# Canada facts I just learned... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 24, 1999, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551 "1999-09-24T04:01:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zoony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e99b99/32.png) [@zoony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoony)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 1999, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/21 "1999-09-24T20:15:00Z")
Labor Day (known locally as Labour Day) is the most ironically-named holiday on the Canadian calendar. The _whole country_ closes up and _everybody_ - especially the potheads (LOL at that one!) - gets royally wasted at the lake for 3 solid days. cmk: Don’t worry, everyone pisses outdoors in Saskabush - no plumbing. Z * * * _“Diplomacy is the art of saying “nice doggy” until you can find a rock.”_ - Will Rogers ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 1999, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/22 "1999-09-24T20:26:00Z")
_Nunavut_ sounds like a dangerous medical condition endemic to convents. You guys forgot the former Territories of Rupert’s Land (which still has an Archbishop) and Assiniboia, as well as the extant Yukon Territory (pop. 10, all of whom moved there from Nunavut). Before 1947, Newfoundland was a separate dominion with its own coinage. (Trying but failing to iImagine what would make someone want to give up independence to become part of Canada.) ---
**Author:** ![Eris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@Eris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eris)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 1999, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/23 "1999-09-24T20:33:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Nunavut is pop 5 people and covers all the artic crap in our north. Its hardly worth a mention. Yeah, well at least Nunavut still contains some marine life. 🙂 Jeez Kellibelli, the rest of the world ALREADY stereotypes the north too much, there’s no need for actual Canadians to encourage them! BTW, the population of Nunavut is 25,000. Here’s some more fun facts about Nunavut, in case anyone wants to know more: [http://www.inac.gc.ca/nunavut/Backgrounder/facts.html](http://www.inac.gc.ca/nunavut/Backgrounder/facts.html) ---
**Author:** ![WallyM7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5e925/32.png) [@WallyM7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WallyM7)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/24 "1999-09-25T01:02:00Z")
The country’s capital is Ottawa. Quebec is a province. That’s a genuine, honest to God fact. Some of us like to go ice fishing. Not at the hockey rink, though. The west hates Ontario, Ontario hates Quebec, And Quebec hates everybody. We gave you Celine Dion. Our revenge is complete. * * * If you can’t laugh at yourself, make fun of other people. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/25 "1999-09-25T04:37:00Z")
Canada: A land that is strange without being exotic. A country inhabited by potheads and beady-eyed uncle fuckers. A nation that exported William Shatner, Bryan Adams, and Keanu Reeves, which indicates that they’re a lot smarter than a certain nation that imported the same. ---
**Author:** ![WallyM7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5e925/32.png) [@WallyM7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WallyM7)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/26 "1999-09-25T05:20:00Z")
We’re not beady-eyed. * * * If you can’t laugh at yourself, make fun of other people. ---
**Author:** ![DW3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@DW3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DW3)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/27 "1999-09-25T07:34:00Z")
For Zette and anyone else interested. [http://bnl.far.net/cgi-bin/bnlcgi/Ultimate.cgi](http://bnl.far.net/cgi-bin/bnlcgi/Ultimate.cgi) ---
**Author:** ![omniscientnot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a5b964/32.png) [@omniscientnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omniscientnot)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/28 "1999-09-25T12:52:00Z")
Kelli: Uh, no Inuit in your family, I gather? 😉 Polycarp: I think **1949** would be more like it, as far as Newfoundland is concerned. 🙂 Louie: Nice try, though 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kellibelli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e480ec/32.png) [@kellibelli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellibelli)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/29 "1999-09-25T13:27:00Z")
