What do you think of Canada/Canadians?

Caitlin - posted on 07/22/2010

Finding a way to preserve the language while not discriminating against everyone else is going to be hard, but they aren't even looking like they try. *sigh*.. Never ending battle, i'm going to win the lotto max and never have to worry about working ever again.. ;p

Valerie - posted on 07/22/2010

Agreed, Krista! I don't agree with all of the strategies, programmes and laws in QC that protect the language & culture; and I can see from personal experience where some do more harm than good. I just can't endorse scrapping them all.
I love all things Acadian! I recently lost my Gram who was Acadian; the accent, the food, the music are so near and dear to me. Bless!

Krista - posted on 07/22/2010

Excellent point, Valerie. I agree that the culture needs to be preserved. (Heck, I'm Acadian, so I know how important it is to celebrate one's culture). It's just to figure out how to do that without alienating the rest of the country.

Valerie - posted on 07/22/2010

Alright, Danielle, if I go to Ontario I won't act too proud; make sure I stay in my place, keep to myself, don't ask don't tell... Glad you like the poutine, Boss. :) C'mon! seriously!? Nah, I'm proud of my heritage and won't change, sorry. But seriously, you're welcome to the poutine and all.
And Caitlin, I totally get where you're coming from. I'm a Bill 101 kid (allowed to go to English public school by birthright). My daughter's father is anglophone, so we speak more english than french in the household; I would love to send my child to french school to balance it out, but I know that by doing so I would take the right to go to english school from her kids, so I won't do it. Ironic, that this bill meant to keep French alive is going to create an Anglo-Quebecer. So it goes.
I think the big problem here is not the "what" but the "how" - The "What" is protecting the culture. YES we're lucky we got to keep our language, legal system, religion and schools. It's a unique phenomenon and a huge gesture of good-will. Shouldn't we be proud enough as a country to make sure it does not die a slow death (like the Louisiana French, like the Dutch in the American north east?) Just a thought.

Danielle - posted on 07/21/2010

I love being Canadian!



Some things do bother me however! For instance, the justice system. Women like Karla Homolka walking free and enjoying life like she never tortured, raped, and murdered three girls. There's something wrong with this picture!



Also, while I'm proud Canadians like to help other countries, I feel we spend too much time helping third world countries and fighting other countries' wars when we have our own people to worry about. There are homeless, starving, sick people in Canada too and our own citizens should be our first priority!



HST is just plain bull s@#$. Not pleased about this change at all.



I won't say I hate Quebecers but I'm certainly not a fan of separatists or overly proud French people. With that being said, I'll thank you for the discovery of poutine!



I'd also like to point out that Ontario IS NOT COLD right now! We just had a ridiculous heat wave with temperatures reaching 44'C. What's the deal with Americans who think we live in igloos?

Caitlin - posted on 07/21/2010

All I can say about the poor disinfanchised quebecers, they should feel lucky that when they lost the plains of abraham battle, that the english allowed them to keep their language and culture, schools and religion, because in the past when a battle was lost, the people had to change to adapt the language and religion of the winning team (so to speak).

I resent that they feel used and abused, I live in Quebec, I see all the crap that goes on here, where people don't have a choice to send their kids to english or french school, unless they went to english school in quebec. School taxes are defaulted to the french boards, but ONLY someone who has children in the english system can opt to send their taxes to the english school board, and even then, the taxes are 300-400$ more per year depending on your area. Where the french are so paranoid about losing their language (because after high school, tons of students from the french system switch to english cegep and university) that they are thinking of forcing students to stay in the french system.

I could go on and on about it really, there are tons of things that bug the hell outta me about Quebec. The bloc was originally formed to help in the transition when quebec separated, which never happened, they are outdated and obsolete, but sadly, even as an english Quebecer, I have no actual anglo option to vote for, because the liberals are just as bad as the bloc now, and spout the same crap about language that the bloc does. My only solution is to move.. and maybe teach french elsewhere in canada.

