Posted in Canada, Food, Movies, Music

Happy Canada Day Eh

Posted on by D. Parker

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I am Canadian.

Proudly Canadian, most of the time.

Canada is majestic, not merely our stunning landscape, but its people. Our cultural mosaic is a rich montage of various cultures, beliefs, foods, etc. that mostly blend quite well. Do we have differences? Definitely, but that could be part of our strength if we fight the real enemy, not each other.

  • Canada is the world’s second largest country in land mass, surrounded on 3 sides by oceans which is why we have the largest coastline in the world…I wonder how that will work with rising ocean levels due to climate change?

  • We have tiny hamlets to sprawling cities. Farmland, fishing, fracking, factories, forests, in fact, over 30% of Canada is forest. Sadly, less each day as so much is clear-cut for timber and to make way for more oil sands projects, cities, roads, highways, shopping malls, etc.

  • Canadians are an obsessive people. Over 80% of our households have internet and we use it a lot more than other countries, maybe we pay so much, they know they have us hooked.

  • What else are we obsessive about? Tim Hortons, food, drinking, hockey, shopping, smoking, driving, boating, skiing, beer, gardening, gambling, golfing, traveling, sex, drugs (Mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford even smokes crack), rock’n’roll, candy, cake, cookies, chocolate, clothes, porn, baseball, basketball (our Toronto Raptors even have thier own Jurassic Park?), hockey, holidays, cooking, eating, wasting, stuff, video games,  hockey, TV (over 125,000 Canadian households even have a TV in their bathroom), movies, books, smartphones, well, you name it, I’m sure we’re obsessed with it. We generate well over 700 kilograms of waste per person per year. So proud.

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We gave the world:

William Shatner, 

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James Doohan, Terry Fox, Alice Munro, Joe Shuster, Michael J. Fox,

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Gordon Pinsent, Nathan Fillion, Neil Young, Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen, Yannick Bisson, Graham Greene, Great Big Sea, Mark Critch, Drake, Carrie Ann Moss, Eric McCormack, Cobie Smulders, Avril Lavigne, Peter Jennings, J.D. Roberts (John Roberts), Morley Safer, Leslie Neilsen, Tricia Helfer, Paul Gross,  

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Kiefer and Donald Sutherland, Tommy Douglas, Barenaked Ladies, Allan Hawco, Stompin’ Tom, Rick Mercer, Michael Bublé, Paul Anka, Jack Layton, Glenn Ford, Ellen Page, Eugene Levy, Sandra Oh, Billy Van, Al Waxman, Fay Wray, Rich Little, Raymond Massey, Norm Macdonald, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Justin Trudeau,

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John Polanyi, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Will Arnett, Dave Foley, Lorne Greene, John Candy, ’63 Monroe, Gordon Lightfoot, Sheep Look Up, Rachelle Lefevre, Frederick Banting, Lorne Michaels, Alex Trebek, Dan Akroyd, Ryan Gosling, Adam Beach, The Trailer Park Boys, Spirit of the West, Gordie Howe, The Guess Who, BTO, Wayne Gretzky, The Tragically Hip, Tom Thomson, Emily Carr and the Group of Seven,

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Dave Thomas (as the Beaver), Brent Butt, Jim Carrey, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Rick Moranis, Stephen Leacock, Pierre Berton, Robertson Davies, Mike Myers, Tommy Chong, Dave Foley, Douglas Copeland, Farley Mowat, Joshua Jackson, Margot Kidder, Seth Rogen, Chris Hatfield, Ryan Reynolds, Martin Short, Brendan Fehr, Victor Garber, Anna Paquin, Shania Twain, Joni Mitchell, Arcade Fire, Willard Boyle, Roberta Bondar, Rob Ford, Cory Monteith, Colm Feore, Bruce Greenwood, Justin Bieber, James Cameron…
too many to name. You’re welcome and we’re sorry, that should about cover it.

  • What else? 2 km underground, we have the world’s deepest lab, Snolab, in Sudbury (which rocks!).

  • 6 time zones and the world’s longest highway, the Trans-Canada Highway, over 7604 kilometers (4725 miles). Maybe Canadian Tom Cochrane’s inspiration for Life is a Highway?

  • Over 75% of the world’s maple syrup produced, mostly in Quebec. Sweet.

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  • We have 2 official languages, English and French. Queen Elizabeth II is somehow still our Head of State.

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  • Canada is also the world’s most amazing water source. Yes, over 20% of the world’s fresh water, more lakes than all the other countries combined, the world’s largest freshwater island – Manitoulin Island, Ontario and of course, the awesome Niagara Falls.

