Happy Canada Day, eh?

Maclean's Magazine published a Canada vs. America issue proclaiming "99 Reasons Why it's Better to Be Canadian: We're happier, fitter and richer and our kids are smarter too." You can read all the statistics in a July 8, 2013, edition of Maclean's.

Of course, I read this issue with glee. I am not competitive in my personal life, choosing to also praise and exhort others, but I have an ingrained, historically rooted compulsion to challenge the powerful country to the south of me. Perhaps it is a David and Goliath syndrome. Here is a list of why I love Canada. Some of  the stats come from Maclean's.

As Canada Day celebrates its 148th birthday, I celebrate Canada's triumphs. Next to the United States we might seem insignificant but remember,  looks are deceiving.

Lyrics O Canada (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.

We are more popular than Americans; wearing a maple leaf on your backpack means people treat you well in other countries.

We say, "eh" at the end of sentences. This is a word which reaches out in agreement while the American word huh tacked on sentences sounds like the speaker is a dimwitted.

                                                                                                              capital hill

Canada has one square kilometre of land for every three people

We are funnier; many comedians are Canadian such as Wayne and Schuster, Lorne Michaels, John Candy, Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Catherine O'Hara, Seth Rogen Jay Baruchel, Michael Cera....

Our banks are better- 4 of the top ten in the world are Canadian, the top U.S. bank is ranked 9th- the Citigroup
For our population, we break more Guinness world records.

Our government does not kill people; capital punishment was abolished in 1776 and no one has been executed since 1961. The States has 3,125 prisoners on death row.

Maple syrup

We are more fit with 35.9 Americans are obese and only 24.5 OF Canadians are overweight.

We live longer- an average of 3 years longer than Americans

Americans always make fun of us because we are polite; we always say. "I'm sorry" but researchers at the University of Waterloo say good manners boost happiness. Apologizing to the police for speeding results in an average drop of $51 in fines.

The wilderness -- we still have lots of it.

Our lobster tastes better.

NORTHERN LIGHTS

Our roads are safer.

Fewer homicides per person and mass murders are rare

Our national animal, the beaver, is industrious and rugged

The salmon run

We lead in quantum computing.

Our judges are appointed not voted in.

We can read the cereal box and road signs in two different languages.

                                                    the east coast- the Maritimes

There is a whole T.V. channel dedicated to politicians bickering.

Place Names that come from Aboriginal languages

We have better skiing with more ski trails, longer runs and more snow on Canada's Whistler Mountain compared to America's Vail

We dominate hockey; it is Canada's game

We get more paid holidays. 23% of Americans get no paid time off. ALL Canadian workers get at least 2 weeks paid vacation + 9 paid public holidays

Newfoundland

Newfies - I love their accent and sense of humour. They are the salt of the earth

The north is a land of untouched beauty

Easy geography classes: we only have ten provinces and three territories

Excellent education system; our 15 year-olds score in the top 10 of 65 countries. American kids are #17.

MORE POOR KIDS GO TO UNIVERSITY- 54% OF LOW-INCOME KIDS GO TO UNIVERSITY COMPARED TO 30% OF POOR AMERICAN KIDS

Northwest Territories

Lots of immigrants -- this is the place people from all over the world want to come to!

Our Government apologizes for past mistakes!

The Queen and other Royals visit us

Our corporate taxes are lower

An almost peaceful history

Intelligent population

When spring comes, we appreciate it

forests

We know how to make good, strong, HOT tea

The weather is a legitimate topic of conversation and we ALWAYS talk about the weather

Toques

Coffee Crisp ... Only available in Canada!

the Rocky Mountains in the West

Affordable university tuition

Lots of fresh water!

We're less pushy than some other countries

We let everyone come here, and do their thing. Even if they wouldn't do the same for us.

Ketchup chips ... only in Canada.

Moose, Elk, Deer

Brown Bears, Polar Bears

So many rivers and lakes- I live in South- Eastern Ontario which is called the land of a thousand islands.

Great fishing, especially in fly-in camps up north

Majestic mountains

We have coasts on three oceans

Second largest country in the world

Largest prosperous country in the world

Freedom

Peacekeepers

Aboriginal people who have fought in all the wars, with an astounding war record

Official recognition of rights of Aboriginal Nations embedded in our national constitution

No one ever won between the French and the English: we just compromised!

Every landscape imaginable, all in one magnificent country

Enormous National Parks

Anne of Green Gables

Lots of hockey rinks, great outdoor skating rinks in almost every village, town and city. We even have one and our population isn't even posted

Car heaters that plug-in when it's cold. Even store parking lots provide plug-ins

Icicles- some extend for 3 to 4 feet from our roof.

Skating and hot chocolate

Beaver Tails

The longest skating rink in the world on Ottawa's canal

Sound of crickets

The sound of Canada Geese flying back from their holiday in the South

We spell colour and neighbourhood the right way

We are proud of our British roots

Aurora Borealis called the Northern Lights.

We love to make fun of ourselves

We love to make fun of people who don't know anything about us, especially Americans

Terry Fox was one of us

Gordon Lightfoot

Lenard Cohen

Arctic Rangers

The change of seasons

Incredible beauty

The tundra

Best opera house in North America is Toronto's Four seasons Centre built by Jack Diamond who built Mariinsky 11 theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia by invitation of Valery Gergiev

TIM HORTON'S makes the best coffee

Canadian Snow Humour

As I sit by the wood stove, with the wind howling all around our old house, I am toasty warm. However our water pipes to the upstairs shower, toilet and laundry room have frozen for the fifth time this year. This has rarely happened in previous years. The temperature is -27 C with the wind chill. So naturally I want to talk about the weather like the good Canadian that I am because it is a proven fact that discussing the weather is a national pastime. This sort of Canadian discussion is typically a combination of complaining and bragging all rolled into one rant!

by melanie jean juneau

Why It's Better to Be a Canadian!

the northern lights

 an amusing yet valid list of why I love Canada, more than the States.

