding roving reporter in Canada interviewing visiting Americans, presenting assorted loaded questions and statements based on various outrageous and absurd stereotypes and misperceptions.

If you can somehow find this CBC segment in a search anywhere, it is absolutely hilarious (even if a bit humiliating) in regard to some of the expressed American beliefs and their stunning, incomprehensible responses and reactions. I still have that VHS tape --- it's priceless. :eek:.

P.S. I have spent a fair amount of time over the years in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, where my forebears originated.
Fwiw, I have yet to meet nicer, more hospitable people anywhere else on this planet.
 
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MichaelColey

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33. Canadians can't count any better than "Americans"?

Another than an embarrassingly large number of Americans get wrong:

Toronto isn't the capitol of Canada.
 

am1

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Rick Mercer -very funny even if it was not all true

Hopefully we can all that both are two great countries. The two countries have more in common with each other then most other countries that border each other or otherwise.
 

MULTIZ321

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Some years ago, a good friend in Nova Scotia send me a videotape of a CBC segment entitled "Talking to Americans". It was essentially a serious-sounding roving reporter in Canada interviewing visiting Americans, presenting assorted loaded questions and statements based on various outrageous and absurd stereotypes and misperceptions.

If you can somehow find this CBC segment in a search anywhere, it is absolutely hilarious (even if a bit humiliating) in regard to some of the expressed American beliefs and their stunning, incomprehensible responses and reactions. I still have that VHS tape --- it's priceless. :eek:.

P.S. I have spent a fair amount of time over the years in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, where my forebears originated.
Fwiw, I have yet to meet nicer, more hospitable people anywhere else on this planet.

If anyone is interested, go to YouTube.com and type in 'Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans' - there are several episodes.

Enjoy.


Richard
 

Ironwood

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33. Canadians can't count any better than "Americans"?

Another than an embarrassingly large number of Americans get wrong:

Toronto isn't the capitol of Canada.

Kudos for picking that up......I just cut and paste something making the rounds on face book, and the headline was 33 things with 32 listed! I posted it as I saw it.
 

shagnut

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I went to the Canadian Rockies several years ago ( as some may remember) It was so beautiful and the people were so nice and friendly that Kelli said to me " I want to see everything in Canada"" Y'all made a definite impression on us and for that I thank you.

Leslie
 

dioxide45

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If anyone is interested, go to YouTube.com and type in 'Rick Mercer's Talking to Americans' - there are several episodes.

Enjoy.


Richard

Yeah, it is from This Hour Has 22 Minutes. More less a new satire show, not necessarily the news.
 

theo

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Yeah, it is from This Hour Has 22 Minutes. More less a new satire show, not necessarily the news.

The VHS tape to which I refer above was actually sent to me about 14 years ago. It must have been produced no later than early 2001 since, I noted with great sadness while watching part of it recently, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are in plain view, standing tall and intact in the segment which was filmed in New York City. No year is otherwise specifically identified, but my friend's handwritten label states 1 hour April 1 special, CBC Television.

Maybe it was "April Fool's Day" material in actual intent, but it is credible, funny (...and more than a little embarrassing to any informed U.S. citizen) just the same.
 
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LannyPC

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The particular VHS tape to which I refer above was actually sent to me at least 15 years ago.
No year identified, but my friend's handwritten label states 1 hour April 1 special, CBC Television.
Maybe it was "April Fool's Day" material in actual intent, but credible, hilarious and humbling just the same.

Actually, I remember it was originally aired April 1, 2001 - fourteen years ago but still in the "stone age" before PVRs and home-recordable DVDs.

My favourite part of the program was where Mercer helped Americans butcher the Canadian national anthem. :rofl:
 

LannyPC

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17. We spell words differently. Honour, valour, defence, neighbour, colour, centre and other words are from the British way of spelling.

Officially, yes. In general, no. It seems more Canadians spell these words the "lazy" American way than those who spell the British way. Believe me, I see many spellings of these words (at least in this neck of the woods) spelled the American way. And BTW, TUG BBS always indicates these words as spelled incorrectly, but it's hard to ignore those red underlines when typing.:annoyed:
 

Passepartout

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Why does British Spelling Keep the U in Words Like Colour?

From WiseGeek.com:

"Although the reasons why British spelling keeps the u in certain words, such as colour, flavour and honour, may not be very definite, it may speak to a sense of tradition and a hesitation to make sweeping changes to the accepted spelling rules. While many Brits may blame Americans for hijacking and ruining the language, in reality, English had undergone numerous changes over the centuries, dictated by different influences. The division that had begun to take place between American spelling, which favored -or endings, and British spelling, which used -our endings, was first apparent with the publication of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1828.

Samuel Johnson, who published the Dictionary of the English Language in 1755, was a spelling purist. His dictionary was and is considered the accepted authority on British spelling. He felt that his purpose wasn’t to advocate spelling reform, but only to document accepted British spelling. He even went as far to say that the “evolution” of spelling was a corruption of the language, particularly with “American” English. Webster, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate to advocate for spelling reform, and included “Americanized” spellings with -or endings. Webster believed that spelling could be simplified and still remain correct.

[Snip]

One such example is in the original draft of the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson used the British spelling of honour, which was changed to honor by the final draft. Why did he make this change? It could have been an innocent spelling error, or perhaps it was just another act of rebellion against the British."

So you can either blame Noah Webster or Thomas Jefferson if you wish.

Jim
 

waffles77

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[Political comment deleted.]
 
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Passepartout

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Jeez, I guess you don't want me. I'm too old, am monolingual, and not well enough educated. Ratz!
 

Ironwood

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Maple_Leaf...haven't seen you posting much recently, or perhaps I no longer visit TUG as often as I used to. I hadn't seen the immigration points calculator and find the category weightings interesting. There is a heavy emphasis on education qualification and work experience as you would expect, along with a few immediate disqualifiers, such as 'have you or your immediate family had serious health issues'
 

Ty1on

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Jeez, I guess you don't want me. I'm too old, am monolingual, and not well enough educated. Ratz!

I have 66 of 67 points needed. Dangit. [political comment deleted]
 
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Sandy VDH

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I will forever feel like a Canadian, being born there. I am a dual citizen for sheer convenience. At least I do have the option to move back to Canada if required. I like to have options.
 
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