Elementary Canadiana

This page will be added to as we go along, and you are welcome to participate. 

1. The head of State of Canada in 2010 is the British Monarch Queen Elizabeth II.   The Governor General is her representative in Canada. Canada is a Constitutional Monarchy. The Prime Minister is NOT our head of state.  

2.Canadians are not all white or Caucasian. It doesn't matter one bit what race, colour or ethnic background you are to be Canadian. If you are born and raised here you are a Canadian. If you are an immigrant and have your citizenship papers you are a Canadian - albeit a naturalized one, not a born one. So if immigrants run down and bad mouth Canadians - well they are just talking about themselves, if they have citizenship papers. 

3. If you are Canadian born and raised you are a native, and did not come from somewhere else. You are not an immigrant, if you are Canadian born - you are a native of this land. 

4. Canada does not belong to the world. Canada does not belong to multinational corporations, foreigners or immigrants. Canada is under no compulsion or obligation to accept immigration. It is a sovereign nation. The immigration policy is subject to change, since it all depends on what government Canadians vote in and the policies of that government. The immigration policy of Canada is NOT entrenched in the Canadian Constitution. We are not forced to bring in 250,000 or more immigrants every year. 

5. Illegal immigrants, illegal immigration and bogus refugees - Canada is under no obligation to continue harbouring and tolerating them.  They have no right to be here. If this is tolerated it is because of the approach, policies or sheer negligence of the elected governments of the day. 

6. Multiculturalism is the official political culture of Canada, and the policy of multiculturalism is entrenched in the Canadian Constitution. Therefore official multiculturalism policy is political in nature. It is not a culture based on nature, and not a culture which most Canadians follow in their everyday lives. You are not forced to follow the official political multiculturalism policy in your personal life. And even if the policy is long outdated and divisive - the governments are still legally obligated to support official multiculturalism (if or until it is changed or removed from the Constitution) even if the policy no longer makes any sense. 

7. The Police don't make the laws. They are just charged with enforcing the laws. So if you have problems with the laws don't blame the cops - talk to the politicians. The police have to follow the orders of their bosses. So if you are a protestor at a demonstration - don't get angry with the police for doing their jobs and following orders. 

8. Toronto is a very important part of Canada and out largest city, but it is not the center of Canada. There is a lot more to Canada than just Toronto. Canada does not end 100 miles North of Toronto. 

9. Ontario is not really Eastern Canada, even though that is the label a lot of Canadian put on it, but it isn't too accurate. Ontario is in Central Canada. The Maritimes along with Newfoundland and Labrador and some parts of East Quebec are genuinely in the East and so are truly deserving of the label Eastern Canada. 

10. We don't all ride horses in Alberta. I was born and raised in Alberta and I live in Calgary and I do not ride a horse, and do not own a horse, and do not wear cowboy boots, and do not drive a pick-up truck, or even wear a cowboy hat (unless maybe on a blazing hot summer day). As for riding horses - I tried it a few times, but those dang horses stink, and sweat, and their hair sticks to your pants, and if you should fall off or get bucked off - it is a long, long way to the hard, hard ground. Ouch !

11. British Columbia's Lower Mainland residents fine it easy to feel isolated from the rest of Canada, since geographically the area is hemmed by the mountains to the North and East, and by the sea to the West, and the USA and Mt. Baker to the South.  Life really does exist on the other side of them big mountains to the East. It just sometimes feels like nothing exists to the East. 

12. The province of British Columbia is not just Vancouver. Yes Vancouver is the largest city in the province, and yes most of the people of BC live in the Lower Mainland, but BC is much more than Vancouver.  This is a huge Province with so much variety. In the North it can get very, very cold in winter, and the province borders with the Yukon and Alaska in the North. The BC interior can be very hot and dry. BC is mountainous with vast forests, huge lakes, a long seashore with many Islands - a varied place. They don't call it  " Supernatural British Columbia "  for no reason. 

13. Alberta and Saskatchewan are two separate provinces, but there is no real unique difference between the people of Alberta and Saskatchewan - no different accent or different skin colour or anything much different. There are many people from Saskatchewan living in Calgary, and they look just like Albertans. It is impossible to tell if they are from Saskatchewan unless you ask them where they are from. Southern Saskatchewan and much of Southern Alberta are part of the Great Plains. 

I'm originally from Tawatinaw, Alberta - which is 50 miles North of Edmonton as the crow flies. I lived in Edmonton for about 7 years, and used to drive North regularly to the farm I used to own at Tawatinaw. A while back I happened to take a trip to Regina. Was driving out leaving Regina heading North, and this feeling suddenly hit me and I felt at home and felt like I was driving North of Edmonton to the old farm.  I felt completely at home, because the countryside looked the same, and there is no real difference between the people neither. 