Easy geography classes: we only have ten provinces and three territories.

We spell colour and neighbourhood the right way.

Anne of Green Gables

Canada has coasts on three oceans.

We know how to make good, strong, hot tea.

Second largest country in the world and largest prosperous country in the world.

Freedom

Peacekeepers

Our national animal, the beaver, is industrious and rugged.

Lenard Cohen

We are more popular; wearing a maple leaf on your backpack means people treat you well in other countries.

When spring comes, we appreciate it.

No one ever won between the French and the English: we just compromised!

We can read the cereal box and road signs in two different languages.

We say eh? This is a word which reaches out to include the listener and invites his response. Now huh sounds like the speaker himself did not understand what he just said.

Americans always make fun of us because we are polite. We always say. "I'm sorry" but researchers at the University of Waterloo say it is boosts happiness. Apologizing to the police for speeding results in an average drop of $51 in fines.

We love to make fun of ourselves and we love to make fun of people who don't know anything about us, especially Americans.

Toques and the salmon run are found only in Canada.

We live longer, about an average of 3 years longer than Americans.

The wilderness because we still have lots of it with one square kilometre of land for every three people. The north is a land of untouched beauty. Driving for miles across the flat prairies, we spotted a farmhouse that was 60 kilometres away!

Fewer homicides per person and mass murders are rare.

The change of seasons makes life interesting.The weather is a legitimate topic of conversation and we always talk about the weather.

Our judges are appointed not voted in.

A whole T.V. channel dedicated to politicians bickering

Place Names that come from Aboriginal languages

We have better skiing with more ski trails, longer runs and more snow on Canada's Whistler Mountain compared to America's Vail

We dominate hockey; it is Canada's game.

Newfies; I love their accent and sense of humour. They are the salt of the earth.

We get visits from the Queen and other Royals. We are proud of our British roots.

An almost peaceful history.

Coffee Crisp, ketchup chips and buttertarts can't be found in the States only.

Affordable university tuition.

Lots of fresh water!

We're less pushy than some other countries.

We let everyone come here, and do their thing. Even if they wouldn't do the same for us.

Moose, elk, deer, brown bears, polar bears.

So many rivers and lakes... I live in an area near the St. Lawerance River called the land of a thousand islands.

Great fishing, especially in the fly in camps up north

Majestic mountains

Aboriginal people who have fought in all the wars, with an astounding war record

There is an official recognition of rights of Aboriginal Nations embedded in our national constitution.

Enormous National Parks

Lots of hockey rinks, great outdoor skating rinks in almost every village, town and city.We even have one in our village and our population isn't even posted on our village sign!

Car heaters that plug-in when it's cold. Even store parking lots provide plug-ins in some provinced.

Icicles- some are 3-4 feet long from our roof.

Skating and hot chocolate with stands selling Beaver Tails, a hot flat bread sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.The longest skating rink in the world is on Ottawa's canal.

The sound of Canada Geese flying back from their holiday in the South.

Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis.

Terry Fox was one of us.

Gordon Lightfoot

Incredible beauty.

The tundra.

Best opera house in North America is Toronto's Four seasons Centre built by Jack Diamond who built Mariinsky 11 theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia by invitation of Valery Geriev
.

Due North

Suddenly I realized how wild and barren Canada really is.

I live in an area surrounded by forests and thousands of inland islands on 7 acres but most Canadians, even those who live in big cities, live less than an hour or two drive from open country.

I was listening to an interview on the car radio as we drove through farmland and uncultivated stretches into town the other day. Apparently, an enthusiastic British woman devotes an entire blog to her experiences in the wilderness that makes up much of Canada. To her friends in England, Canada is an exotic foreign land.

I laughed, of course, at the idea that I live anywhere that could be possibly called exotic but then I stopped abruptly.

Suddenly I realized how wild and barren Canada actually is. Canada is one of the First World Countries but it remains largely undeveloped. There is a reason that the entire focus of the 2010 Winter Olympics  opening ceremonies in Vancouver was the stark beauty of millions of square kilometres of vast tundra, sweeping prairie grasslands, mountain ranges, and forests.

A couple of years ago, I was on a plane, coming into land at the great Ottawa International Airport with its arrival area's two baggage carousels, when an excited little American boy questioned his mum,

"We are real close now to Ottawa, right mom?"

"This is the capital, right mom?"

"But where are all the buildings?"

"I just see trees."

"Huh mom, huh?"

"Where are the buildings?"

"I thought you said we were coming to the capital of Canada?"

I had to smile because as we coasted up to the terminal, it looked more like a small, airport for a little town. Of course, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are bigger and support bustling airports but there are hundreds of kilometres separating our large urban centres.

In fact navigation across Canada is relatively simple. Take the directions I gave my parents who drove from the West Coast to Eastern Ontario, some 4,000 kilometres.

"Take the Trans Canadian Highway through the Rocky Mountains, across the foothills of Alberta, through the Prairie Provinces, drive 18 hours from Northern Ontario to South-Eastern Ontario, turn left at the hamlet of Antrim and we are 3.1 kilometres on the left."

My dad drove right up to our door without needing further instructions
!