Line #11 UsefulNotes/Canada


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Canada-Map_5014.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:''And flourish green o'er freedom's home/The Maple Leaf forever!'']]
3
4	->''"Mon pays, ce n'est pas un pays; c'est l'hiver."''[[note]]My country is not a country; it's winter.[[/note]]
5	-->--'''Gilles Vigneault'''
6
7	'''Canada''' is a [[UsefulNotes/NorthAmerica Northern American]] country and the second largest country in the world by area[[note]]fourth if only land area is counted[[/note]]. Compared to other countries its population (40 million people) is rather modest at best, with a population density of only 4.0 people per square kilometre (for reference, the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom squeezes 276 people into the same space). The ten provinces and three Northern territories maintain a friendly rivalry, usually resorting to snide jokes and [[UsefulNotes/CanadianFootballLeague CFL]] (Canadian football) playoffs. Why is it like this? Mainly because of the country's confusing origins as a former British and French colony and exacerbated regional differences between the west, center, and east. That said, Canada is still a unified country, and the regional rivalry that goes on is similar to that of any other country.
8
9	Three of the most memorable moments to most Canadians in their history include: the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812 in which a fledgling colony was defended from the invading southern forces from the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates; [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge]] in which the outstanding logistician and professional engineer General Arthur William Currie (equal only to the Australian General and Civil Engineer John Monash) captured a godforsaken ridge from the Germans and successfully held it against counter-attack; and finally, Game 8, 1972, Canada v. Soviet Union, a championship hockey game that older Canadians still remember to this day.[[note]][[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Henderson SCORES!!!]][[/note]]
10
11	Insisting that Canada is still a Dominion of the United Kingdom or is in any way in some sort of union with the United States is bound to stir up some backdraft amongst Canadians, as will suggesting that the French-speaking province of Quebec should be independent (outside of Quebec, minus certain parts of Montreal). There is still a relationship between UK and Canada, as Canada is a constitutional monarchy, so the British monarch has a few roles, such as appointing the Governor-General of Canada.
12
13	Culturally, Canadians are perceived as being modest, quiet, shy, [[ApologisesALot always apologizing]], and a bit like a backwards rustic neighbour of the US (kind of like [[MinnesotaNice Minnesota]] writ large). Cultural similarities to America are profound, but those similarities are heatedly protested by Canadians. If one is asked to think of "Canada", generally the idea of plaid-wearing lumberjacks in a snow-filled pine forest where moose and beavers frolic about and bears savagely roam is imagined. Somewhere, ice hockey is filled in. Maple syrup (as well as the maple leaf, which is on Canada's flag) is commonly associated with Canada, and it's hard to imagine it not covered in snow and freezing.
14
15	----
16	!!Tropes associated with Canada include:
17	[[index]]
18	* CanadaDoesNotExist
19	* CanadianEqualsHockeyFan
20	* CourteousCanadian
21	* CrassCanuck
22	* GirlfriendInCanada
23	* MooseAndMapleSyrup
24	* OnlySoManyCanadianActors, like [[SixDegreesOfKevinBacon six degrees of Canadian Bacon]]
25	* QuirkyNeighbourCountry: Canada is the standard one for the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates.
26	* SingingMountie
27	[[/index]]
28	----
29	!!Indexes associated with Canada include:
30	[[index]]
31	* CanadianActorsComediansAndOtherArtists
32	* CanadianAuthors
33	* CanadianMedia
34	** CanadianMovies
35	** CanadianMusic
36	** CanadianSeries
37	** CanadianVideoGameCompanies
38	* NativeAmericanAndFirstNationsMedia
39	* USCanadianComics
40	[[/index]]
41	----
42	!!Useful Notes:
43	[[index]]
44	!!!Geography
45	* UsefulNotes/CanadianProvincesAndTerritories
46	** UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}}, the largest and only fully Francophone province; its culture and penchant to be different from the rest of Canada, not to mention the separatist issue, now warrants its own page.
47	* Cities:
48	** UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}}, the biggest city and the financial hub of Canada, but is not the national capital (that's Ottawa, also in Ontario but a bit to the Northeast; Toronto is the provincial capital -- one of the surprisingly few in Canada whose largest city serves that function[[note]]The largest city is the provincial capital of five provinces -- Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador[[/note]]).
49	*** UsefulNotes/TorontoSubway
50	** UsefulNotes/{{Montreal}}, the fourth largest French speaking city in the world after Kinshasa, Abidjan, and Paris (as of 2016). However, English is commonly (though not universally) spoken, and you can easily get around the city with only a smattering of French. Not the provincial capital of Quebec (that would be Quebec City).
51	** UsefulNotes/{{Vancouver}}, the financial centre for Western Canada, with a massive Pacific port. It is the city that is not Seattle [[CaliforniaDoubling no matter how much Hollywood wants to convince you otherwise]]. Largest city in British Columbia, but not the provincial capital (that would be Victoria).
52	* UsefulNotes/NiagaraFalls; although shared with the United States, it is the Canadian Falls which generally feature in media
53	* UsefulNotes/NorthAmericanNumberingPlan (telephone numbering system shared with the US and several other regions)
54	!!!Law & Government
55	* UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics
56	** UsefulNotes/CanadianPrimeMinisters
57	* UsefulNotes/CanucksWithChinooks, the Canadian military
58	* UsefulNotes/TheMounties, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
59	* UsefulNotes/TheCommonLaw
60	* UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire[=/=]UsefulNotes/TheCommonwealthOfNations: Canada is part of this.
61	** UsefulNotes/BritishHonours: List of creators that have received national awards from British royal families through the Commonwealth.
62	!!!Culture, History, & Misc.
