Canada Is Awesome and Here’s Why

March 2, 2010 12:00 pm     Posted in Uncategorized  Leah - Ryerson University g+ page

Yonge & Dundas Intersection in Toronto after Team Canada Win

This week’s Weekly Ten, Why Canada Deserves Silver, stirred up quite the controversy yesterday. Seriously, I didn’t see this much hate on CollegeCandy since one writer expressed her disdain for Taylor Swift. And rightfully so. Yes it was meant to be a joke, but we in Canada aren’t entirely laughing with you.  While we know for a fact CollegeCandy loves their Canadian readers, and even has a few Canadian writers (myself included), this post pissed a lot of people off.


By Leah

But instead of get angry and insult the intelligence of the writer, editor or Americans in general, I decided to take the high road and just show why Canada deserves more than just a gold medal in Olympic hockey. So here is my condensed version (there are way too many reasons for one post!) of all the reasons Canada rocks that they forgot to teach you in high school.

Education – Education (university included) receives higher subsidies from the government in Canada, meaning it’s cheaper for us to attend post-secondary school.  Also, did you know that Toronto, Canada’s largely city (where I happen to attend school), has more people with university degrees than ANY other large city in the world? Yeah, take that and deep fry it!

Health Care – Okay, so maybe you’ve heard about this recently with Obama pushing for health care reform and all, but it’s true – we have universal health care in Canada, thanks to this pretty awesome guy named Tommy Douglas.  We also have a higher life expectancy rate and lower infant mortality rate than the United States.

Good Music – I agree with you, America: Avril Lavigne isn’t the greatest, but Canada has some other pretty fantastic musicians.  Arcade Fire, Metric, Stars, Feist, and The Weakerthans are just a few of my personal faves.

Tim Hortons – As I write this, I’m rolling up the rim to win on my Tim Horton’s coffee cup.

Inventions - I’m sure you’re enjoying some Canadian inventions as you read these post.  Have a light on? Used the telephone? Wearing jeans (with a zipper… not Pajama Jeans)? Played or watched hockey or basketball? Used your CrackBerry? Taken out the garbage? Eaten peanut butter? Yeah all these things were made possible by Canadians or on Canadian soil.

Multiculturalism – Canada is a mosaic of multiculturalism.  When people come to Canada we don’t expect them to give up their own identity – instead we embrace our differences.  We have two official languages in Canada – French and English – as well as  two national anthems. “Thy history is an epic of the most brilliant exploits” is a snippet of the English translation of the French version. Yeah, we’re pretty epic.

Nationalism – We have a pretty inoffensive nationalism in Canada, except when it comes to hockey.  The street parties that ensued following Sid the Kid’s gold medal winning goal were truly Canadian – according to CTV 16.6 million people saw this goal, making it the most watched broadcast in Canadian history.

Space/Landscape - As Molson Canadian (makers of the fine Canadian beer) puts it, “we have more square feet of awesomness per person than any other nation on Earth.” We have the fourth lowest population density in the world and our country is full of diverse landscapes.  This was captured by the Group of Seven, a group of Canadian painters from the 1920s that developed a new school of truly Canadian art.

Definition of Marriage – Canada was the fourth country in the world, and first in the Americas, to legalize same-sex marriage.  Much like our belief in the mosaic of multiculturalism, this shows our commitment to equality.

[photo courtesy of Max Mertens]

23 Comments on "Canada Is Awesome and Here’s Why"

  1. Anonymous says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20107:15 am 

    I love Tim Hortons! Everyone loves Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks but for me and my friends its Tim Hortons all the way!

  2. Jess says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20107:31 am 

    Great post and I'll be surprised if anyone's offended! I almost had a heart attack yesterday when I went to get my morning coffee and as soon as I got to the university there it was: Roll up the Rim!!

  3. Tamara says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20107:57 am 

    Don't forget pot is legal and socially accepted in Canada! Last year I spent some time in Bancouver with my uncle and aunt, and we had dinner with a couple of grandparents that smoked a joint after the meal like it was coffee. So cool.

  4. Leah - Ryerson Unive says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20108:35 am 

    @Tamara – pot is actually still illegal in Canada despite many attempts to decriminalize it.

