# Canada - what makes Canada great **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181 "2009-11-11T14:39:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/61 "2009-11-11T21:19:46Z")
Don’t forget “Corner Gas” which had two Prime Ministers and a Governor General on it ([Stephen Harper even lampooned himself](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVAKYsHo5-s)). By the way, I kept that front page picture of PM Jean Chretien giving the “Shawinigan Handshake.” What a mobster. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/62 "2009-11-11T21:38:07Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > I hear (from my wife, who is one) that Newfoundlanders \*really \*don’t like that word (“Newfie”, I mean, not “aboot”). I have never, though, heard her say “aboot”. My entire family are Newfs and they call the island ‘Newfie’ and the people ‘Newfs.’ Just my experience. Thinking to both sides of the fam, none of them say ‘aboot.’ They say ‘baat.’ Could be regional… (Luckily I was born in Torono. That’s right, don’t say the ‘t’ and the last letter is pronounced with an ‘o’ not an ‘a’ as some report.) ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/63 "2009-11-11T21:53:05Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > My entire family are Newfs and they call the island ‘Newfie’ and the people ‘Newfs.’ Just my experience. > > Thinking to both sides of the fam, none of them say ‘aboot.’ They say ‘baat.’ Could be regional… > > (Luckily I was born in Torono. That’s right, don’t say the ‘t’ and the last letter is pronounced with an ‘o’ not an ‘a’ as some report.) Never heard “Newfs.” Who knows, maybe it’s a regional thing. My in-laws are from a particularly remote part of Newfoundland (where there is indeed a pronounced accent, to the point where I could barely understand some older people). Perhaps it’s a leftover from times past, and in, say, St. John’s, it’s all forgotten. But it’s not in their town. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/64 "2009-11-11T22:21:22Z")
America makes Canada great! By comparison, I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/65 "2009-11-11T23:13:01Z")
Where I grew up (small town in southern Ontario) “aboot” was standard. That was a long time ago, though - and there were no TV stations to be had. I wonder if the language could shift that far from more outside influences? From what I’ve heard, it is nearly impossible to emigrate to Canada, unless you have a rare and valuable skill. Which I certainly do not. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/66 "2009-11-11T23:19:35Z")
Isn’t being an American a rare and valuable skill? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/67 "2009-11-11T23:37:54Z")
> [@Fetchund](#): > > From what I’ve heard, it is nearly impossible to emigrate to Canada, unless you have a rare and valuable skill. Which I certainly do not. That’s about as far from true as you can get. Canada is a very immigrant-dependent country, and I believe has a higher percentage of immigrants as its population than any other industrialized nation. It certainly is easier to get in if you meet the requirements of an economic immigrant, but you dont need a “Rare or valuable skill.” A young, educated, English-speaking person starts out with a lot of points right there. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/68 "2009-11-11T23:38:26Z")
I am a prairie girl, and strenuously recommend this book - > **[If You're Not From The Prairie: Bouchard, David, Ripplinger, Henry:...](https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Not-Prairie-David-Bouchard/dp/0689820356)** > > If You're Not From The Prairie \[Bouchard, David, Ripplinger, Henry\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. If You're Not From The Prairie I live in Winnipeg and I love it, although it certainly has it’s downside. Currently we retain the dubious honors of being the Murder Capital of Canada and I think we are still the Car Theft Capital of Canada (keeping in mind it’s per capita). I blame the Young Offenders Act - it pretty much gives most repeating young offenders no deterrent to continue committing crimes. Now the good part… I love our festivals. We have pretty much full summer weekends of local fairs and festivals to choose from and continue having fall suppers and community socials in the winter. There is so much to do, if you are inclined. People are friendlier here. I don’t know if it’s something in the air, but we are generally smiley and kind to each other. I would like to extend an invitation to come to the Festival du Voyageur. It’s in February in Winnipeg, MB. This will give you the chance to see and experience some fo the good and the bad - a huge weeklong celebration of French Canadian culture and food and also Winnipeg in February. 🙂 I don’t have anything bad to say about our healthcare. I know that sometimes the wait can be long (especially for non-life-threatening problems), but having a six year old and a migraine problem, I have never had an issue with it - when my daughter was born it became necessary to have a c-section. I shudder to think what my bill would’ve been if I had to pay for the care I received. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/69 "2009-11-11T23:49:08Z")
