I know not every reader of this TMC is a Canadian, but I am a Canadian. And I am proud of it. Back on this day in 1867 we were granted our independence as a nation from Great Britain. We are still a Commonwealth country and pledge allegiance to the King, but as an independent nation. We became the Dominion of Canada! And every July 1 until 1982 we called July 1, Dominion Day. Then when we patriated our constitution (brought it home to Canada officially from England) in 1982, we started calling July 1, Canada Day! And the rest is history.
So, speaking of history, I felt, as a proud Canadian that today in this TMC we should celebrate Canada and Canadians. So here are some thigs you may or may not know about Canada and Canadians. I presume all Canadians, new and born here will or should know these things…
- Second Largest Country: Canada is the second-largest country in the world by total area, after Russia.
- Longest Coastline: It boasts the world’s longest coastline, bordering three oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic.
- Most Lakes: Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined.
- High Literacy Rate: Canadians have a very high literacy rate, with nearly 99% of the population able to read and write.
- Bilingual Nation: Canada is officially a bilingual country, with both English and French as official languages.
- Cobie Smulders: Famous for her role as Robin Scherbatsky in How I Met Your Mother, Smulders was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her character on the show was also Canadian, which was a nod to her background.
- National Sports: While hockey is widely considered the national winter sport, lacrosse is actually Canada’s official national summer sport and was invented by our First Nations.
- Invented Basketball: Basketball was invented by a Canadian, James Naismith, in 1891.
- Keanu Reeves: While born in Beirut, Lebanon, Reeves moved to Toronto with his mother at a young age and spent a significant portion of his childhood there. He identifies strongly with his Canadian upbringing.
- Maple Syrup Leader: Canada, particularly Quebec, is the world’s largest producer and exporter of maple syrup.
- Eh?”: While it’s a stereotype, Canadians do use “eh” at the end of sentences, often as a way to seek agreement or confirmation.
- Polite Reputation: Canadians are often perceived as being very polite and courteous.
Have an awesome Canada Day and should out very loud at least once today… I am Proud to be a Canadian!
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