# Welcome, Canadians! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 18, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850 "2012-08-18T03:26:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/1 "2012-08-18T03:26:17Z")
There was an anti-Canadian Facebook page, apparently put up by someone who wanted [American-only hours at the local Costco](http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/08/17/costco-bellingham-facebook-administrator-takes-site-down-negative-cross-border-relations_n_1800021.html). Seems this person thinks that Canadians come down and clear the shelves so that the locals aren’t able to get stuff. I say, ‘Welcome, Canadians!’ It’s the neighbourly thing to do. Of course, it’s nice to see money coming in from another country too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/2 "2012-08-18T13:19:33Z")
I wonder if the person who started that page has ever seen the South Park movie. 😛 I’m Canadian, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/3 "2012-08-18T14:26:39Z")
I go to Bellingham about once a month to stock up on cheap American goods. I’ve never found any anti-Canadian sentiment. I wonder how that would work. Flash my US passport to get into Costco? Or would my BC plates keep me from even getting into the parking lot? ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/4 "2012-08-18T14:41:35Z")
Thanks! I like it here. It’s not “home” yet, but it’ll do. 🙂 > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Of course, it’s nice to see money coming in from another country too. 😃 Yeah, but most of that shit is probably made in China, so I’m not sure how much it helps… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/5 "2012-08-18T14:59:31Z")
I saw the _South Park_ movie in Bellingham before I moved up here. I knew they poked fun at Canada in the series, but _day-yam!_ :eek: Where I live many people are seasonal, and a lot of the vacation homes are owned by Canadians. I like them. The couple across the street who spend their Summers here are quite pleasant. I rarely go to Costco, but they’ve never been out of anything I wanted. Neither have the grocery stores. I do find it amusing to see people with cartloads of milk, but who can blame them with the price of dairy on the other side of the border? If I could save money in Canada, I’d buy things there. Every Costco and Wal Mart I’ve been to has been a zoo; not only here, but down in SoCal as well. It’s just the way it is. The stores would be just as crowded without our foreign visitors. But up here, Canadian license plates and Sikhs wearing turbans are visible. So the person who posted the page and video blames them. I have to wonder if they _really_ can’t buy a gallon or two of milk, or if they are just somehow offended that there are people buying more milk than they do. Or maybe, since many of our visitors are originally from India, there’s a racial element involved. The SO thinks that if a store run out of something, then it’s the store’s fault. They know the demand and should order their stock accordingly. She shops at Wal Mart, and the one up here has been unable to buy the land and/or get the permits to expand. They are often out of an OTC medicine she buys. So she’ll go down to Mount Vernon where the store is bigger, nicer, and better-stocked. And she likes Sikhs. It really irks me when some nationalist jerk starts spouting off, especially when they spout off against our neighbour, friend, and ally. Who was it who opened their airports, homes, and hearts after the 9/11 attacks? The Canadians! Who are they, the large contingent wearing the red uniforms, when a local cop is killed in the line of duty? Canadians! Who stands with us on the world stage? Canadians! Sure, we have our squabbles and disputes; but as far as I can see, we’re there for each other. So I say to our neighbours to the north: Don’t pay attention to nationalists who would rather gather video, edit it into a presentation (adding stuff that has nothing to do with Canada), set up a FB page and spend time ranting on it, than to simply go to a different store and maybe pay an extra 50¢ for a gallon of milk. Welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/6 "2012-08-18T15:05:52Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Yeah, but most of that shit is probably made in China, so I’m not sure how much it helps… Yeah, the video on the HufPo page has a lot of anti-Chinese stuff in it too. It’s like, ‘Hey! Them Canuckians ur down here buyin’ all ur Chinee stuff! :mad: ’ But wherever the products are made, the American companies are making a profit on them and Americans are being employed. And those employees spend their dollars supporting other businesses. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I go to Bellingham about once a month to stock up on cheap American goods. I’ve never found any anti-Canadian sentiment. > > I wonder how that would work. Flash my US passport to get into Costco? Or would my BC plates keep me from even getting into the parking lot? I hope you’re not one of those who drives too freakin’ slow on the freeway! 😛 (I’m from L.A., and I’m still slightly aggressive in my driving. 😉 ) The logistics of this bozo’s idea are silly. Does he want to check ID at the door? How is _that_ going to speed things up? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/7 "2012-08-18T15:08:08Z")
Tangentially, my brother gets his toilets from Canada. When he bought his current home (Michigan, minutes from Canada), he replaced toilets one at a time using Canadian commodes. Apparently, his gastrointestinal leavings can not be handled by the water saving low flow models available on his side of the border.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/8 "2012-08-18T15:09:24Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I hope you’re not one of those who drives too freakin’ slow on the freeway! 😛 (I’m from L.A., and I’m still slightly aggressive in my driving. 😉 ) No, I always speed. 70 kmh on the freeway? I try to go at least 90. (What? Mph? You’re not still using _that_, are you?) No, I’m from San Diego originally—going south of the border to shop is a longstanding tradition, as is driving aggressively. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/9 "2012-08-18T15:15:55Z")
