Canadian stereotypes

While Canadian culture is heavily influenced by British and American culture and traditions, it retains many unique characteristics. Canadians are viewed by other nationalities as nice but rather dull people. There is another definition of a Canadian as of “an American with healthcare and no gun”. A famous Canadian politician remarked that Canada was supposed to have British government, French culture and American know-how, but instead ended up with French government, American culture and British know-how. Nevertheless, much of Canadian culture remains defined in contrast to American culture. Canadians see their country as a mosaic of unique immigrant cultures, a large picture made up of many distinct pieces, rather than a melting-pot, in the way that American like to describe their society and culture.

The Canadian Marketing Research Society surveys more than seven million individuals in Canada each year. This has shown that Canadians have some very different consumer preferences and values than Americans. Canadians buy smaller, less expensive vehicles than Americans. They place less social importance on the prestige of owning luxury cars. Understanding this fact helped Honda come up with the solution for its Acura model which was selling well in the USA in the early 1990-s, but was a poor seller in Canada. The answer was the Acura, a smaller, less expensive version, was strictly for the Canadian market.

Canadians are more like the Scandinavians in the way they have embraced the Internet. Canadians far outpace Americans and rival to Swedes, Fins and Norwegians in overall usage of the Internet, downloading music and having high speed access. They also prefer Canadian products and services when they shop online. Americans consume more maple syrup than Canadians, shattering the stereotype image of Canadian lumberjacks. On a per capita, Canadians drink more wine, consume more Worcester sauce and read more newspapers than Americans.

Canadians drink their tea hot. Americans prefer iced tea. That may explain why electric kettles are plentiful in Canada but a rarity south of the border. Canadians also lead the world in moving to become a cashless society which is good news for bankers and the financial sector and mission critical for the retail sector. Canadian use of debit cards far exceeds any other country. Canadians are safety and security conscious. Oddly they purchase and use more burglar alarms than Americans.

I. Answer the following questions to the text:

1. What are the national flag and symbol of Canada? 2. How is the national symbol related to Canadian history? 3. What climate is characteristic for Canada? 3. What natural resources is Canada rich in? 4. Where are almost all the mostly densely populated areas of Canada located? 5. Where does the word “Canada” originate? 6. What are the First Nations and what first nations do you know? 7. When did European colonization of Canada start? 8. What two European countries were instrumental in the colonization of Canada in the 18^lh century? 9. What do you know of the Klondike gold rush and why was it “the most peace­ful and orderly” of its type in history? 10. What official languages are there in Canada and how are they related to its history? 11. What are the names of the strongest surviving native Canadians languages? 12. Give your views on how understandable Newfoundland English is. 13. Who is the Head of State in Canada? 14. What are the functions of the Governor General? 15. What are the functions of the provincial and local government? 16. What are the biggest universities of Canada? 17. How are the two official languages used? 18. What is the most popular sport in Canada? 19. What is the difference between “the melting pot” of the States and “the mosaic culture” of Canada? 20. How many of the Ukrainian diaspora are there in Canada? 21. What are the most important public holidays in Canada? 22. Why are the Mounties are so important to the Canadian national identity? 23. Name the most famous national dish of Canada? 24. What was Marshall McLuhan famous for? 25. What are the major Hollywood films starring Pierce Brosnan? 26. What were the films connected with the topic of protecting Canadian beaver from extinction? 27. What greatest Canadians do you know? 28. What is Lester Pearson famous for? 29. Which politician became “father of medicare”? 30. What scientist became co-discover of insulin? 31. Who became the founder of the Bell phone company? 32. Why Joseph Philippe Trudeau is considered to be the charismatic figure who dominated the Canadian political scene?

II. Supply the word or phrase from the vocabulary list which correctly completes the sentence:

top hats, inuit, the Governor General, ice hurley, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Mounties, bearskin hats, a maple leaf, a beaver, the Nuvanut territory, bandy, beaver pelts, the Dominion of Canada, a mosaic, poutine, the Klondike

1. Canada, historically called... is the northernmost country in North America. 2. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, the fashion of the day across Europe was..., which were cov­ered by.... 3.... is a general term for a group of culturally indigenous people of the Arctic.... is a region of the Yukon Territory in northwest Canada, east of the Alaska border. The Queen's representative in Canada is.... 6.... gradually developed into Ice Hockey. 7. Canadians see their country as... of unique immigrant cultures. 8. Across Canada many Ukrainian organizations, such as..., work hard to continue Ukrainian traditions. 9.... is the national police force of Canada. 10. The Guards regiment that surrounds Buckingham Palace has... as part of the uniform. 11. A mixture of Chips with fresh cheddar cheese curds covered with gravy is called.... 12. For many people throughout the world Canada is as­sociated with a... 13. The first Canadian postage stamp in 1851 depicted.... 14.... was the largest land-claims agreement in Canadian history. 15. A sport similar to hockey,..., uses a ball instead of a puck.

