One thing I know to be true, we are well respected throughout the world as friendly, humble, and generous. As a nation, IMHO, we love the the fact that we're viewed as the "nice kid on the block" and we love to poke fun at the Canadianisms that separate us from the rest of the globe. A quick Internet search will give you a long list of Canadian things that are unique to our nation (milk sold in bags, ketchup chips and KD), things that were created here (butter tarts, Nanimo bars, PB and even instant mashed potatoes), and even things that are often misunderstood about us (No, I've never tried whale blubber). The world looks at our flag and sees the Maple Leaf, but it might be a surprise to you the over 75% of the world's Maple Syrup is Canadian produced. If you're interested, the site mentalfloss.com has a page you might find illuminating ... CLICK HERE.
“I tried to include a broad spectrum of history, icons, sports and culture, all while injecting some of that classic self-deprecating Canadian humour,” explained Wiberg.
Celebrating our country's BDay will take on a decidedly different feel this year with the cancellation of things like the annual fireworks displays or the great family BBQs that take advantage of the national day off from work. There have been a number of ideas that have sprung up as replacements, all of them virtual attempts at celebration, and in true Canadian fashion, I will smile, clap, and appreciate them all, but my heart won't be in it.
If that's the worst that I have to deal with as the traditional summer starts ... who am I kidding, eh, retirement is a never ending summer ... then I'll be pretty far ahead of the game. I am deeply thankful to my parents for choosing to raise me and my brothers here (there was a decision made when my father was being recruited by hospitals in the US), and I am Uber proud to be a Canadian. I don't mind rocking the boat a little by drawing comparisons between how we have dealt with the Corona Virus pandemic and those of our neighbour to the south. You'll never find a more beautiful, picturesque, grand, or diverse looking country than Canada and I'm proud to tell you I've personally seen all 10 provinces ... I still need to work on the 3 territories.
You stand in "line-ups" or "queues" (in Victoria, BC) at the movie, not lines.
You're not offended by the term, "Homo Milk".
You understand the sentence, "Could you please pass me a serviette, I just spilled my POUTINE!
You eat chocolate bars instead of candy bars.
You drink pop, not soda.
You had a Prime Minister who wasn't fluent in either of the official languages (English & French).
You know what it means to be 'on the pogey'.
You know that a "mickey" and "2-4's" mean "Party at the camp, eh?"
You can drink legally while still a teen in some provinces.
You talk about the weather with strangers and friends alike.
You don't know or care about the fuss with Cuba, it's just a cheap place to travel with very good cigars.
If there is a social problem, you turn to your government to fix it, instead of telling them to stay out of it.
You get milk in bags as well as cartons and plastic jugs.
Pike is a type of fish, not some part of a highway.
You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
You know what a Robertson screwdriver is.
You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
You know that Mounties "don't always look like that."
You dismiss all beers under 6% as "for children and the elderly."
You know that the Friendly Giant isn't a vegetable product line.
You know that Casey and Finnegan are not a Celtic musical group.
You drive with your headlights on during the day.
(since 1989, all new cars have been fitted with "daytime running lights").
You participated in "Participaction."
You've an Inuit carving by your bed, "What's good enough protection for the PM is good enough for me."
You wonder why there isn't a 5 dollar coin yet.
Like any international assassin/terrorist/spy in the world, you possess a Canadian Passport.
You use a red pen on your non-Canadian textbooks and fill in the missing 'u's from labor, honor, color. etc.
You know the French equivalents of "free", "prize", and "no sugar added", thanks to your extensive education in bilingual cereal packaging.
You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
You make a mental note to talk about it at work the next day.
You can do all the hand actions to Sharon, Lois and Bram's "Skin-a-ma-rinky-dinky-doo" opus.
You can eat more than one maple sugar candy without feeling nauseous.
You were mad at the CBC when "The Beachcombers" were taken off the air.
You know who "Relic" is/was.
You know what a touque is and you own one and often wear it.
You have heard of ... and have some cherished momento of ... Bob and Doug McKenzie.
You still sing the "Great White North" theme song with pride ... "coo-ooh-coocoo-coo-ooh-coocoo".
You know Toronto is NOT a province.
You never miss "Coach's Corner" during Hockey Night in Canada.
Back bacon and Kraft Dinner are two of your favourite food groups.