Canadians are just people who aren’t American _yet_! We have some world dominatin’ to do somewhere else right now, but sooner or later we’ll look closer to home. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/10 "2012-08-18T15:16:04Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > No, I always speed. 70 kmh on the freeway? I try to go at least 90. Ha! It seems that _everyone_ up here drives 5 mph under the posted limit, no matter what the posted limit is. I live in fear of coming upon a 5 mph zone… I’ve found that a large number of Canadian drivers drive way under the speed limit, and that a significant number of Canadian drivers drive well over the posted limit. How many drive the posted limit? I don’t know. Either I’m passing them, or else neither of us converges on the other. 😉 Fortunately, traffic up here is much more accommodating than in L.A. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/11 "2012-08-18T16:14:25Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Ha! > > It seems that _everyone_ up here drives 5 mph under the posted limit, no matter what the posted limit is. I live in fear of coming upon a 5 mph zone… Wait, wait. There’s a place everyone drives UNDER the limit? What is this, Fogeyland? ---
**Author:** ![Tad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@Tad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tad)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/12 "2012-08-18T16:22:47Z")
I have no respect for nationalism, positive or negative, so, you know, whatever. I was born on that particular landmass called Canada. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/13 "2012-08-18T16:53:02Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Wait, wait. There’s a place everyone drives UNDER the limit? What is this, Fogeyland? Oregon. I hate that state. Everybody drives 5 or more under the speed limit and nobody knows how to pull to the right on the freeway. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/14 "2012-08-18T16:53:37Z")
Or as I call it, ‘Driver’s Purgatory’. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/15 "2012-08-18T18:01:52Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Canadians are just people who aren’t American _yet_! We have some world dominatin’ to do somewhere else right now, but sooner or later we’ll look closer to home. My husband and I have actually discussed this - Canada is a very big place, with not many people - you’d have to find us to catch us and oppress us. And we look **a lot** like Americans. 😃 [Here’s an appropriate video - Tom Brokaw explains Canada to Americans.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrA4V6YF6SA) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/16 "2012-08-18T20:48:48Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > It really irks me when some nationalist jerk starts spouting off, especially when they spout off against our neighbour, friend, and ally. Who was it who opened their airports, homes, and hearts after the 9/11 attacks? The Canadians! Who are they, the large contingent wearing the red uniforms, when a local cop is killed in the line of duty? Canadians! Who stands with us on the world stage? Canadians! Sure, we have our squabbles and disputes; but as far as I can see, we’re there for each other. > > So I say to our neighbours to the north: Don’t pay attention to nationalists who would rather gather video, edit it into a presentation (adding stuff that has nothing to do with Canada), set up a FB page and spend time ranting on it, than to simply go to a different store and maybe pay an extra 50¢ for a gallon of milk. > > Welcome. Thanks for the kind words **Johnny L.A**. I and I suspect most Canadian dopers here don’t pay it much attention, and we know it doesn’t represent the majority of Americans. Unfortunately we have our fair share of anti-American kooks as well. We’re only a tenth of your population, but we’re there when needed and so is the U.S. for us. I can’t think of any other country in the world I’d rather be sharing our border with. Sure as hell glad it’s the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/17 "2012-08-18T20:52:15Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > My husband and I have actually discussed this - Canada is a very big place, with not many people - you’d have to find us to catch us and oppress us. And we look **a lot** like Americans. 😃 You forgot to mention a lot of us don`t say “eh”, so they’d have a really hard time identifying us. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/18 "2012-08-18T21:15:36Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Thanks! I like it here. It’s not “home” yet, but it’ll do. 🙂 > > Yeah, but most of that shit is probably made in China, so I’m not sure how much it helps… Mostly, it’s milk. I guess it’s a lot more expensive up north. I don’t think it’s made in China, though. Costco’s own brand, [Kirkland](http://www.brandculture.com/blog/2009/03/the-one-brand-breaks-all-rules-costco-kirkland-signature/), has a standard that surpasses most well known brands. When I shop at Costco, it house brand all the way. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/19 "2012-08-18T21:17:50Z")
Shssssssh! Don’t tell the Canadians. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850/20 "2012-08-18T23:22:46Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Canadians are just people who aren’t American _yet_! We have some world dominatin’ to do somewhere else right now, but sooner or later we’ll look closer to home. I think you guys tried that two centuries ago. Didn’t work out that well - we’re still here. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/welcome-canadians/631850.md?page=2)