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  • I fully expect our H2O to get us taken over one day, or some government selling it all. Documentaries like: Last Call At The Oasis (CBC), Thirst (Bullfrog Films), Flow (Oscilloscope), Watermark (Mongrel), Liquid Assets: The Big Business of Water (CNBC), Blue Gold: World Water Wars (Purple Turtle Films), Tapped (Atlas Films), The Colorado River: Running Near Empty (Pete McBride) highlight that once we’ve destroyed the water and air nothing else will matter. Watch 1 less trendy TV show, blockbuster movie, or YouTube video each week; watch documentaries, see the world as it is, not the façade the corporations, governments, etc. are showing you.

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  • We have a poor track record with our First Nations people. Sadly we don’t treat our veterans as well as we should either. Too much of the time our government of the day (hopefully that will change soon, very very soon, did I mention soon?) acts like the only good veteran is a dead veteran, oh except on photo-op days when politicians fake smile while shaking hands they’re not fit to shake. We also don’t treat our seniors, special needs, some minorities, or women, well, who does that leave, oh yes, rich white men, they’re treated like gods in Canada, at this time.

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  • Once known for being polite, diplomatic, peacekeepers, kind, caring, hopeful, giving, socially responsible, progressive, innovative, funny, strong, and free, the Canada we are so proud of is slowly slipping away, but hopefully not without a fight.

“My friends, love is better than anger.
Hope is better than fear.
Optimism is better than despair.
So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic.
And we’ll change the world.”
~Jack Layton

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Canada’s literacy rate is over 99% so I know if you’re in Canada, you can most likely read this.

Happy Canada Day eh!

Author:

Very me

43 thoughts on “Happy Canada Day Eh”

      3. Awh, thank you so much!!! That is absolutely fantastic! If that isn’t a word, it is now; and you invented it! Bless you, my dear! Big Chicago hug!!! Cher xo

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      5. Yes, I laughed at that one, too! We’ll just keep the rest of the world guessing as to what Canadians really do! 🙂 Now, I’ll be doing a post for the 4th of July on Friday! 🙂

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      1. Now that I’ve been back in Quebec for 7 months, I must say,from the people I’ve met, we are more a part of Canada than when I left 20 years ago. 🙂

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  4. Yay, “Due South” (or “Mountie Man” as I used to call it) 🙂
    Is that the actual Toronto sign (surely not)?
    I see you’re taking responsibility for Justin Bieber 🙂

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      1. That’s what my girlfriend at the time always said when Mountie Man came on too – “sigh” 🙂

        I think one of my favourite programmes is Canadian too – “Lost Girl”, all about faerie creatures living in our world.

        Good luck with the Bieber.

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      2. Ahhh yes, Lost with Kris Holden-Reid (sigh) and I’m guessing there’s a sigh there for you for Anna Silk. I wasn’t sure where it would go the first season but they’ve done a great job of fleshing out the characters and proving great bad guys. Thanks about Bieber, we’ll need it. 😉

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      3. Definitely a sigh for Anna Silk but I’m more a fan of Ksenia Solo 🙂
        I’ve seen the first 2 series but there are more (once my subscription streaming service gets them).

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  5. Happy Canada Day, Donna! This was awesome. I had no idea so many of the names known to me were Canadian. Obviously, Canadians don’t brag enough! And I don;t know why. Your homeland sounds an amazing place to be. (apart from the plonkers you have to put up with…but we all have those! I on’t even get into a list.)
    Hope you have a great day.x

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  6. Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
    Although we lived in America we also have visited Canada quite a bit for work and pleasure – I could not believe the difference that lakes and a territorial line could make. On the wish list is to do the rail trip across the Canadian Rockies and stop off and visit family and friends that are handily situated along the route. So a very Happy Canada day this week and thank you for William Shatner and Michael Buble in particular.

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  7. Now that I read D.Parkers Happy Canada Day Eh…. I just realized how many important people that we have here. It’s such a great thing to hear, again!

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      1. I must admit I shivered when I read “Toronto’s mayor smokes crack”, because, well, he’s no longer the mayor and he’s dead now. It’s very impolite for a fellow Canadian to suggest another Canadian edit their content to update the info, but might not be a bad idea eh? 😉

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      2. It was written in the moment and even though people pass away it doesn’t change what they left behind – good, bad, and otherwise.
        Hope you’re having an awesome weekend, eh. 🙂

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      3. Excellent point! I had a truly wonderful weekend. Thank you. Beautiful Monday to you 🙂

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    1. Yes, Debbie, I think a lot of us do…best part, he seems to be doing an ok job so far, of course, our standards may be too low after the last number of years. 😉
      I adore Blogger’s Pit Stop, it’s a pleasure to drop by, so kind and generous to bloggers. 🙂
      Everyday should be Canada Day! 😉
      Hope this week is treating you kindly. 🙂

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  9. Pingback: The Weekly Headlines – My Daily Musing

    1. Thank you so much for adding me to your cool list (I’m in good company). I’m going through and trying to figure out how you choose these all, what a fantastically diverse group of blogs.
      You’re too kind (please continue, really). 😉
      Hope the week ahead treats you very, very well. 🙂

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  10. Pingback: The Weekly Headlines – Br Andrew's Muses

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