It is recognized as a country of beautiful wilderness areas, cultural diversity among its people, and icy cold temperatures. I was born here and when the time comes I will most likely also be buried in this great land that I so dearly love. It is my home and although there are some other wonderful countries out there I would never choose to live in another.
Canada is my home and also the locale of the gold colored Loonie, the Canada Goose, and a heck of a lot of moose, bears, and mosquitoes. It is famous for its hockey, the red maple leaf, maple syrup, and the furry little beaver. There are more than a few things which make this country so unique from others.
Our Prime Minister is The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau. A man of high moral standards and a heart as large as the country he has been elected to nurture and protect. I have the utmost of respect for Justin and the post that he has undertaken. This is Canada and it truly is my home and native land.
Canada is Culturally Diverse and Officially a Bilingual Country
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| Sky Lake Quebec |
I have traveled from one end of Canada to the other and I can definitely say that it is a very unique country. Diversity is the perfect word to describe this land and its inhabitants. We celebrate our cultural diversity every July 1st on Canada Day with a sharing of our traditional ethnic songs, dance, and foods. These are the qualities which make our land what it is today.
Our culture is traditional. It is our history and it makes us what we are today. As immigrants arrived in Canada they brought with them from their homeland their unique language and traditions and it is this unique blending of nationalities that was and is the historical creation of today's Canada. The diversity of these many cultures has remained within our country and helps to make each section of this great land unique from any other. The reason for this goes way back in time with a quick little Canadian history lesson.
The French then showed up and decided that even if it was kind of a chilly place to live that they could see Canada as their new home and so they stayed. They built a few houses and created a French settlement that was all their own.
Then one day the English decided to take another cruise on over into Canadian waters and by gosh they discovered a furry little animal swimming around there who's fur just happened to make the most delightful British hats. They decided the little beaver was worth fighting over so they made a stand against the French Canadians to take Canada back.
To make a long history lesson rather short the English did win their right to Canada but because there were more French speaking inhabitants here than English it was virtually impossible for the British to convert them over to their language and customs. A silent truce between the two groups paved the way for Canada to become a country of two official languages.
Since that time immigrants to Canada have pretty much had an alike courtesy to maintain their unique heritage while also blending into being Canadian. We are a country of diverse people, languages, and cultures.You can travel to Vancouver, B.C., Montreal, Quebec, or St. Johns, New Brunswick and you will find each area in its own right to be very culturally unique. This is my Canada and I love it.
Now you may have noticed that I have not made much comment on the native indians of Canada. Well that is because they were sadly not considered to be a true people by the early explorers who came seeking new lands to claim as their own. This is true for the original populations of most countries these early explorers visited. The primitiveness of the people was not considered a culture but today we know how very wrong we were.
The Hudson's Bay Company
Canadian history would also not be complete without mention of the Hudson's Bay Fur Trading Company. The Hudson Bay Fur Trading Company was founded in May 1670. These proprietors lay claim to the Hudson Bay Basin or "Rupert's Land" in Canada.
Today the company stores are known as THE BAY but up until about 1870 the Hudson's Bay Company trading posts dealt largely with the fur trade within Canada. The Hudson Bay blanket has come to be recognized as synonymous with this company and our country. The traditional striped wool blanket is forever a symbol of the company and Canada.
We Use The Metric System in Canada
Even today there are quite a few Canadians who still haven't managed to grasp the principles of the metric measurement system. We learned to accommodate our confusion by creating a new language in Canada (why not?) What we learned was to double talk around the issue of measurement using time to make it appear that we know what we are talking about.
Plenty of us spent the first while trying to convert size portions at the grocery store but we finally just gave up. If it looks big enough to merit the price then we buy it. So just a wee word of advice if you are traveling to Canada, brush up on your metric measurements as you will probably need to know it.
The Spirit Bear Lives in My Home Province of British Columbia
It is estimated that there may be upwards to 1000 spirit bears living in British Columbia and that the survival of this species can be largely contributed to the protection given it by the native peoples of the region.
The spirit bear has traditionally been considered a sacred animal by the native people of this region and for this reason were protected by the native populations of the region. I am so very proud of the native people of Canada for protecting the animals who live hidden deep in our forests.
A little further east is Churchill Manitoba where the polar bear roams. These big beautiful beasts are a sight to behold but certainly not one that you want to be to close to.Encounters can be deadly.