I’ve never heard anyone from Toronto say “aboot,” and I’ve lived here all my life. But every Newf I’ve ever met refers to themselves that way; they seem to be good natured about it. They’re Newfs, they know they’re Newfs, and they’ve proud of being Newfs. They’re the only ones I know of who have a pronounced accent that isn’t the result of French being their first language. That said, I don’t know that I think Canada is particularly _great_, but never having spent any significant amount of time anywhere else I don’t really have much basis for comparison. I appreciate our health care system, though we do pay for it in other ways. Our politics is relatively bland; no massive controversies (the biggest in recent memory seems to have been the sponsorship scandal a few years back during the Cretien administration, though Cretien himself was the butt of no few jokes, especially late in his administration, mostly for his gaffes and his accent, especially the way he said “pooblicitee”) and our sociopolitical makeup is fairly tame; we’re not quite so gung ho over politics I think. We’re very strict with guns, and lacking any Canadian form of NRA or constitutional right to bear arms, we don’t have any sort of “gun culture,” which suits me fine. Canada _does_ have a great deal of gorgeous scenery, though I’m a born-and-bred city slicker so I prefer the bright lights and 24-hour activity. 🙂 On the whole we Canadians are a friendly and accommodating bunch. I dunno. It’s hard to say what’s so great about it when you take most of it for granted. It’s a nice place though. And we have good beer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/70 "2009-11-12T04:09:40Z")
What are the immigration laws going to Canada from the USA? Would it be easier for someone whose Mother was born in Canada? ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/71 "2009-11-12T04:44:29Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > What are the immigration laws going to Canada from the USA? > > Would it be easier for someone whose Mother was born in Canada? There are several [different ways to apply](http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp) for Canada, depending on the situation that most closely describes your own. For the child of a Canadian citizen, it appears that you are deemed Canadian automatically. Per Wikipedia’s article: > [@](#): > > Bill C-37[4] came into effect on 17 April 2009, which changed the rules for Canadian citizenship. All individuals born outside Canada in the first generation born abroad to a parent who was a Canadian citizen at the time of the birth, are automatically recognized as Canadian citizens (retroactive to date of birth or date citizenship was lost) if the parent was born in Canada, or if the parent became a Canadian citizen, that is, by immigrating to Canada and being granted citizenship through naturalization.[4] The second generation born abroad can only gain Canadian citizenship by immigrating to Canada; this can be done by their Canadian citizen parents sponsoring them as dependent children, a category with fewer requirements, which would also take less time than most other immigration application categories. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/72 "2009-11-12T04:59:47Z")
> [@otternell](#): > > I already have the canoe and a kayak > [@Fetchund](#): > > (That area looked too tame and populated for me… Upper Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota are prettier) > [@otternell](#): > > aaahhh frolic! The frolicking you got going on sounds divine! > > I am in Iowa (hangs head in shame) and you **do not** frolic in our rivers/streams unless you want to take a bleach bath when you get home. Pretty yucky stuff down here, comes from all that agricultural run-off, I believe. Hubby canoed in WI (Kickapoo River) last year with his buddies and talked on and on about how clear the water was. (soo jealous!) If you like canoeing and kayaking, and think the UP, Wisconsin and Minnesota are pretty, then Ontario will blow your socks off. The drive along the North Shore of Superior is truly lovely (and I’m lucky enough that I get to drive about half way along it tomorrow and back again on Friday). There is a great expanse of terrific paddling country here in Ontario where you can [go for weeks without coming across anyone](http://my.tbaytel.net/culpeper/KattawagamiRiver.html). Rivers, small and large lakes, and even the Arctic Ocean – it’s all here in Ontar-i-ar-i-ar-i-o. And better yet, Ontario is just one patch of a huge country in which each region has equally wonderful but very different features. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/73 "2009-11-12T05:01:07Z")
What I want to know about Canada is why everything is “A” this and “A” that. “How you doing, A?” “Bit cold outside, A”. It’s like every other letter in Canada is “A”. sorry, I’ll move along now ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/74 "2009-11-12T05:03:11Z")
If you get the chance, watch a few episodes of the Red Green Show. It says it all about being a Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/75 "2009-11-12T06:19:08Z")