63	* UsefulNotes/CanadianAccents
64	** UsefulNotes/CanadianAccentInfluences
65	* UsefulNotes/CanadianEducationSystem
66	* UsefulNotes/CanadianFootballLeague Remember: There are three downs, not four, and the field is larger (and there are more players on it).
67	* UsefulNotes/CanadianHistory
68	* UsefulNotes/IceHockey, ''the'' national winter sport. Note that calling it "Ice Hockey" within Canadian borders will instantly identify you as a laughably clueless foreigner; it's just "hockey".
69	** UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague ''the'' sports league in Canada, containing 7 teams[[note]]The Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks.[[/note]] that call the country home.
70	** UsefulNotes/NHLNamesToKnow
71	* UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball Despite Canada only having the Toronto Blue Jays as their only team[[note]]Before 2005, they also had the Montreal Expos before they moved to UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC.[[/note]], they do have a notable presence within Canadian sports culture.
72	* UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation much like with the Blue Jays, the NBA also has a presence in Canadian sports, despite the Toronto Raptors being the country's only team.[[note]]And much like MLB, the NBA also used to have the Vancouver Grizzlies before they moved to [[UsefulNotes/{{Tennessee}} Memphis]] in 2001.[[/note]]
73	* UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer Even if it's the MyFriendsAndZoidberg of the major sports leagues, they do have three Canadian Teams: Toronto FC, CF Montreal, and the Vancouver Whitecaps.
74	* UsefulNotes/MapleSyrup: One of the most emblematic products of Canada, up to the point where the maple leaf is on the flag of Canada.
75	[[/index]]
76	----
77	[[AC:The Canadian flag]]
78	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flag_of_canada.png]]
79	->Red and white are heraldic colours assigned to the country by King George V in 1921, although it goes way back. The maple leaf in the center has been a national symbol for many centuries, ever since the French first occupied the area. This flag was adopted in 1965 by then Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson; before that Canada used the British Union Jack officially, and the Canadian Red Ensign (a British Red Ensign defaced by the Coat of Arms of Canada) informally.
80	----
81	[[AC:Arms of Canada]]
82	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arms_of_canada.png]]
83	->The arms of Canada is based on the British coat of arms with French and Canadian elements. It includes the (crown represents the Canadian monarchy), the lion holding a maple leaf (representing the Governor-General) while standing on a red and white silk (which are Canada's national colours), a helmet with mantlings red and white maple leaves (representing the Canadian flag), the shield that is similar to the British shield except with three fleurs-de-lis (as a reference to Canada being colonized by France) and a sprig of red maple leaves (representing Canada), a ribbon with the motto "desiderantes meliorem patriam" (meaning "desiring a better country"; which is the same motto of the Order of Canada) from Hebrews 11:16, the national motto "a mari usque ad mare" (meaning "From sea to sea") from Hebrews 11:16 as a reference to Canada having the longest coastline in the world, the supporters are the lion (representing England) and the unicorn (representing Scotland) holding the British and the French flags (as a reference to Canada's official languages) respectively (unlike the British coat of arms, the lion is not crowned nor facing the viewer and the unicorn's chain is broken) and on the bottom are plants from the nations that influenced Canada through history, the red and white roses (symbolizing England and Ireland), the thistle (representing Scotland), the shamrock (representing Ireland) and the fleur-de-lis (representing France).
84	----
85	[[AC:The Canadian national anthem]]
86	->O Canada!
87	->Our home and native land!
88	->True patriot love in all of us command.
89	->With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
90	->The True North strong and free!
91	->From far and wide,
92	->O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
93	->God keep our land glorious and free!
94	->O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
95	->O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
96	----
97	->Ô Canada!
98	->Terre de nos aïeux,
99	->Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
100	->Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
101	->Il sait porter la croix!
102	->Ton histoire est une épopée
103	->Des plus brillants exploits.
104	->Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
105	->Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
106	->Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
107	----
108	->O Canada!
109	->Land of our ancestors
110	->Glorious deeds circle your brow
111	->For your arm knows how to wield the sword
112	->Your arm knows how to carry the cross;
113	->Your history is an epic
114	->Of brilliant deeds
115	->And your valour steeped in faith
116	->Will protect our homes and our rights,
117	->Will protect our homes and our rights.
118	----
119	[[AC:Government]]
120	* Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The British monarch appoints the Governor-General. Canada has a Westminster-style parliamentary system, like the UK.
121	** Monarch: Charles III (from the UK)
122	** Governor General: Mary Simon
123	** Prime Minister: Justin Trudeau.
124	*** Canadians do not directly elect the Prime Minister; rather, Canadians vote for a Member of Parliament ([=MP=]) in their area (called a "riding"). The political party that elects the most [=MPs=] is then asked by the Governor-General to form the government. The leader of this political party then becomes the Prime Minister.
125	----
126	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
127	* '''Capital:''' Ottawa
128	* '''Largest city:''' Toronto
129	* '''Population:''' 40,528,396
130	* '''Area:''' 9,984,670 km
131	(3,855,100 sq mi) (2nd)
132	* '''Currency''': Canadian dollar ($) (CAD)
133	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' CA
134	* '''Country calling code:''' [[UsefulNotes/NorthAmericanNumberingPlan 1]]
135	* '''Highest point:''' Mount Logan (5959 m/19,551 ft) (15th)
136	* '''Lowest points:''' Arctic Ocean (1,038 m/3,406 ft) (-), Atlantic Ocean (3,646 m/11,962 ft) (-) and Pacific Ocean (10,911 m/35,797 ft) (-)
137	----
138	->'''[[JustForFun/StatlerAndWaldorf Statler]]:''' What do you think of the great white north?\
139	'''Waldorf:''' It's white and in the north, but it's anything but great!\
140	'''Both:''' '''Do-ho-ho-ho-hoh!'''

Context UsefulNotes / Canada