If you live in some of the colder Canadian provinces, your car has a cord and plug sticking out of the grill ... it's a block heater for those sub-zero (in Celsius) days.
You only know three spices: salt, pepper and ketchup.
You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
The mosquitoes have landing lights.
You have more kilometres on your snow blower than your car.
You have 10 favourite recipes for moose meat.
Canadian Tire Store on any Saturday is busier than most toy stores at Christmas.
You live in a house that has no front step, yet the door is one meter above the ground.
You've taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled in with frozen snow and slush.
You think sexy lingerie is tube-socks and a flannel nightie with only 8 buttons.
You owe more money on your snowmobile than your car.
The local paper covers national and international headlines on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
At least twice a year, the kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant.
The most effective mosquito repellent is a shotgun.
Your snowblower gets stuck on the roof.
You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.
You head South to go to your cottage.
You frequently clean grease off your barbecue so the bears won't prowl on your deck.
You know which leaves make good toilet paper now that there are no more dollar bills.
The major parish fund-raiser isn't bingo, it's sausage making.
You find -40C a little chilly.
The trunk of your car doubles as a portable deep freeze.
You attend a formal event in your best clothes, your finest jewellery and your Sorels.
You can play road hockey on skates.
You know 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, almost Winter and Construction.
The municipality buys a Zamboni before a bus.
You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
You perk-up when you hear the old theme from "Hockey Night in Canada".
You pronounce the last letter of the alphabet "zed" instead of "zee."
and ...
You participated in "Participaction."
You've an Inuit carving by your bed, "What's good enough protection for the PM is good enough for me."
You wonder why there isn't a 5 dollar coin yet.
Like any international assassin/terrorist/spy in the world, you possess a Canadian Passport.
You use a red pen on your non-Canadian textbooks and fill in the missing 'u's from labor, honor, color. etc.
You know the French equivalents of "free", "prize", and "no sugar added", thanks to your extensive education in bilingual cereal packaging.
You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
You make a mental note to talk about it at work the next day.
You can do all the hand actions to Sharon, Lois and Bram's "Skin-a-ma-rinky-dinky-doo" opus.
You can eat more than one maple sugar candy without feeling nauseous.
You were mad at the CBC when "The Beachcombers" were taken off the air.
You know who "Relic" is/was.
You know what a touque is and you own one and often wear it.
You have heard of ... and have some cherished momento of ... Bob and Doug McKenzie.
You still sing the "Great White North" theme song with pride ... "coo-ooh-coocoo-coo-ooh-coocoo".
You know Toronto is NOT a province.
You never miss "Coach's Corner" during Hockey Night in Canada.
Back bacon and Kraft Dinner are two of your favourite food groups.
If you live in some of the colder Canadian provinces, your car has a cord and plug sticking out of the grill ... it's a block heater for those sub-zero (in Celsius) days.
You only know three spices: salt, pepper and ketchup.
You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
The mosquitoes have landing lights.
You have more kilometres on your snow blower than your car.
You have 10 favourite recipes for moose meat.
Canadian Tire Store on any Saturday is busier than most toy stores at Christmas.
You live in a house that has no front step, yet the door is one meter above the ground.
You've taken your kids trick-or-treating in a blizzard.
Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled in with frozen snow and slush.
You think sexy lingerie is tube-socks and a flannel nightie with only 8 buttons.
You owe more money on your snowmobile than your car.
The local paper covers national and international headlines on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
At least twice a year, the kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant.
The most effective mosquito repellent is a shotgun.
Your snowblower gets stuck on the roof.
You think the start of deer season is a national holiday.
You head South to go to your cottage.
You frequently clean grease off your barbecue so the bears won't prowl on your deck.
You know which leaves make good toilet paper now that there are no more dollar bills.
The major parish fund-raiser isn't bingo, it's sausage making.
You find -40C a little chilly.
The trunk of your car doubles as a portable deep freeze.
You attend a formal event in your best clothes, your finest jewellery and your Sorels.
You can play road hockey on skates.
You know 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, almost Winter and Construction.
The municipality buys a Zamboni before a bus.
You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
You perk-up when you hear the old theme from "Hockey Night in Canada".
You pronounce the last letter of the alphabet "zed" instead of "zee."
and ...
You end some sentences with "eh," ... eh?
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