  5. Kenz says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20108:50 am 

    @Leah -Pot is decriminalized at least in BC (up to a certain amount)…you just get a ticket as opposed to a record. Also…this post reminded me I forgot to roll up my rim this morning!!! Darnit!!

  6. Katee says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20109:54 am 

    yay (= this was an awesome post!

    exactly what we needed

  7. Kyrstin says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 201011:42 am 

    I think Leah listed enough good reasons for Canada's awesomeness that we really don't need to be relying on the legalization of marijuana :/ that's not the best image to project of Canada

    and Canada has two national anthems, wth? i never knew that

  8. jada says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 201011:56 am 

    i think it's fairly inappropriate to respond to a satirical article that ultimately complimented canada with assaults on america's political and social deficiencies. really, bringing up health care reform and gay marriage? it was far from that serious.

    also, an american invented peanut butter, which is obviously the best innovation of ALL TIME.

  9. dia says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 201012:41 pm 

    its only because canda is the only country that neighbors us where we speak the same language and basically live the same lives. Americans see them as the little brother who grew up to be taller then them , and still feel the need to pick on them. I love canada it was the greata the one time i went there :D

  10. Rhiannon says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20102:38 pm 

    I'm really glad this was written. Yesterday's post was satirical, yes, but it also made me really mad. Thanks for cooling me down with this well-written, nice article.

  11. Nel says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20103:12 pm 

    vidence of modern peanut butter comes from US patent #306727 issued to Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1884, for a process of milling roasted peanuts between heated surfaces until the peanuts reached "a fluid or semi-fluid state." As the product cooled, it set into what Edson described as "a consistency like that of butter, lard, or ointment." Edson's patent is based on the preparation of a peanut paste as an intermediate to the production of peanut candies. While Edson's patent does not describe the modern confection we know as peanut butter, it does show the initial steps necessary for the production of peanut butter.

  12. Nel says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20103:14 pm 

    she didn't bring up health care reform, universal healthcare is just a part of our national identity, cool down Jada..it's gonna be ok

  13. Nel says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20103:16 pm 

    oh sorry i just re-read and she did, but my point still stands

  14. KatherineG. says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20103:37 pm 

    @jada- Actually the "invention" of peanut butter has always been hotly debated. Retaining a patent does not make anyone an "inventor." Besides, peanuts have been around for ages, and it's been recorded that people all over the world has dabbled in their own "invention" of peanut butter at early times in history. Peanut Butter is merely recipe! Not some genius invention.

  15. RIKO says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20103:56 pm 

    It's a good thing you cooled down all of those angry Canadians or else…

  16. Shivani says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20105:41 pm 

    thank you Leah. i can't believe that person made digs at our national anthem and flag and it was supposed to be satirical. Still its kind of annoying to see Americans blow their own trumpet here too. Ok, we get it US is great blah blah blah – but this post is about Canada.

  17. Alex says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20108:36 pm 

    Call me cynical or unpatriotic, but my pride for my country doesn't have anything to do with my loyalty to a MATERIAL OBJECT or a glorified drinking song.

    PS: THERE IS A DISTINCT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATIONALISM AND PATRIOTISM.

  18. Shivani says:
    Tue, 2nd Mar 20109:14 pm 

    Oh i'm pretty sure 100% people will get their panties in twist had a Canadian (or someone else) written mindless crap about their national anthem or flag.

  19. Sheila says:
    Wed, 3rd Mar 20108:34 am 

    I love this! Canada dominated the Olympics (in the sports that mattered!) and we are an amazing country. I'm not a fan of all the American ignorance being published right now by the sore losers.

    Just accept it, Canada rocks!

  20. mels says:
    Fri, 20th May 20119:52 pm 

    Okay, so all of you just chill. She wasn't trying to offend anyone, she was just trying to tell you why she loves Canada. You don't have to agree.

    PS. Another invention is DUCT TAPE. That's right, my favourite canadian invention.

  21. Dolly says:
    Thu, 5th Apr 201210:50 pm 

    I have dual citizenship and it’s amazing how uneducated Americans can be towards Canada. I will always consider Canada home!

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