Transcript Slide 1
Identity
Who are you? How do you know?
People use various things to
identify themselves
EG
Color of hair
Gender
Race
Style of clothing
Teams they are on
Entertainment preferences (cowboy music or rap)
…
Is being Canadian a part of your identity – what
is a Canadian
Stereotypes: Lumberjack, fur trader, igloo, eat blubber,
ride dog sled
Don’t know Jimmy, Sally or Suzie (small population)
Explaining our differences: PM instead of President,
bilingual (not American = British spelling/pronunciation zed), peacekeepers vs policing, diversity vs assimilation
Pronouncing about
Proudly sew flag (world likes Canadians)
Beaver
Explaining Canadian terms: toque, chesterfield
Describing us: 2nd largest landmass, first nation of hockey,
the best part of North America
“Thank you” (polite)
What is a Canadian?
Symbols of other nations
National Identity
Key Features of Canadian Identity
Geography
Northern location, next to US
2nd largest country
Natural Resources
Wealthy, don’t depend on others
Society
urban, modern
Cultural make-up
Bilingual, multicultural
World Position
Middle power, peacekeeper
Watch for the following:
Railway: unified Canada coast to coast
Men drinking: could be reference to prohibition (US “Rum Runners”)
Soldiers heading off to war
note the British flag = World War One
Women’s hockey team
Soldier returning home – billboard in background to buy war bonds
Lowering of the old Canadian flag and raising the new flag in 1960s
Watching the hockey game on TV
Summit Series
Saturday nights
Paul Anka – popular singer
Miss Prairie, guys on Atlantic coast (our diversity)
Crazy fan at hockey game
Niagara Falls (tourism, geography)
Air Canada plane at foreign airport (Tehran hostages?)
Lumberjack log rolling
Commercial
Rugby, speaking in French
William Shatner – famous Canadian actor
Dancing (rave? Modern Canadian youth)
The Canadian National
Anthem
What images/symbols are there in our national
anthem – how does it compare to other anthems
like the French or American?
“We Are the Beaver”
The US is the eagle, Russia is the bear,
Australia is the kangaroo, cause they're kind
of weird down there.
Yeah, India is the tiger, that stands so proud
and tall,
But Canada is the greatest of them all.
We are the beaver, we're furry and we're free
Yeah, we are the beaver, we got two big
front teeth
Yeah, we are the beaver, we can chew right
through small trees
We are the beaver.
You might think a rodent is a pretty lame
choice
For a national animal, but don't you listen to
that voice.
No, cause all them birds and predators, just
take from the land
But the beaver, always gives a dam.
We are the beaver, we got cute little
webbed feet
Yeah, we are the beaver, it's bark we like to
eat
Yeah, we are the beaver, a nickel we
complete..
The eagle flies the sky above and swoops
down on its prey
The big bear will maul anyone who dares gets
in its way
The tiger is the greatest of the hunters today.
But the beaver it can build dams. Yeah,
The beaver it can build dams.
We are the beaver, we slap our tails when
danger is nearby.
We are the beaver, we got waterproof hides.
Yeah, we are the beaver, we got big bums
and beady eyes.
We are the beaver, we are the beaver, we
are the beaver.
We are the beaver, our name is often used as
a double-entendre
We are the beaver, cause in Canada both
French and English belong
Yeah, we are the beaver, and the subject of
this song
We are the beaver, we are the beaver, we
are the beaver.
Institutions like the Bank of
Canada and the Canadian
Mint celebrate the symbols
of Canada
• Wilfred Laurier
• West Block of
Parliament
• Winter sports and
famous Canadian
hockey story
Bank of Canada Symbolism
John A. Macdonald
Library of Parliament
Canada’s military
history including
peacekeeping and
Vimy Memorial
Head of State – Queen
Center Block of
Parliament
Pacific First Nations
imagery
• Mackenzie King
• Parliamentary Clock
Tower
• Focus on human
rights, including the
Universal Declaration
of Human Rights and
the Famous Five
• Robert Borden
• East Block
Parliamentary
Offices
• Themes of
Canadian
exploration in
the past (canoe)
and today
(satellite)
Myths Defining
Canadian Identity
Myths are common tales or beliefs that we hold true as
Canadians – often they are stereotypes held by
Canadian and other countries (they often have a piece
of truth – think about the stories that are often told at
family gatherings and how they change over time.