14. Canada's  North is BIG, RUGGED and WILD right now.  Almost all of our Northern frontier lies empty of mankind. Almost all of the North is rugged wilderness, where few men venture. 

15. Most of Canada's territory is unsuitable for human habitation or agriculture. The short growing season also limits the potential for agriculture. Many Canadians and especially immigrants have the perception Canada is so big, and empty that it needs many more people to fill it up. Many perceive we have almost unlimited lands for growing crops and agriculture.   The truth is that most of Canada is rocks, trees, lakes and coastline, muskeg, tundra, and marshes. The rugged  Canadian Shield covers almost half of the country - about 1.8 million square miles. Forests cover about 47 % of the land. Only about 8 % of the land is suitable for farming.

16. Canada IS NOT feeding a starving world.       Yet you have probably heard the proud boost of  " Canadian farmers - feeding the world. "  This is a myth. Canada actually produces a very, very small percentage of the world's food. Sure we do export quite a bit of food, due to our smaller population and large territory, but Canada also imports much food, since we have such a short growing season. In 2005 we only led the world in the production of lentils, dry peas, linseed oil and mustard seed, and maybe a few other specialty crops. Countries like China, India, Sri Lanka, the United States and Brazil produce much, much more food. China produces about 4 times as much wheat as Canada. China produces about 65 times more hen eggs than Canada. Naturally due to the larger population of some of these countries like China and India - very much of the foods grown there are consumed there. 

Now this does not mean that Canada has no potential for dramatically increasing food production - it does. However, government policies at this time are not very supportive of the agricultural sector. Due to neglect - agriculture in Canada has been suffering for a long time. There is a huge untapped potential for food production in Canada even in the North, if it is done in the right way, and with suitable varieties, and with the right agricultural expertise, and with domestic and foreign markets for the products.  Why import it when you can grow and consume a better home grown quality product yourselves ????   What is lacking is the leadership to make it happen. 

We can grow a lot here, even with our short growing season - if you know how to deal with the climate. 

17. English and French are the only two official languages in Canada. English is the working language of most Canadians. French is widely spoken in Quebec, and parts of New Brunswick. Chinese is not an official language, nor is Spanish. Immigrants only handicap and isolate themselves if they don't learn and use the official languages of Canada. 

18. The majority (around 65-70 %) of Canadians live South of the 49th parallel latitude . You have heard people say how Canadians live North of the 49th parallel, while the United States people live South of 49 (of course this does not include Alaska, which is in the far north). 

Now this is true for almost all of BC (parts of Vancouver Island and some smaller Gulf Islands are south of 49), and all of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, North West Territories and Nunavut.  However, the majority of Canadians live south of the 49th parallel latitude. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Halifax, all of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and all the heavily populated parts of Southern Ontario and Quebec plus most of the Island of Newfoundland  are south of 49. Don't believe me ?  Then get an atlas and look for yourself. 

19. Climate and Weather  Canada has four distinct seasons - spring, summer, fall and winter. Winter is not the only season. Canada is a lot, lot more than snow, ice and cold. Winter is the dominant season in most of the country, but it depends where you live as to how big a factor it is. 

The time for the beginnings and ending of each season is not the same throughout the country. Canada is a huge and varied country, and the climate and weather are also quite variable in different regions of the country. Even within each province there can be quite a variety of weather and different climates, or micro-climates, due to the vast size of most provinces, and local factors, like lakes, mountains, sea shores, hills, winds, and altitude. 

Spring begins once the sun gets stronger and it warms up and the snow begins melting, and it warms up enough to start new growth like crocuses and the budding of willows. The beginning return of some earlier migratory birds, like robins and crows here in the south is also a harbinger of spring (However, one robin does make a spring. One winter in Edmonton I saw a robin down by the river in January).  The coming of spring varies in Canada depending upon different factors, like altitude, latitude, and the nearness to the sea and larger bodies of water. 

Spring is a transitional season from winter to summer, and so the weather in spring can vary a lot. It can snow in spring, but that does not mean it is winter. 

Spring in Calgary is like the young woman, who can't make up her mind. In Calgary spring usually comes in the beginning of March and goes until about the end of April. This can vary from year to year, but spring comes here much earlier than most people realize. 

Summer comes at different times in Canada wherever you happen to live. Locally it can vary from year to year - since some years are warmer than others. Generally summer is here when the leaves of the native trees of your region are all out and the nights are warmer and frost free. When the swallows return you can be certain summer is solidly here.  

