# CanadaDope 2017: Celebrating the Sesquicentennial - "... and loving it!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 1, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045 "2017-01-01T14:35:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [January 2, 2017, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/21 "2017-01-02T21:54:46Z")
Hey, **Le Ministre** , sorry to hear that I’ll not have another chance to hear you perform in person, but does the change mean you’ll have more time for the SDMB? I’ve missed your lively comments the past couple of years! ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/22 "2017-01-02T23:19:10Z")
From what I can tell, no one gets excited about sesquicententials. Not sure why not, perhaps the word is too long or something. Just wait until you get to the BuyCentenial… > [@Leaffan](#): > > I’m watching hockey, drinking beer, and am going to make some bacon poutine now. I’m not kidding. > > ETA: Oh, and I just finished snow blowing the driveway. If you weren’t wearing something like [this](https://theorangeroom.ca/products/maple-leaf-toque-1), it wasn’t Canadian enough. ---
**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:** [January 3, 2017, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/23 "2017-01-03T09:36:02Z")
[quote=“dtilque, post:22, topic:776045”] From what I can tell, no one gets excited about sesquicententials. Not sure why not, perhaps the word is too long or something. Just wait until you get to the BuyCentenial…QUOTE] Highly unlikely I’ll make it to the Bicentennial. I’ll take what I can get! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/24 "2017-01-03T13:04:01Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Hey, **Le Ministre** , sorry to hear that I’ll not have another chance to hear you perform in person, but does the change mean you’ll have more time for the SDMB? I’ve missed your lively comments the past couple of years! Many thanks, m’lud. I’ve missed this place as well; it’s like Facebook, only for smart people. 😃 There’s something wonderfully old-school about communicating mostly through writing, with the odd link that needs to be clicked to be seen. I’ve tried to cut back on all my social media addictions, but Facebook has been particularly difficult - it has been how I stay in contact with a number of fellow performers, engagers, etc. So, on the one hand, I have less reason to hang around there; on the other hand, I’m one of the people in charge of the church’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. Here might be one of the few places where I can let loose and say what I really think. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/25 "2017-01-03T14:06:05Z")
Headline from the front page of the Entertainment Section of today’s Toronto Star - > [@](#): > > Where are you from? An event for the offspring of mixed race families shits a chord No matter how bad a day you’re having, it can’t be as bad as the day the headline editor for the Toronto Star is having… ---
**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:** [January 3, 2017, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/26 "2017-01-03T14:20:20Z")
Oh myyy! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/27 "2017-01-03T15:26:18Z")
It was offensive even before the typo. “Offspring”? ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/28 "2017-01-03T15:30:08Z")
It’s passing that fifth that hurts the most…😃 ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/29 "2017-01-03T16:15:16Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It was offensive even before the typo. “Offspring”? Perhaps it’s that it’s close enough to Christmas, and the editor had the second verse of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” in mind - “Late in time, behold him come Offspring of a virgin’s womb.” Sometimes modernized to ‘offspring of the chosen one.’, which isn’t that much better, IMHO… ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/30 "2017-01-03T16:17:14Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > It’s passing that fifth that hurts the most…😃 Must have been a b minor chord in the key of A Major… …that’s when you get a bm for the ‘2’ chord. (and that’s why stand-up comics avoid music theory jokes.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/31 "2017-01-03T16:24:11Z")
_raises hand_ Excuse me, what does “métis” refer to exactly in Canadian parlance, that you consider it a separate people? Because to me it just means “of mixed ancestry (in humans, used mainly for white+amerind)” but ISTM like it means something somewhat different to you. Thanks in advance. May y’all on America’s Penthouse have a jolly good year! ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/32 "2017-01-03T17:49:52Z")
Strictly speaking, you’re right - the word ‘Métis’ could apply to anyone of mixed race heritage. However, we use it to describe a particular group of people who are descended from intermarriage of First Nations’ people (often women), and people of European descent (often men). As the following quotations will demonstrate, we ourselves are not terribly clear on what the term means… > [@](#): > > “While people of Métis culture or heritage are found across Canada, in the more restrictive sense, the traditional Métis “homeland” includes much of the Canadian Prairies centering on southern and central parts of Manitoba. Closely related are the Métis in the United States, primarily those in border areas like northern Michigan, the Red River Valley, and eastern Montana. These were areas in which there was considerable Aboriginal and European mixing due to the 19th-century fur trade.” > > “In 2003, the Supreme Court of Canada define Métis as someone who self-identifies as Métis, has an ancestral connection to the historic Métis community, and is accepted by the modern community with continuity to the historic Metis community.” > > “It is not clear who has the moral and legal authority to define the word “Métis”. There is no comprehensive legal definition of Métis status in Canada; this is in contrast to the Indian Act which creates an Indian Register for all (Status) First Nations people. Some commentators have argued that one of the rights of an indigenous people is to define its own identity, precluding the need for a government-sanctioned definition. The question is open as to who should receive Aboriginal rights flowing from Métis identity. No federal legislation defines the Métis.” - all of the above taken from the Wiki page on [Métis in Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tis_in_Canada). You might find it interesting to read (or listen to) the recent experiences of a friend of mine, Rebecca Hass, who discovered her Métis status after her father died, and [went about trying to establish what exactly that meant](http://www.cbc.ca/radio/docproject/blog/producer-s-notebook-my-quest-to-discover-my-m%C3%A9tis-identity-1.3883482). ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/33 "2017-01-03T21:48:17Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > From what I can tell, no one gets excited about sesquicententials. Not sure why not, perhaps the word is too long or something. Just wait until you get to the BuyCentenial… > > Highly unlikely I’ll make it to the Bicentennial. I’ll take what I can get! 🙂 Then you can help us celebrate our sestercentennial … zzzz… makes me sleepy just saying the word. Gonna be a big nothing in just 9 years. ETA: maybe that should be called the siesta-centennial… ---