III. Decide whether the statements are true or false:

1. The beaver served as a national symbol of Canada as early as the 19^th century. 2. Can­ada has generally a mild climate. 3. The Canadian Shield is an area of rock scoured clean by the last ice age. 4. The Great Lakes valley.was the first to be settled by Europeans. 4. British Columbia enjoys the harshest climate in all Canada. 5. Canada is the second-largest country by total area after Russia. 6. The capital of Canada is Montreal. 7. Canada is a technologically advanced country. 8. The Inuit and Metis are the two largest groups of Canadian native people. 9. The Inuit are traditionally farmers. 10. Canada was first visited by Vikings who settled in Newfoundland around 1000. 11. In 1763 France chose to leave the Caribbean islands and to keep New France. 12. The Klondike Gold Rush was a frenzy of immigration and gold prospecting at the very end of the 19^th century. 13. Canada has three official languages: English, French and Inuit. 14. The parliament of Canada consists of the sovereign of Canada, the Senate, and the House of Commons. 15. The oldest university in Canada, Laval, in Quebec, was founded during the French regime. 16. Ice hockey has a long tradition in Canada. 17. The Mountie always gets his man. 18. “Busbies” is short for bearskin hats. 18. Canadians use of debit cards far exceeds any other country. 19. McLuhan became a pop culture figure in the 1970-s. 20. Canadians prefer buying large expensive cars. 21. Canadians prefer drinking iced tea as well as Americans do. 22. Poutine is a popular fast food dish. 23. Canadian provinces have no their own provincial holidays. 24. Satire has jokingly been called Canada`s national sport.

IV Choose the correct answer according to the information in the text:

a) Nova Scotia is a recently formed district of Scotland.

b) Nova Scotia is a province of Canada.

c) Nova Scotia is a national dish of Canada.

d) British Columbia is a British area of the South American Country, Colombia.

e) British Columbia is an administrative unit of Canada.

f) British Columbia is an English speaking city in Canada.

a) Metis are descendants of French colonists and native women.

b) Metis belong to the First Nations.

c) Metis are all relatives of Jean Poutine.

a) Tipis are a traditional dish of the Sioux.

b) Tipis is a name of a river in the Plains of Canada.

c) Tipis are homes of native tribes covered with skins.

a) Igloo is a hunting instrument.

b) Igloo is a hunting or emergency shelter of aboriginal people.

c) Igloo is a successful brand of ice-cream.

a) Vinland the Good is a name of a Viking leader who settled in Canada.

b) Vinland the Good championed oppressed ethnic minorities.

c) Vinland the Dood is a location of a Viking settlement.

a) New France was once a North American colony of France.

b) New France was once an area of New York.

c) New France is one of the New England states.

a) Joual is the name given to working class dialect of the French language.

b) Joual is the highest peak of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

c) Joual is a game similar to ice hockey.

a) Lieutenant governor is a representative of the Queen.

b) Lieutenant governor is an assistant to the Major Governor.

c) Lieutenant governor is the Head of the Army of Canada.

V. Identify the events in Canadian history related to the following names:

Sir William Alexander, Sir Sandford Fleming, Louis Riel, Helge Ingstad, George Carma-ck, Vasyl Eleniak, Ivan Pylypiw, Pamela Anderson, Marshall McLuhan, Sir John Macdonald

VI. Match the events in the first column to the dates in the second column:

Inauguration of the new Canadian Flag 1867

Adoption of the Beaver as the National symbol February 15, 1965

First Viking settlement in Newfoundland 1621

Adoption of Canada's Constitution 1763

French was made equal to English 1896

First Ukrainians arrived in Canada 1891

Gold deposits were discovered in Canada 1969

France left its North American Colony to Britain 1982

Act of Confederation 1869

The Red River "Rebellion" March 24, 1975

The Canadian territory of Nunavut was created 1000

The first coat of arms to depict beaver was created 1970

VII. Match the following words and word combinations to their correct meaning:

Nova Scotia The world's largest estuary

Ottawa An ethnic group of the Canadian prairies and Ontario

The Canadian Shield The first Viking settlement in Newfoundland

Gulf of Saint Lawrence A province in Canada

Metis Major aboriginal tribes

British Columbia A frenzy of immigration and prospecting of gold

The Klondike Gold Rush An area of rock scoured clean by the last ice age

Vinland the Good The Canadian mounted police

The Mounties The capital of Canada

First People Inuit hunting or emergency shelter

Laval A weekly Canadian news magazine

Igloo A province in Canada

Maclean's The oldest university in Canada

Ojibwa, Cree, Sioux Bearskin Hats

Busbies The collective term for aboriginal groups of people