Canada Society & Culture

1. What is the ethnic composition of Canada?
2. What is the census breakdown by language spoken?
3. Who are some great or famous Canadians?
4. What are some notable events in Canadian history?
5. What are some icons of Canada?
6. How are Canada and the United States different?
7. What are the words to "O Canada"?
8. What are some good Canadian movies?
9. Who are some good Canadian authors?
10. Do Canadians use British or American spelling?
11. What religious affiliations exist in Canada?
12. What are some special days in the Canadian calendar?
13. Why isn't Canadian Thanksgiving the same day as U.S. Thanksgiving?

1. What is the ethnic composition of Canada?

   30%	British Isles origin
   17%	French origin
   30%	other European
   12%	Asian
   1.5%	indigenous Indian or Eskimo
   9.5%	others

   (The Universal Almanac 1990>)

2. What is the census breakdown by language spoken?

   During the census which it conducts every five years, Statistics Canada asks a series of questions about language. These can be conveniently classed under three headings:

   1. HOME LANGUAGE - This is the response to the question, "What language does this person speak most often at home?"
   2. MOTHER TONGUE - This is the response to the question, "What is the language that this person first learned at home in childhood and still understands?"
   3. KNOWLEDGE OF LANGUAGES - This is the response to the question, "What language(s) can this person speak well enough to conduct a conversation?"

   Here are the results from the 1991 census, for the top-ranking languages in one or more categories. Multiple responses are allowed to all the questions, so percentages may add to more than 100%.

   	HOME LANGUAGE	MOTHER TONGUE	KNOWLEDGE OF LANGUAGES
   English	18,664,635 69.1%	16,454,515 61.0%	22,505,420 83.4%
   French	6,369,360 23.6%	6,623,235 24.5%	8,508,960 31.5%
   Chinese	430,090 1.6%	516,875 2.0%	557,300 2.1%
   Italian	288,290 1.1%	538,690 2.0%	701,910 2.6%
   Portuguese	152,530 0.6%	220,630 0.8%	254,470 0.9%
   Spanish	145,045 0.5%	187,615 0.7%	402,430 1.4%
   German	134,460 0.5%	490,650 1.8%	684,950 2.5%
   Punjabi	123,775 0.5%	147,265 0.5%	167,930 0.6%
   Polish	117,150 0.4%	200,395 0.7%	239,580 0.8%
   Greek	93,160 0.3%	132,980 0.5%	161,320 0.6%
   Arabic	82,450 0.3%	119,255 0.4%	164,380 0.6%
   Vietnamese	79,585 0.3%	83,630 0.3%	113,115 0.5%
   Tagalog	75,390 0.3%	115,980 0.4%	136,975 0.5%
   Ukrainian	49,995 0.2%	201,315 0.7%	249,540 0.9%
   Dutch	19,915 0.1%	146,420 0.5%	173,295 0.6%

   (provided by Tom Box)

3. Who are some great or famous Canadians?

   Dan Aykroyd	Actor (Blues Brothers, Ghost Busters ...)
   Sid Altman	Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1989
   Frederick G. Banting	Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1923 for discovery of insulin with Charles Best
   Billy Bishop	World War I fighter pilot, shot down 72 enemy planes
   John Candy	Actor
   Michael J. Fox	Actor (Family Ties, Back to the Future...)
   Wayne Gretzky	National Hockey League all-time point scoring leader
   Phil Hartmann Actor	(Saturday Night Live)
   Gerhard Herzberg	Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1971
   David H. Hubel	Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1981
   Brian W. Kernighan	Computer programmer and writer
   Lorne Michaels	Producer (Saturday Night Live, The Three Amigos,...)
   Mike Myers	Actor (Wayne's World)
   James A. Naismith	Invented basketball at Springfield, Mass., in 1891
   Lester B. Pearson	Former Prime Minister, Nobel Peace Prize in 1957
   Mary Pickford Academy	award winning Actress
   John C. Polanyi	Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986
   Louis Riel	Metis leader of Northwest Rebellion in 1885
   Paul Shaffer	David Letterman's maestro
   William Shatner	Captain Kirk character on Star Trek television show
   Donald Sutherland Actor	(M.A.S.H.)
   Henry Taube	Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1983
   Richard E. Taylor	Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990
   Alex Trebek	Jeopardy host
   Neil Young	Rock performer

4. What are some notable events in Canadian history?

   1867	Confederation
   1967	Montreal hosted Expo 67
   1972	Canada defeated USSR in Summit Series of ice hockey: 4W-3L-1T.
   1976	Montreal hosted the Olympic Summer Games
   1988	Calgary hosted the XV Olympic Winter Games
   1986	Vancouver hosted Expo 1986

5. What are some icons of Canada?

   Front Page Challenge is the longest-running entertainment program on Canadian television.