**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:** [January 3, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/34 "2017-01-03T23:20:57Z")
I’m chuffed about our sesquicentennial. I like reading old stuff to get a feel of what people thought and how they thought. If you ever get a chance, read the _Makers of Canada_ series, for in addition to being a history of how Canada came to be, it helps us learn about how its various authors thought, and some of those authors (Duncan Campbell Scott, I’m looking at you) have had a significant influence (for better or worse) on how Canada has developed. Jump forward to our ['67 centennial](https://youtu.be/18-oRTLIe3I?list=RD18-oRTLIe3I), and have a look at the foundations of the politics of the philosopher king Pierre Trudeau and of the revolutionary Rene Levesque, and how they opened up an extremely difficult but vitally necessary ongoing discussion on how we should balance our various interests. Then move forward to '82 when Trudeau patriated our Constitution from Merry Old, and added our Charter of Rights and Freedoms to it, which has been used repeatedly to move forward the rights of people. For better or worse, Canada has never been the same, and overall, this very proud Canadian thinks that it has been for the better, including the political disagreements and discussions along the way that help us improve our society rather than either ossify or fragment. A new continent opened up but not much happened until our political economy blossomed during the second industrial revolution. Then the next thing you know, the new century was upon us with its exponential growth in communications and technology and things that go whirr, followed by the present century that makes William Shatner and his crew seem obsolescent. Yet here we are today, in a political entity that was formed one-hundred and fifty years ago and is doing just fine. A good country with good people, moving through the twenty-first century with confidence and compassion, working to solve our problems, and welcoming others to join with us and share a truly wonderful community in which we and our descendants will have a brilliant future. I am very glad that our country’s foundations have been both solid and adaptable – functional in a world filled with political dysfunction. With the world changing exponentially faster in the last hundred and fifty years, a sesquicentennial is a significant event that I hope will be used by us to look back at how we came to be who we are today, and how we can continue to work toward our future. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/35 "2017-01-03T23:49:17Z")
Cheers to 150 years of practical compromise. Canadian exceptionalism? We have generally emphasized the right things, and “tall poppy” extremism is seen for what it is. But let us not be overly smug. Trudeau’s positivity is a nice contrast to many, but he is not responsible for general optimism. It is easy to cherry-pick contrasts from the US, here social conservatism is milder and a little more practical. There are plenty of advantages to a multiculti view but there are also a few disadvantages and these are not widely discussed. A Canadian Trump is probably impossible, but demagoguery is not. Americans are often more social and more productive, but of late, if you believe the magazines Canadians are as well regarded there as they have been for many years. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/36 "2017-01-04T01:18:48Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It was offensive even before the typo. “Offspring”? I have to admit my cluelessness here. How and when did ‘offspring’ become offensive? Is there a guide somewhere, because ‘Sprog’, ‘crotch fruit’, ‘spawn’, are all perfectly acceptable terms for children in my books. I’m sure I’m behind the times in this (and many other areas as well). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/37 "2017-01-04T15:50:59Z")
You missed Montreal’s 375th. The party starts with sled rides on a major boulevard, includes far-too-expensive granite tree stumps, and yes, lots and lots of real parties too, but as a local I’m constitutionally obliged to deride silly expenditures. ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/38 "2017-01-04T23:14:14Z")
Happy Sesquicentennial year to my northern neighbors! Long may you prosper! Had a wonderful time bicycling on the Canadian side last September…what wonderful bike trails alone the Great Lakes you have. I hope to return this year for more bicycling. (And the border crossing to Canada, from upstate NY, at least, is incredibly easy and pro forma. Don’t understand the complaints at all.\_ ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/39 "2017-01-04T23:18:39Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Strictly speaking, you’re right - the word ‘Métis’ could apply to anyone of mixed race heritage. However, we use it to describe a particular group of people who are descended from intermarriage of First Nations’ people (often women), and people of European descent (often men). As the following quotations will demonstrate, we ourselves are not terribly clear on what the term means… > > - all of the above taken from the Wiki page on [Métis in Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tis_in_Canada). > You might find it interesting to read (or listen to) the recent experiences of a friend of mine, Rebecca Hass, who discovered her Métis status after her father died, and [went about trying to establish what exactly that meant](http://www.cbc.ca/radio/docproject/blog/producer-s-notebook-my-quest-to-discover-my-m%C3%A9tis-identity-1.3883482). This is all interesting. A series of novels set in mostly in Montana, but partly in Canada, led me to believe that Crow (Absaroka) ancestry was necessary to be Métis. I didn’t know it was a more general term. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2017, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045/40 "2017-01-05T11:47:12Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > - all of the above taken from the Wiki page on [Métis in Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tis_in_Canada). > You might find it interesting to read (or listen to) the recent experiences of a friend of mine, Rebecca Hass, who discovered her Métis status after her father died, and [went about trying to establish what exactly that meant](http://www.cbc.ca/radio/docproject/blog/producer-s-notebook-my-quest-to-discover-my-m%C3%A9tis-identity-1.3883482). Very interesting, thank you 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadadope-2017-celebrating-the-sesquicentennial-and-loving-it/776045.md?page=3)