Churchill is the one place in Canada where you are asked not to dress in white on Halloween just in case you are mistaken for a visiting polar bear. Residents are also encourage to leave their car doors open so anyone who does happen to run into a bear can jump into the vehicle for safety. Sadly global warming is endangering the polar bear's habitat and it has become increasingly important to protect this special animal species.
Stompin' Tom Connors: February 9, 1936 – March 6, 2013. Proudly Canadian Stompin' Tom composed the songs he sang about the land he so loved. He is a Canadian country music legend. His songs focus on life within Canada from one coast to the other. His works are sometimes humorous but always loyally proud of his homeland.
He was so proud of his Canadian roots that he refused to be honoured by the Juno Awards saying that these awards should be given to Canadians who live within Canada rather than those who have moved to the US or other countries to ply their trade. Ever a rebel he wrote and sang about the land that he so proudly loved. He truly was a proud Canadian.
The Maple Leaf is one of Canada's National Symbols
It was sometime in the 1700's that the Maple leaf first became a recognized symbol of Canada. The native people of Canada taught the first settlers of this country how to harvest the sap of the Maple tree as a food source. It is one of the earliest Canadian traditions to be established and is proudly recognized as such. A gesture of kindness and a welcome to a new group of people to this country of diverse persons.
Today Canada is recognized not only by the bright red maple leaf that adorns our flag but also for the fine maple syrup, maple fudge, and maple candy products produced here.
I am Happy to Be Seen As Being a Little Loonie
Canadian coins have traditionally featured images of our abundant wildlife. The beaver is on our nickel and the caribou a traditional feature on our quarter. Uniquely our Canadian quarter's image is often replaced during special years for commemorative coin images.
Canada's centennial coins feature the image of a rock dove on the penny, a lucky rabbit on the nickel, a mackerel on the dime, a bobcat on the quarter, a wolf on the fifty cent piece, and a Canada Goose on the silver dollar.When the Canadian government decided to discontinue our one dollar paper bill and replace it with a coin most of the folks here in Canada were pretty excited. Imagine our surprise when our new dollar coin in a pretty gold color emerged featuring a loon on its face. It was proudly dubbed the Loonie and this term stuck.
The government tried to get the Loonie imprinted in Canadians minds as the Peace Coin but this just did not go over as planned. The one dollar Canadian coin remains "the Loonie" just as it was first nicknamed. When the two dollar coin later came out it was quickly nick named the Twoonie. So I guess that I am proud to have us referred to as a little loonie.
I love the fact that our weather although cold is not as extreme as it is in other locations around the world.
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| Canadian Mountain View |
I wonder at the beauty of our mountains, lakes, and lush forests. In 1885 Canada's first National park was established in scenic Banff Alberta and today Canada boasts 42 national parks in addition to its many provincial parks. I am in constant wonder of our beautiful natural wilderness and its wonderful abundance of animal life.
My husband and I married at a local bird sanctuary and I cannot imagine a more beautiful place to begin a new phase of ones life. When it came my daughters turn to marry she also chose to say her vows at a local park.
I am Proud of These Famous Canadians
Thank you Wayne Gretzky for the many contributions that you have made to the recognition of sports and hockey in Canada.I greatly admire Terry Fox who passed away at such a very young age and yet in his run for a cure he left such an amazing legacy of hope for so many others. To date the Terry Fox foundation has raised over 600 million for cancer research.
I am proud that it was the Canadian team of Frederick Banting and Charles Best who discovered insulin and improved the lives of those who must live with diabetes. And a thank you to Alexander Graham Bell an immigrant to Canada who invented the telephone. Our diversity truly is one of our most valued assets and our scientific contributions reflect this.
I am also very proud to have Justin Trudeau as our Prime Minister. He embodies all the qualities that make a Canadian proud of their country.
I enjoy the music of Canadian singers Celine Dion, Paul Anka, Leonard Cohen, Gordon Downie, Anne Murray, Shania Twain, Avril Lavigne, and yes even Justin Bieber, and thank them for their contribution to music in Canada.
I am proud of every Canadian who takes the time to mentor, donate, or provide in any way to the improvement of another person or creatures life. I am proud of Canadians who takes the time to give back to the environment, our country, and our communities.
Did You Know That Superman has Canadian Roots? Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel are the duo who created Superman Joe Shuster was born in Canada. Yep, it is true. Superman does indeed have a Canadian connection.
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