Krista - posted on 07/21/2010

That's why I loved my MP -- he said "screw the party line" and stood up for his constituents when he thought they were getting a bum deal. He got booted from caucus, but won the next election in a landslide, and got standing ovations at every public event he attended.

Valerie - posted on 07/21/2010

We are rollin' indeed!! Fun times & good show from all corners of the Great White North!
Amie - Makes sense for sure! I can see where the West would feel as though Central Canada (ON & QC) have all the power, so to speak, with the imbalance in the seats and all. I imagine it would be frustating to see the government formed before your vote is even cast. As far as teaming up, I wouldn't describe it as intentional... Many QCers feel pressured not to vote their conscience, but vote "against" the Bloc - and that has fluctuated between the Libs and Conservatives. Woot Woot for the NDP's seat - in that climate was a HUGE achievement.
And Jenny (sorry for mispelling yor name earlier - no disrespect was intended) - theoretically, BC or any other province could start up a single-province-serving federal party (except the current electoral system would make it unviable for most provs). A better solution would be an elected and effective senate? After all, the Senate is to be the place where every province has its say; and then again the house of commons is where your town elects a representative and they go argue on your behalf. Now it's so fll of party discipline and backbenchers that one would be hard-pressed to find MPs who honestly speak for their constituents rather than just toe their party line.

Either way, I admit, I find it really interesting how the Bloc's existence and relative succdess brings to light several weaknesses and pitfalls in the electoral system and the system of government. Suddently feel like digging up my old poli sci texts...

Chatty - posted on 07/21/2010

Bah! HST!

Jenny - posted on 07/21/2010

Now we're rolling ladies. These are the sorts of domestic issues I was hoping would come up and be seriously debated.



Valerie, I'm from Kelowna, BC. I will support Quebec having a National representive as soon as every province and territory does. We all have our own issues, not just them. I absolutely support federal transfer credits. Each province brings something to the table from oil, to farming, to forestry, to mining, to fishing and it is in our best interests as a unified country to work together with our collective resources. We brought HST in as of July 1st so our federal contribution just grew 7%.

Amie - posted on 07/21/2010

Don't lay that shit at our feet Laura. =P Saskatchewan is on a cycle. Every couple of decades they fall for the conservatives crap, completely forgetting the damage they do when in power. So now we're stuck with them for a bit. I am waiting as patiently as possible for elections here.



Alberta will probably always be a conservative province. They're a rich province, they want to keep their money. Though the NDP there did pick up a seat last election. The rest were conservative seats.



BC the liberals lost 4 seats, the conservatives picked up 5.



In Manitoba the conservatives picked up one seat and the liberals lost 2.



In Ontario liberals lost 16 seats in the last election. Conservatives picked up 11.



In Quebec the numbers have pretty much stayed the same the last couple of elections. Though the bloc did lose some seats, the NDP even picked up one in Quebec. But their liberal/conservative voting has been pretty consistent to about 10 seats conservative, 13-14 seats liberal.





On the whole Ontario and Quebec alone have 181 seats in parliament.

The entire rest of the country (provinces and territories alike) have 127 seats.

That's a gap of 54 seats. Between 2 provinces and the rest of the country.

Whenever Ontario and Quebec fight together to get one party in (hello liberals) they get in. It may not be done on purpose but it's done.



The stats I mentioned to are just the last two elections. I could go farther back but that's a lot of data to go through and a lot of flipping through tabs comparing. LOL If the liberals all around hadn't lost their individual ridings, they would still be in power. No one had confidence in them though. However if Alberta wasn't so die hard blue, it probably would have been a different election altogether. The conservatives didn't pick up that many seats out here for it to tip the tides. Alberta has always been blue and probably always will be so long as they have the oilsands.