Summer days in far north are very long, and in the far, far north there is the mid-night sun - 24 hours of sun. It can get hot in the north in summer, and plants can grow most of the day, since there is so much sunshine. 

In Calgary summer comes generally around the early part of May, and lasts until about mid-September or so generally speaking. This is a about 4½ months of summer. 

Fall or Autumn  Fall begins when the leaves of the native trees in your part of the country begin turning colour and start falling in larger numbers. Literally the  " fall of the leaf. "  Notice the words " native trees. "   If people plant trees not suitable for the climate in their particular area - then these trees may shed their leaves sooner than the native trees. 

Here in Calgary the City Fathers have in their infinite  " wisdom " chosen to plant a lot of deciduous trees in parks and on streets that are not native to Southern Alberta, like Ash trees, Elms and Oaks. Ash trees trees in Calgary are the last to get their leaves in spring and the first to lose them. 2010 has seen a later spring and cooler summer so far, and some Ash trees on our street never got all their leaves until almost the beginning of July, while the native poplars had all their leaves already in early May !!!  So you really can't use them non-native trees as an accurate barometer of when spring begins and when fall comes. However, the good old hardy natives here in Calgary like poplars, willows, choke cherries and saskatoons are the ones who will really tell you when fall comes. It is a similar story in other parts of the country - just watch what the native trees are doing - not the foreigners.

Autumn does not begin in Canada when school starts in September, or at the fall equinox September 21, but when the leaves of the native trees start to fall in larger numbers. And one little yellow leaf in late summer does not mean fall has arrived. In the high mountains fall comes earlier, than down in the valleys. In the far north fall comes earlier than in the far south. 

Fall is a transitional season from summer to winter, so anything can be expected. However, it can be and often is a very pleasant and tranquil season, and sometimes we get a good long run of Indian Summer. It is a similar story with autumn throughout Canada. Fall is usually a pleasant and generous season in Canada. The bugs are gone. No mosquitoes chasing you. The autumn colours are very pleasant. It is harvest season and hunting season. 

In Calgary autumn usually starts in earnest in the second or third week of September, around the autumn equinox on September 21, or a bit earlier. It continues until the end of October. 

Winter in Canada. Oh yes winter in Canada. The sparkling snow. The  bright winter nights with the snow reflecting the moon light.  Orion stalking the night sky. The bright shimmering northern lights. The cold sun of January. The howling blizzards. The squeaking of the snow under your winter boots. Those refreshing, cool and icy February winds. In the far North the sun does not rise above the horizon in the middle of the long winter. 

Winter is what you make of it. And if you dress for it, you will not feel too cold at all. 

Old  Man Winter can be kind or cruel depending upon his mood. 

I used to live about 50 miles north of Edmonton. One year the snow came in October, and never melted until May - this was 6 months of winter. One winter the temperature never got above 0 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 days straight. But one year the poplar trees started to put out their leaves in late February, because it was so warm. 

In parts of Canada like BC's Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island winter is different from the traditional picture of a Canadian winter. On the BC West Coast winter is the rainy season. It can rain for days and days on end in the rain forest. The nights can be incredible dark, so dark that you can't even see your hand in front of your face, that is if you happen to be somewhere in the forest or in the countryside where there are no lights. In Vancouver snow falls up high on top of the mountains, which are very close to the city, but lower down by the ocean not very often. If it does snow down in the city of Vancouver the snow melts fairly quickly, and is heavy and slushy - it does not stay very long.  There was about 30 feet of snow up on Mt. Seymour one winter when I lived there, but no snow lower down in the city, near the water. 

In Calgary winter usually starts in November and lasts until the end of February. The frequent Chinook winds of winter make it warmer, but windy, and this creates icy conditions, since the snow thaws and then freezes, and thaws and freezes again. It can be deadly and treacherous walking on the icy streets.  

And sometimes Old Man Winter just doesn't want to leave. But it is useless to complain, since Old Man Winter will leave only when he is good and ready. And when he finally decides it is time to go, and spring is nagging him on - he might just give you a good swift kick in the pants for good measure as he leaves town headed north - just to show you who is boss. 

20.The weatherman only forecasts the weather - they do not make the weather. It is a forecast - not a decree. Many Canadians have developed a unquestioning faith in the weatherman without taking into account how many times their forecasts are dead wrong, especially in parts of the country where the weather is more changeable.  Short term two day forecasts have a much better change of being accurate then longer term ones past three days.  The long term forecasts (like five to seven day forecasts or longer) are guesses at best, and are notoriously inaccurate. 

Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms and Fundamental Freedoms (from the Canadian Constitution) " The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and (d) freedom of association. "

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