Actually, I though “Corner Gas” said it all about being a Canadian. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/76 "2009-11-12T07:01:18Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > If you get the chance, watch a few episodes of the Red Green Show. It says it all about being a Canadian. The scary thing is, I know people like that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/77 "2009-11-12T13:50:02Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > There is a great expanse of terrific paddling country here in Ontario where you can [go for weeks without coming across anyone](http://my.tbaytel.net/culpeper/KattawagamiRiver.html). Rivers, small and large lakes, and even the Arctic Ocean – it’s all here in Ontar-i-ar-i-ar-i-o. And better yet, Ontario is just one patch of a huge country in which each region has equally wonderful but very different features. now that’s what I am talkin’ about! Where the cell phone can’t be relied upon, and you better have what you need, cause its a long way back! We really enjoyed Eagle Lake, we went to several campgrounds which were **exactly** the way they are here, but finally we found a campground on the lake shore that was totally unoccupied! At that time, we didn’t have our canoe, now we would definitely do things differently! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/78 "2009-11-12T15:10:21Z")
Things I like about Canada: \* Trailer Park Boys Corner Gas Da Vinci’s Inquest The Beachcombers Danger Bay\* ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/79 "2009-11-12T16:10:28Z")
I’m in Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province. I’m speaking of someone who’s from Charlottetown, PEI’s capital city with a whopping population of 58,000. Click [here](http://maps.google.ca/?ie=UTF8&ll=46.225453,-63.50647&spn=3.108675,8.453979&t=h&z=8) for a map, and [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Edward_Island) for the Wikipedia entry. The entire province has a population of about 130,000 people, which doubles during the summer tourist season. What I like about it here is that the whole province has a small town feel to it. Of course, this is the downside as well. Specialty shops are uncommon, so I need to order online for things like a certain brand of saw blade or a specific brand of BBQ equipment. Big name concerts rarely hit us, so we usually end up driving to Moncton (2 hours) or Halifax (4 hours). The Island currently has a doctor shortage, which means quite a few people don’t have a full time family doctor. However there are clinics run every day around town where you can see a doctor (free of charge of course) if you don’t mind waiting in line for an hour or two. Even if you have a family doctor you usually just can’t just drop in. For a physical you need to book it months in advance, and my doctor’s nurse is especially annoying as she takes her phone off the hook for hours at a time so you can’t book appointments. I now only use my family doc for ongoing issues and physicals, and if I need an antibiotic I go to a walk-in clinic. That said, I can’t count the number of times I have just dropped in and gotten same day service. Still, I love it here. I was “away” for 7 years but for 5 of those I was looking for a way to come home. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181/80 "2009-11-12T18:29:20Z")
Disclosure: Grew up in US, came North as an adult, now a Canuck. Things that make Canada a great country: - Decentralization that makes ‘States Rights’ proponents look like Federalists, but cooperation on the important stuff. - Multiple political parties hamstring the government, such that decision making is pretty slow - this is usually good. -Multiculturalism. The only places in the US that have a similar range to most of Canada would be Hawai’i and SoCal. Newfoundland would again be an exception to this rule, most people there are descended from Irish or English. Around MUN (the big university) you get a smattering of Chinese or African students - usually wearing parkas in the summer - as well as some people in healthcare who are of more diverse ancestry. - Very liberal politics - In my opinion, the entire range of mainstream Canadian politics would fit comfortably within the Democratic tent. Even Harper would fit in as a Boll Weevil or Blue Dog Democrat (and I say this as a Yellow Dog). - Very cautious approach to international affairs. Canada sat out Iraq and Viet Nam (mention this to Ann Coulter if you see her) but joined in for WW 1, 2, Korea and Afghanistan. - Strong regional identities - Newfoundland is much more like a separate country relative to BC than, for example, North Carolina and California. - Gun control - Health care Some downsides include: -Weak national identity - Canadians spend a lot of time asking “What does it mean to be Canadian-aside from not being an American.” -Very limited surfing. -The weather in Newfoundland. By the way, ''aboot" is not common there - I don’t know if it is common on the mainland. Here in Vancouver you can walk down the street toking up, or at least, people do. I’m not sure what it would take to bestir a cop to actually do something about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-what-makes-canada-great/517181.md?page=5)