   The Grey Cup was donated in 1909 by Lord Earl Grey, Governor General of Canada (also of tea fame), and now symbolizes team supremacy in the Canadian Football League.

   The Maple Leaf, prominent on the Canadian flag, and the Beaver are official national symbols.

   The Montreal Canadiens, established in 1909, are the winningest professional sports franchise in North America with 24 Stanley Cup championships (as of 1993).

   The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was founded as the North-West Mounted Police in 1873.

   The Snowbirds are a nine-plane aerobatic team of the Canadian Air Force.

   The Stanley Cup was donated in 1893 by Lord Stanley of Preston, Governor General of Canada, and now symbolizes team supremacy in the National Hockey League.

6. How are Canada and the United States different?

   Though Canadian and American societies are in some ways very similar, in other ways they are very different. In a sense, Canada represents a rejection of the ideals of the American Revolution. Most of the early settlement of Ontario and New Brunswick was by Loyalists fleeing the revolution, and there was a significant flow of Loyalists to parts of Quebec and Nova Scotia as well. These were people who rejected the notions of individualism and equality which became the basis of an American ideology, in favour of a more hierarchical, elitist society.

   This affected many facets of Canadian life. The dominant religious denominations in Canada, Catholic and Anglican, were much more hierarchical than the main Protestant denominations in the U.S. Though Canada does not have a state church, neither do we have the rigorous separation of Church and State that exists in the U.S. There are state-supported schools with religious affiliations in many Canadian provinces.

   Perhaps because religion was less of a personal affair in Canada, it seems to have suffered a steeper decline here than in the U.S. Church attendance is significantly lower here, and politicians do not make a show of being publicly pious, as American politicians do.

   Though the early settlement of Canada reflected a conservative rejection of the liberal (in the 18th century sense) ideals of the American Revolution, this has, paradoxically, made Canada far more receptive to socialist ideas, since both socialism and traditional conservatism both involve a more interventionist, "paternalistic" government than classical liberalism. Thus Canadians are far more accepting of government-run health insurance, or of gun control.

   Canadians are much less wedded to the concept of individual liberties, and more accepting of government intervention to maintain an orderly society, than are Americans. (This is a very broad generalization, to which there are countless exceptions.)

   The adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights in 1982 can be seen as a significant step towards a more American philosophy. However, note that the Charter is significantly more limited than the American Bill of Rights (see 3.4).

   The American system basically sees government as bad. There is an elaborate system of separation of powers and of checks and balances to ensure that one branch of government does not gain too much power. Much of the US constitution is designed to protect individual citizens from the actions of governments.

   In Canada, in contrast, the executive and legislative branches of government are intimately linked. The Charter of Rights is a recent innovation, and its application is tempered by the power of legislators to override it. (Tom Box)

7. What are the words to "O Canada"?

   The current English version:
   O Canada! Our home and native land!
   True patriot love in all thy sons command.
   With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
   The true North, strong and free!
   From far and wide, O Canada,
   We stand on guard for thee.
   
   God keep our land glorious and free!
   O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
   O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

   De me'moire:
   O^ Canada! Terre de nos ai"eux.
   Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.
   Car ton bras sait porter l'e'pe'e,
   Il sait porter la croix.
   Ton histoire est une e'pope'e,
   des plus brillants exploits.
   
   Et ta valeur, de foi trempe'e,
   prote`gera nos foyers et nos droits,
   prote`gera nos foyers et nos droits.

   (2e couplet, peu utilise)
   Sous l'oeil de Dieu pres du fleuve ge'ant
   Le canadien grandit en espe'rant
   Il est ne' d'une race fie`re
   Be'ni fut son berceau
   Le ciel a marque' sa carrie`re
   Dans ce monde nouveau.
   
   Toujours guide' par sa lumie`re,
   Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau,
   Il gardera l'honneur de son drapeau.
   