I think that made sense? LOL

Valerie - posted on 07/21/2010

Jennie - Not that it matters, but I am not a Bloc supporter. But, I feel that disbanding/rendering illegal the Bloc anti-democatic. The bloc quebecois was not necessarily created to push a sovereignist agenda, but because it was felt by enough folks that the needs of Quebec were not adequately represented by the Liberals, Conservatives or New Democrats.
If you feel that you're "paying" for Quebec's "agenda", I assume you're from a "have" province (Alberta maybe?). Quebec has almost always been a have-not province (no popcorn and beer references, pls). I'd think that someone who calls herself "the commie" would have no real problem with federal transfer credits that redistribute the wealth between the provinces?

Isobel - posted on 07/21/2010

bah, It seems to me that you guys in the West still seem to think that Quebec and Ontario have some super power when it comes to voting...but we are red provinces...and our federal govt is blue...because of you guys in the west... Thanks a lot by the way ;P

Jenny - posted on 07/21/2010

I know my comments were made in jest but it doesn't come across so well with typing sometimes.



Krista said: I guess I just don't understand how separatists could feel disenfranchised. Quebec has a substantial amount of political power on a national scale. The Bloc Quebecois, even though its agenda and representation are exclusive to Quebec, is a nationally-recognized party, and its leader participates in national electoral debates.



Me: This is a big bone of contention with the west. We couldn't be further removed from Quebec's agenda yet we are directly paying for it. I believe the BQ should be illegal and should be disbanded at the national level.

Krista - posted on 07/21/2010

It's actually "Hear, hear". It's short for "Hear him, hear him!" and represents a listener's agreement with the point being made by a speaker. It's an old British Parliament thing.

And that is a VERY good idea about the poutine...

Jaime - posted on 07/20/2010

lol...good question Valerie...I think it's 'here here'...and thanks for the poutine advice!

Valerie - posted on 07/20/2010

or is it here here? pardon my French!

Valerie - posted on 07/20/2010

Hear Hear!! :) & just a tip from a local, ask for an extras plate, and flip it over. The cheese melts better that way :)

Jaime - posted on 07/20/2010

Truer words have not been spoken Krista!

Krista - posted on 07/20/2010

Besides...any province that invented poutine can't be ALL bad, right? ; )

Mylene - posted on 07/20/2010

@Krista.

Can't disagree with you either!

Jaime - posted on 07/20/2010

What I love about Canada is the fact that we are like the two guys in the bar that get into an argument, punch each other in the face, wipe away the blood and then sit down and have a beer together! It's just how we roll!

Valerie - posted on 07/20/2010

In all honesty, I don't disagree with you there. QC is over-represented in many aspects. Our electoral system favours regional political movements (which is why 20% of the national vote can translate to 6 seats for the NDP, and Official Opposition status to the Bloc). That's clearly not OK.

Krista - posted on 07/20/2010

I guess I just don't understand how separatists could feel disenfranchised. Quebec has a substantial amount of political power on a national scale. The Bloc Quebecois, even though its agenda and representation are exclusive to Quebec, is a nationally-recognized party, and its leader participates in national electoral debates. From an Atlantic Canadian perspective, it has always felt like Quebec was the proverbial squeaky wheel, getting all the grease. This isn't to say that Quebec isn't awesome. The people are friendly, the culture is awesome, the food and architecture are amazing. But politically, I just don't really understand WHY separatists claim to be so ill-used by the ROC, when, to my view, the ROC has been bending over backwards to try to make Quebec happy.

Valerie - posted on 07/20/2010

Indeed, on both sides of the River :) I think we're on the same page after all. Many thanks!

Isobel - posted on 07/20/2010

I didn't say it justified it...just explained it. And for the record, my Grandmother is from a part on Ontario where the majority is french, and I have heard PLENTY of hate speech against Anglos...it goes both ways.

