As I write this I am sitting in my hotel room overlooking Vancouver Harbour with the lights of the Stanley Park bridge twinkling in the distance. This evening I had a cup of coffee so wonderful that it made me want to sob. Walking down the street you hear conversations in French as you pass people who actually smile at you.
During my almost 50 years, I’ve been lucky enough to travel through much of Canada, and every time I come up here I fall in love with it all over again. So, filled with the spirit of Je me souviens (yes, I know that is Quebec’s phrase, not Canada’s, but I’ll still use it), below are 20 22 reasons why I love Canada.
- The urban architecture is edgy and wonderful
- Speaking of architecture – Frank Gehry!
- They gave asylum to American draft dodgers during the Vietnam war
- Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Rufus Wainwright, Glenn Gould, k.d. Lang, Bruce Cockburn, Jane Siberry, etc. etc.
- The little guy signifying “walk” on crosswalk signals is jaunty and even comical
- They are a bilingual country
- Water – although Canada has only 0.5% of the world’s population, its landmass contains 9% of the world’s renewable water supply
- Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City is the most beautiful and impressive hotel I’ve yet seen (see photo above)
- The government truly supports the arts
- Socialized medicine!
- Their national symbol is a maple leaf
- The way they pronounce aluminum, (al-U-min-ee-um vs. uh-loo-muh-nuhm)
- Same-sex marriage!
- The dollar coin is called a loonie and the two dollar coins is called a toonie
- They use a “u” in words like colour
- The CBC broadcasts Olympic events start to finish, unlike the fast-cut ADHD American coverage
- Speaking of the Olympics, I heard this exchange years ago during the winter Olympics:
CBC Announcer: “Well you placed 18th and Canada is so proud of you.”
Canadian Athlete: “Thanks a lot. It was my goal to come in the top 20 and I also managed to set a personal record.” - They are a MUCH less violent society
- They don’t have capitol punishment
- The major cities have cordoned-off bike roads
- High School students don’t have to take the S.A.T.s
- Liberalized drug laws
Do you have reasons you love Canada that are not listed above? Let me know with a comment below.