‘Rugged Canadian’
Frontier Spirit
Conquering the unknown
Canadians are ‘Peacekeepers’
Myth that we are anti-war and providers of
peace, always involved in UN peacekeeping
Lately, we have moved away from
peacekeeping
- Afghanistan is a combat operation
Canada played an
important role early on
through Lester Pearson
Canada as an ‘inclusive’ nation
• We pride ourselves on
welcoming all outsiders
• Prejudice against Chinese
immigrants
• Japanese Internment
• Refusal of Jewish refugees
• Preference of immigrants from
Northern European countries
until the 1960’s
What creates our identity
– a shared history?
War of 1812
Rejection of American Manifest Destiny
Belief that the British-Canadians defeated the
American invaders
Many Americans think they won as well
The importance of this battle is fading from
collective consciousness
Confederation of Canada
Louis Lafontaine (Francophone) and Robert Baldwin (Anglophone)
cooperate with each other to create better democracy in Canada
Union of Upper and Lower Canada – the first
representative government in Canada
Confederation (BNA Act) – 1867
- “The Dominion of Canada”
- Prime Minister John A. Macdonald
- Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Ontario, Quebec
How many Canadians know these details??
What about geography?
Part of our identity is being the
second largest country in the world,
with a harsh climate
But how is our geography a force
that divides our nation-state into
different nations?
“In the psychological sense,
there is no Canadian nation as
there is an American or French
nation. There is a legal and
geographic entity, but the
nation does not exist. For there
are no objects that all
Canadians share as objects of
national feeling.”
(Charles Hanley)
Canada as a
Civic Nation
We know we are not
American
Things Americans have
noticed about us:
A few interesting facts
Canada has more donut shops per capita than the United States does.
Canadians consume more Kraft Dinner (aka Kraft Macaroni & Cheese) per capita
than any other nationality on earth.
The CBC's evening news anchor is bald and doesn't wear a toupee.
Contests run by anyone other than the government have "skill-testing questions"
that winners must answer correctly before they can claim a prize. These are usually
math problems, and are administered to get around the law that only the
government can administer lotteries.
The big mass-market beers are Molson and Labatt, and they're stronger than US
beers. The major cigarette labels are milder than American ones.
There are billboards advertising vacations in Cuba, and Cuban cigars are freely
available.
Nobody worries about losing a life's savings or a home because of illness.
Teenagers can drink legally. The drinking age in Quebec, Manitoba, and Alberta is
18; it's 19 in the rest of the country.
Potato chips come in flavo(u)rs such as salt and vinegar, ketchup, and "all dressed"
Cars (especially on the Prairies) have electrical plugs sticking out from under the
hoods. These are for block heaters, to prevent engines from freezing when it's -40.
People give distances in times, not miles.
People ask whether you'd like "a coffee" rather than "some coffee."
Canadian language
arena - An ice rink with seats around it. Could be any enclosed area with seats
for viewing surrounding it, but the implication is that it's primarily for hockey.
arse, bum - One's hind quarters. "He kicked me in the bum."
bag - versus "sack," especially in US midwest
beater - An old beat-up car.
Central Canada - Refers to southern Ontario, actually 1300 miles east of the
centre of Canada. But in their minds...