Valerie - posted on 07/20/2010

Krista, I REALLY appreciate the clarification & the apology, and I'm really sorry but I have to add a "but - " Sovereignists are not all nutters though; Many francophones feel that they went from oppressed to disenfranchised in Canada. Attitudes like the ones elaborated earlier in the thread have a great deal to do with that. But, as the referendums have demonstrated, it's not the majority who feel that sovereignty is a better option.
And Laura, I'm pretty sure that burning a flag is a charter-protected right; however distasteful. But hate speach is not. I completely understand the roots of prejudice but I can never agree that it justifies it - and that applies to both sides of the Ottawa River.
& Salut Mylene!

Krista - posted on 07/20/2010

I think Laura has it right. I know that any comments that I made that were negative, I was thinking of the separatists, not Quebecers in general. I should have been more specific, and am sorry if I hurt you, Valerie.

Isobel - posted on 07/19/2010

Yeah, I must admit...I was thinking something similar. Quebec is one of my favorite places...I love that it feels like a European vacation right around the corner.

I think that a lot of the hostility comes from the separatists. But of course we all know that not all french are Anglo-hating separatists...those are just the only ones who make the news.

But then again, if you are far from Quebec, and all you ever heard on the news WAS the separatists who want to burn the Canadian flag...what would you think?

Mylene - posted on 07/19/2010

I agree with you Valerie. I was born and raised in Qc too.. I guess I'm what you call a "Full-French" as I was raised with French as my sole language... A lot of comments on this thread offended me.

Valerie - posted on 07/19/2010

I was going to post how proud I am to be Canadian because it is probably the most tolerant and welcoming place in the world. But, being from Quebec, and being half-French, I was extremely hurt by the anti-French and anti-Quebec rhetoric in this thread. If there were such a post from an American mom, but replace French with Mexican or Hispanic, you'd all scream "racist! prejudiced!", call her a hick, and say we're not racist in Canada. Bunch of hypocrites.

Ashley - posted on 07/19/2010

All I can say is I LOVE CANADA. Lived hear my hole life and I think its fantastic eh!!!lol. Proud to be Canadian!!!!

LaCi - posted on 07/19/2010

Hey! Canada!



QUIT HOGGING ALL THE COLD AIR! It's like a THOUSAND degrees down here. Share the air conditioner.



Thanks. See ya later.





P.S. Everyone in Ontario should put a fan outside and point it south. Thanks.

Caitlin - posted on 07/17/2010

I have to say I would have been incredibly screwed if it weren`t for universal health care. My daughter has NEVER waited for treatment when I took her into the hospital, the longest it took me to be called in was 30 minutes, and it wasn't a major emergency. She would be much worse off were it not for the medical team that treats her. We have a dietician, an allergist, a pediatrician, and a host of other specialists just a phone call away if I need them. Soon most likely a respirologist as well, because we suspect she is also asthmatic on top of her severe allergies and skin issues. She's only 20 months old and has recieved an insane amount of treatments for various allergic reactions that would have left me in the poorhouse long before now. I woudn't live outside of Canada, I love it here. Sure, the waiting list for the surgery I need on my wrist is 9 months long, but really, it's not urgent, it's painful and uncomfortable at times, but i'd take 9 months of discomfort over paying medical bills for years any day of the week!

Rosie - posted on 07/17/2010

has anybody seen ogopogo?! lol!

Isobel - posted on 07/16/2010

and waiting in line for a doctor has more to do with a shortage of doctors than sociaized medicine...I understand America is having a very similar problem coming up with enough family doctors (even after luring away half of ours with your american dollars :P

K - posted on 07/16/2010

A lot of people don't appreciate how lucky we are to have the health system we do. We can always have improvements, but overall universal health care is an amazing thing. Yes, sometimes you have a long wait to see a specialist, or in the ER, but not if you have a serious injury. They don't make people with heart attacks and severed limbs wait. If you go in with a fever, or sore leg- yeah, you are probably going to have to wait a while. Universal health care is one of the best things about our country, hands down.