   (Il y a aussi un troisie`me couplet, mais je ne m'en souviens plus)
   
   (French version provided by Denis Fortin)
   
   The remaining words are seldom sung.
   
   English verses continue...
   
   O Canada! Where pines and maples grow,
   Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
   How dear to us they vast domain,
   From East to Western sea,
   Thou land of hope for all who toil,
   Thou true North, strong and free!
   (O Canada!... etc.)
   
   O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
   May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise;
   To keep thee steadfast through the years
   From East to Western sea,
   Our Father land, our Motherland!
   Our true North strong and free!
   (O Canada!... etc.)
   
   Ruler Supreme, Who hearest humble prayer,
   Hold our dominions in Thy loving care.
   Help use to find, O God, in Thee,
   A lasting, rich reward,
   As waiting for the better day
   We ever stand on guard.
   (O Canada!... etc.)
   
   ---------------- In French
   
   De son patron, pre'curseur du vrai Dieu,
   Il porte au font l'aure'ole de feu.
   Ennemi de la tyrannie,
   Mais plein de loyaute',
   Il veut garder dans l'harmonie
   Sa fiere' liberte';
   
   Et par l'effort de son ge'nie,
   Sur notre sol asseoir la ve'rite'.
   Sur notre sol asseoir la ve'rite'.
   
   Amour sacre' du tro^ne de l'autel,
   Remplis nos cours de ton souffle immortel!
   Parmi les races entrange`res,
   Notre guide est la loi;
   Sachons e^tre un peuple de fre`res
   Sous le joug de la foi.
   
   Et re'pe'tons, comme nos pe`res,
   Le cri vainqueur "Pour le Christ et le Roi!"
   Le cri vainqueur "Pour le Christ et le Roi!"
   
   

   The music was written by Calixa Lavallee and the original French words by Judge Adolphe-Basile Routhier, around 1880. The English version, not really a translation, was by Stanley Weir in 1908. In 1867 the Canadian Parliament got into the act and changed some of Weir's words. (Neale Adams)

   [The English version was changed a lot more recently than that, too. Details?]

8. What are some good Canadian movies?

   The Festival of Festivals has updated its 1984 survey of the best Canadian films ever. The current standings are:

   1. Mon oncle Antoine (Claude Jutra, 1971)
   2. Jesus de Montreal (Denys Arcand, 1988)
   3. Goin' Down the Road (Don Shebib, 1970)
   4. Le declin de l'empire Americain (Denys Arcand, 1986)
   5. Les bons debarras (Francis Mankiewicz, 1980)
   6. Les ordres (Michel Brault, 1974)
   7. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (Ted Kotcheff, 1974)
   8. The Grey Fox (Phillip Borsos, 1982)
   9. I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (Patricia Rozema, 1987)
   10. The Adjuster (Atom Egoyan, 1991)

   Knocked off of 1984's list were J.A. Martin photographe (Jean Beaudin, 1976), Pour la suite du monde (Pierre Perrault and Michel Brault, 1963), Le vrai nature de Bernadette (Gilles Carle, 1972), and Nobody Waved Goodbye (Don Owen, 1964). (Sources: Globe and Mail, provided by Stephanie Fysh)

   Leolo (Jean-Claude Lauzon) The Adjuster (Atom Egoyan) (Stewart Clamen)

9. Who are some good Canadian authors?

   Margaret Atwood (A Handmaid's Tale)
   Robertson Davies (The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business, The Manticore,World of Wonders)
   William Gibson (Mona Lisa Overdrive)
   Anne Hebert (Kamouraska, Les Fous de Bassan)
   Farley Mowat (Never Cry Wolf)
   Mordecai Richler (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz)
   Gabrielle Roy (Bonheur d'Occasion (trans: The Tin Flute))
   Pamela Sargent (Venus of Dreams)

   (Stewart Clamen, Mike Eisler, Martin Savard)

10. Do Canadians use British or American spelling?

    Standard Canadian written English uses characteristic features of both British and American spelling. Most Canadians use "colour" (not "color"), "harbour" (not "harbor"), "cheque" (not "check"), and "centre" (not "center"), but also "specialize" (not "specialise"), "draft" (not "draught"), and "tire" (not "tyre").