The West - Refers to any point from Manitoba (actual centre of Canada) west
to the Pacific Ocean.
chesterfield - A couch, or sofa, or whatever you call it where you are.
corner store – convenience store, usually on a corner in a residential
neighbourhood of a city.
deke - To move quickly
DUI - Driving under the influence; same as DWI, although limits in Canada are
0.08 vs. 0.1 in US
eavestrough - A gutter, the sort that is attached to houses and funnels rain
water down a pipe.
elastic - rubber band
go missing - to disappear, become misplaced
Grade Oner, Twoers, Threers… - First, Second, Third…Grader
holiday - A vacation or a trip. Also used in the American sense, meaning a day
off work or school.
housecoat - robe, bathrobe
keener - Someone very eager and enthusiastic. Sometimes in
the sense of brown-noser, suckup
klick - Kilometer, or kilometer per hour.
lineup - line.
pencil crayons – colored pencils
Robertson screws - Screws with a square hole rather than a
straight or X-shaped one. Robertson screws are just about
impossible to strip, unlike Phillips-head. They'd be popular in the
States except that Henry Ford wanted exclusive rights to them,
and Robertson refused to sell.
runners - sneakers, running shoes
second-last - Next to last
ski-doo - Generic term for snowmobile.
snowbird - Canadian who flees to southern United States (usually
Florida) for some/all winter.
tea towel - dish towel
toque - Rhymes with "kook." A kind of hat, everywhere in
wintertime.
track pants - sweat pants
washroom - bathroom
Food
back bacon - Canadian bacon. Sometimes rolled in peameal (like cornmeal,
but from peas).
butter tart - A very small (single-serving) pie. They taste like pecan pies without
the pecans.
chocolate bar - Candy bar. Popular Canadian brands include Aero, Crispy
Crunch, Crunchie, Coffee Crisp, Caramilk, Bounty. Mars Bars have darker
chocolate and no nuts. Other Canadian candies include Smarties (imagine very
sweet M&Ms in brightly colored boxes, not the sweet-tart chalky things),
Mackintosh toffee.
homo milk - Homogenized milk. Known in the States as whole milk. Nobody here
thinks twice about what images milk cartons with the word "HOMO" in big letters
on the side conjure up in the minds of Americans
Nanaimo bar - A confection, named for the town of Nanaimo on Vancouver
Island in British Columbia, that resembles a brownie but is topped with a layer of
white butter cream icing and another of solid chocolate.
pop - soda.
poutine (pron. poo-TEEN) Quebecois specialty. French fries covered in cheese
curds and gravy.
Rockets – Smarties; small, chalky candies packaged in rolls wrapped in clear
plastic.
Smarties - a candy resembling M&Ms. They do melt in your hand, and they're a
lot sweeter.
Shreddies - A brand of breakfast cereal, vaguely resembling Chex.
Timbits - Do(ugh)nut holes from Tim Horton's.
A broadcast created during the 2010 Olympics
Organizations that
Promote Canadian
Nationalism
Hudson’s Bay Company
British Royal Charter - 1670
Oldest Corporation in North America
Fur traders, Rupertsland
Sold land to create the NWT
CBC: Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Programming (unique from
American stations)
Formed by the Canadian government to
protect and expand Canadian cultural
identity
Hockey Night in Canada
Miniseries (The Arrow, Top 10
Canadians))
Road to Avonlea, Corner Gas, Little
Mosque on the Prairie
SCTV, Kids in the Hall
Museums
National History Museum
National Art Gallery
Museum of Civilizations
Glenbow Museum
Military Museums
Air Canada
Need for easy
communication and transit
across a giant nation-state
Formed to foster
development of air
travel in Canada
(modernization)
Formerly a Crown
corporation - now
publically owned
Notice the symbolism on the
plane and the logo……
RCMP – Royal Canadian
Mounted Police
Founded to bring
order to the west
(NWMP)
Scarlet Uniforms and
Stetsons are recognized
the world over as
Canadian
Musical Ride
Assignment: Creating a
Coat of Arms
CBC News in Review – 2010 New Governor
General Coat of Arms