Note to people who think we are too "socialist" some of the best countries in the world to live in (ie denmark, Iceland, sweden, etc) have an even more 'socialist' system than we do, and you know what? Everyone is taken care of. Denmark was voted the best country in the world for women to live in, police in iceland don't even carry guns. Nearly every industrialized country in the world has universal health care with the exception of the US. Now, tell me WHO is screwed up?

Jodi - posted on 07/15/2010

"As for America's military defending us in case of attack from other countries...I think they're spread a little thin right now. "

Interesting point Laura....I believe that is what led to the fall of the Roman Empire....

Rogina - posted on 07/15/2010

I do hope to visit Quebec someday. Not only for genuine poutine direct from the source, but I also think that some of the architecture is among the most beautiful in the world. I priced out a trip to quebec last year ( before I was pregnant ) and guess what? It was cheaper to go to mexico. I want to explore my own country and keep my spending money here, but it is difficult when it is so expensive to travel. And drive? Not with a baby and a dog I say. I know there are some who like driving but that is a very very long drive.

Isobel - posted on 07/15/2010

OK, now I've read the whole thread...Christa's right, China IS going to be the next super power...but I don't think you realize that it's not going to affect Canada in the least. They don't own us like they own you...sorry.

I also think that the whole idea of being the super power is over-rated, I just got back from at least two places that were once the centre of the universe (Paris and Rome), they are no longer the super power, but I promise life has moved on and they are doing just fine :)

As for Canada's military power and ability to take care of itself, America is THE biggest threat to Canada. Period. Not only will you invade if you feel like it, but you also wave a red flag in front of a lot of bulls while we have no choice but to stand beside you.

As for America's military defending us in case of attack from other countries...I think they're spread a little thin right now. Plus...nobody's attacking, thank you...I prefer our defense strategy to your offense.

Isobel - posted on 07/15/2010

I haven't read the entire thread yet but here's my good stuff about Canada (this guy actually brought a tear to my eye) I'll come back with my bad later ;P

Jocelyn - posted on 07/14/2010

LMAO @ LaCi! I read your first sentence completely wrong :P
"When I worked at a call center, a girl in my building..."
And what I read was... "When I worked as a call girl..." I almost choked on my tea!

Caitlin - posted on 07/14/2010

I love the maritimes, my husband is half newfie, my mother lives in nova scotia and I LOVE the sea!

Krista - posted on 07/14/2010

Caitlin's right on that one. To get good poutine, you've gotta go to the birthplace.

You guys do have to come to the Maritimes sometime, though -- we've got some great junk food as well. Donairs, garlic fingers, yummy!

Caitlin - posted on 07/14/2010

Rogina.. you haven't had a good poutine until you've been to quebec!

Sunny - posted on 07/14/2010

Trailer park boys :)

Jaime - posted on 07/14/2010

Rogina, we do have an accent...but we can't really hear it until we are outside of our dialect. When I was in Mexico I noticed my accent a lot. I also notice that west coasters and east coasters have accents that are different from central Canada...we pronounce vowels with different inflection and stress.

Rogina - posted on 07/14/2010

Mmmmm poutine. Truly the food of the gods. Actually got me through my pregnancy.I love the fact that in parts of canada you can go surfing, then drive a bit and go skiing in the same day. I was born on vancouver island, that is in bc, on the west coast of canada. And now I live in alberta. Just one province over. I love living here and am currently enjoying my full paid year off of maternity leave.I have visited the states in the past and met a lot of very nice people. I met a nice couple in california who kept going on about my interesting accent. I don't have one but what the hey. It made for interesting conversation. Oh and about celine dion. Possesion is nine tenths of the law. So sorry she's all yours now.

LaCi - posted on 07/11/2010

When I worked at a call center, a girl in my building had helped a canadian couple and soon after they brought her a basket of maple syrup, and some other stuff. they apparently were driving through. After that we were no longer allowed to say where we were lol. But yeah, nice canadians.

*Lisa* - posted on 07/11/2010

I knew it!!! You're too funny to NOT be Canadian! I ♥ you too! gqtm