    Canadian newspapers and magazines each have their own spelling standard. The (Toronto) Globe and Mail tends to use the above rules, for instance, while The (Montreal) Gazette, will use "color" and "harbor", but also "cheque" and "centre". (Stewart Clamen)

    Newspaper practice is somewhat influenced by the desire to run stories originating in the US with minimal editing. (Mark Brader)

11. What religious affiliations exist in Canada?

    Maclean's Religion Poll (April 12, 1993)

    Source: 4510 adults in a phone poll (Jan-Mar 1993), as part of the regular monthly Angus-Reid poll

    ROUGH BREAKDOWN

    Christian	78%	Jewish	1%
    Hindu	0.5%
    Buddhist	0.5%
    Islamic	0.5%
    no religion	10%
    atheist	~9%

    FORMAL AFFILIATION

    Religion	Now	As a child
    Roman Catholic	38%	44%
    None	16	4
    United	13	14
    Anglican	9	11
    Conservative(*)	8	8
    Lutheran/Presbyterian	6	8
    Non-Denominational Protestant	4	4
    Non-Christian denominations(+)	3	2
    Other Christian($)	2	1
    Don't Know/No Response	3	3

    (*) Includes Baptist, Church of Nazarene, Pentecostal, Apostolic, Mennonite, Canadian Reformed, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon), Seventh-Day Adventist, Brethren, Plymouth Brethren, Salvation Army, Alliance, Evangelical, Methodist, Congregationalist, Wesleyan, Gospel, Worldwide Church of God, Church of Christ, born again Christian, Christian Reformed.

    (+) Includes Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, New Age, Sikh, Spiritualist, Soka Gakki International, North American native religion, Theosophical society paganism, Baha'i, humanist, agnostic, Wicca, Lemurian, New Thought Movement.

    ($) Includes Orthodox, Unitarian, Jehovah's Witness, Christadelphian, Christian Scientist, Church of Scientology.

    (provided by Stewart Clamen)

12. What are some special days in the Canadian calendar?

    January 1	New Year's Day
    April 1, 1994	Good Friday (2 days before Easter Sunday)
    April 3, 1994	Easter Sunday (date varies, late March to late April)
    May 8, 1994	Mother's Day (2nd Sunday in May)
    May 23, 1994	Victoria Day (Monday after the 17th)
    June 19, 1994	Father's Day (3rd Sunday in June)
    June 24	St. Jean de Baptiste in Quebec
    July 1	Canada Day (In commemoration for the day of the foundation of the dominion of Canada)
    August 1, 1994	Civic Holiday (1st Monday in August, some provinces only)
    September 5, 1994	Labor Day (1st Monday in September)
    October 10, 1994	Thanksgiving Day (2nd Monday in October)
    November 11	Remembrance Day
    December 25	Christmas Day
    December 26	Boxing Day

13. Why isn't Canadian Thanksgiving the same day as U.S. Thanksgiving?

    Thanksgiving being originally a day to thank God for harvest, it makes sense that Canadian Thanksgiving be before the US one, seeing that climatic differences between the two countries cause Canada to have its last harvests earlier in the Fall. (M.S.)

    Proclaimed as "a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed", Thanksgiving draws upon 3 traditions: harvest celebrations in European peasan societies for which the symbol was the cornucopia (horn of plenty); formal observances, such as that celebrated by Martin FROBISHER in the eastern Arctic in 1578 - the first North American Thanksgiving; and the Pilgrims' celebration of their first harvest in Massachusetts (1621) involving the uniquely American turkey, squash and pumpkin. The celebration was brought to Nova Scotia in the 1750s and the citizens of Halifax commemorated the end of the SEVEN YEARS WAR (1763) with a day of Thanksgiving. Loyalists brought the celebration to other parts of the country. In 1879 Parliament declared Nov 6 as a day of Thanksgiving; it was celebrated as a national rather a religious holiday. Later and earlier dates were observed, the most popular being the third Monday in Oct. After WWI, Thanksgiving and Armistice (later Remembrance) Day were celebrated in the same week. It was not until 31 Jan 1957 that Parliament proclaimed the observance of Thanksgiving on the second Monday in Oct. E.C. Drury, the former "Farmer-Premier" of Ontario lamented later that "the farmers' own holiday has been stolen by the towns" to give them a long weekend when the weather was better. (The Canadian Encyclopedia, Hurtig; provided by Stewart Clamen)