No, there is no Inuit in my family…laughed at that one! Wally, here it is, everyone hate quebec, quebec hates everyone, and ONTARIO thinks it it the easternmost province…nothing exists east of Ontario! (sarcasm here) And for newfoundland…why the heck NOT join up? They live on a huge ROCK in the ocean, where even weeds wont grow, and they leave for the mainland every year by the boatload to find work. It was once said there are more newfies in ontario than in Newfoundland. Personally I believe we will eventually have an empty island that we can use for a penal colony. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Therealbubba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/db5fbb/32.png) [@Therealbubba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Therealbubba)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 1999, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/30 "1999-09-26T05:13:00Z")
Here’s another little fact I found today in the New York Times: “In a bid to keep hockey, the Canadian national sport, in Canada, the National Hockey League has asked the Canadian Government to subsidize the country’s six major-league hockey teams by more than $30 million a year.” You guys need to start supporting your teams, or they’re heading south, and they’re gonna bring all the good Canadian players with them! Another interesting “fact” I here about the great white north is that Vancouver has a world class red light district, and loads of pot “bars”. They say the cops are smart enough to spend their time going after real criminals. Anyone from BC care to comment on the validity of this? Therealbubba ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 1999, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/31 "1999-09-26T05:42:00Z")
Shut your fucking face, unclefucker! _giggle_ Wait a minute… Quebec IS a capital, but it’s also a province. Quebec City is the capital of Quebec. Here’s the table for handy reference. The capital of Canada is Ottawa, Ontario. The capital of British Columbia is Victoria. The capital of Alberta is Edmonton. The capital of Saskatchewan is Regina. The capital of Manitoba is Winnipeg. The capital of Ontario is Toronto. The capital of Quebec is Quebec City. The capital of New Brunswick is Fredericton. The capital of Nova Scotia is Halifax. The capital of Prince Edward Island is Charlottetown. The capital of Newfoundland is St. John’s. The capital of Yukon Territory is Whitehorse. The capital of the Northwest Territories is Yellowknife. The capital of Nunavut is Iqaluit. BTW, Quebec margarine is not white. It’s pale yellow, not the amazing sunflower-yellow displayed elsewhere. I find the Quebec colour somehow more tasteful, if not tastier. ---
**Author:** ![gary\_horaczek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@gary\_horaczek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gary_horaczek)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 1999, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/32 "1999-09-26T05:51:00Z")
Our patron saint here is St. Tim Horton. There is a shrine to him on almost every street corner. The symbol used is a piece of baked dough with a hole in it. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/33 "1999-09-25T20:18:00Z")
oh, and by the way, there’s St. John in New Brunswick (one of the Atlantic provinces) and St. John’s in Newfoundland (another Atlantic province). But it’s not confusing… ---
**Author:** ![Sniffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Sniffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sniffy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/34 "1999-09-25T20:27:00Z")
It’s a common refrain up here that “Americans don’t know I thing about our country and we know more about the US than they do!” One chick that I met said this, adding “I mean, at least I can name all 54 states!!” Man, I should have asked her to demonstrate that. I’d be really interested in knowing the last four. ---
**Author:** ![Sniffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Sniffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sniffy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/35 "1999-09-25T20:28:00Z")
Whoops, make that “don’t know A thing…” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/36 "1999-09-25T20:41:00Z")
JTI: right; like having two teams in the CFL with the same name isn’t confusing either! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/37 "1999-09-25T20:55:00Z")
Monty, sadly, the Riders went out of business a couple of years ago. The Riders, however, are still alive and kicking - just not very well. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/38 "1999-09-25T20:56:00Z")
and, who can forgot the 1976 Gray Cup: the Riders v. the Riders. I just can’t remember who won… ---
**Author:** ![WallyM7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5e925/32.png) [@WallyM7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WallyM7)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/39 "1999-09-25T21:53:00Z")
jti, it was the Riders who won that contest. I think it was. ---
**Author:** ![WallyM7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5e925/32.png) [@WallyM7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WallyM7)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 1999, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551/40 "1999-09-25T21:55:00Z")
Sorry, jti, I forgot that nobody likes a smartass. It was Ottawa. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-facts-i-just-learned/8551.md?page=3)