The Parks Canada mascot "Parka the beaver" in a traditional birchbark canoe. Though most Canadians live in urban settings  a majority say they have seen beavers in the wild, and they have been in canoes

The Parks Canada mascot "Parka the beaver" in a traditional birchbark canoe. Though most Canadians live in urban settings a majority say they have seen beavers in the wild, and they have been in canoes
Photo Credit: Parks Canada

Canadians: clichés and historical knowledge

A number of surveys of Canadians in recent months has some surprising and not so surprising results.

It seems some Canadian clichés are valid but on the other hand, yet again that Canadians generally have a slim grasp of their own history.

Combining two great Canadian traditions, hockey, and a toque...actually three, playing hockey outdoors. Nov 2003, former Montreal Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore wears a Canadiens toque over his helmet at the Heritage Classic (outdoor) game against the Edmonton Oilers.
Combining two great Canadian traditions, hockey, and a toque…actually three, playing hockey outdoors. Nov 2003, former Montreal Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore wears a Canadiens toque over his helmet at the Heritage Classic (outdoor) game against the Edmonton Oilers. © Dave Sanford/Getty Images via CBC

As Canada celebrates its 148th birthday, a poll commissioned by Ancestry.ca showed that out of more than 1,000 Canadians between the ages of 18 and 64, one in three was unable to identify Canada’s founding year. This compares with January survey by Ipsos  which resulted in similar figures (28%) of Canadians who didn’t know about the country’s founding year.

Four percent think Canada once had the Stars and Stripes flag.

A majority (52%) were unaware that the Maple Leaf Canadian flag was adopted in 1965. A sizeable number (16%) thought it was adopted in the year of Confederation, 1867.

Team Canada proudly waves the Canadian Maple Leaf flag at the Sochi olympics wearing Canada toques voted the most Canadian of clothing items. They also have special Canada mittens and
Team Canada proudly waves the Canadian Maple Leaf flag at the Sochi olympics wearing Canada toques voted the most Canadian of clothing items. They also have special Canada mittens and “Hudson’s Bay Co wool blanket” style coats. Surpringly the coat was not mentioned as an item of traditional Canadian clothing © Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

(This is somewhat surprising in light of the incredibly bitter debate about creating a new flag that took place in the early 1960’s. However on the 50th anniversary of the flag this year, the federal government allotted only a pittance $50,000 to promote the anniversary.)

Canada’s Flag history story here

Lesley Anderson who is a researcher and content specialist for Ancestry.ca found the news somewhat disturbing. Quoted in the Halifax Chronicle-Herald news, she said,  “One of the things that jumps out at me is that four per cent of people polled actually thought the Stars and Stripes was the official flag before the one we currently have.That one freaks me out. It’s a low number, but even so.”

2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. In that horrific struggle Canadian troops, all volunteers, time and time again showed incredible stamina against the enemy. Examples include the taking of Vimy Ridge where earlier French and British attempts had failed with massive loss of life. The French alone lost about 150,000 lives in failed attempts. While the other Allies broke and fled, the Canadians also held the line and stopped the German advance in the first use of poison gas. The Canadians also became the Allied shock troops, winning every battle in the last 100 days of the war.

Canadian soldiers who fought for the first time as a unifed army under a Canadian commander, look out from the crest of Vimy Ridge which they took after French and British attempts had failed with massive losses. Vimy Ridge is seen as a decisive moment in creating a Canadian national unitry and pride.
Canadian soldiers who fought for the first time as a unifed army under a Canadian commander, look out from the crest of Vimy Ridge which they took after French and British attempts had failed with massive losses. Vimy Ridge is seen as a decisive moment in creating a Canadian national unitry and pride. © Library and Archives Canada

Another Ancestry.ca poll in July of 2014  showed that a surprising 40 percent of Canadians are unaware of the role Canada played in that war, while eight percent didn’t know that Canada had participated at all.  Indeed almost half (46%) of those surveyed didn’t know that 2014 marked the 100th anniversary of the start of a war that saw over 600,000 Canadian enlistments, over 170,000 wounded, and 60,000 Canadians killed.

A January Ipsos survey found that with Sir John A Macdonald’s 200th birthday just behind us and Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017,  some 26 percent could not name Canada’s founder and first Prime Minister. Still that’s quite and improvement from 2008 when 42% of Canadians couldn’t identify Sir John A, and in 2001 nearly half (49%) of respondents answered incorrectly.  The improvement is due to several campaigns to boost knowledge of the man who played the crucial role in the creation of Canada.

No Canadians don't live in igloos. Only 16% have ever been in one. Sometimes  though Canadians, often kids, will build them in theif backyards in winter.
No Canadians don’t live in igloos. Only 16% have ever been in one. Sometimes though Canadians, often kids, will build them in theif backyards in winter. © CBC

Hockey loving- Igloo dwellers, eh?

Yes Canadians do tend to end sentences with, “eh”. Another poll conducted for Historica Canada between June 12 and 15th, 2015, showed 81 percent of Canadians indicate they do use “eh”, and a quarter of respondents say they say it at least once a day.

And perhaps Canadians aren’t quite the dedicated fans of a single sport as in other countries.   Some 18 percent of Canadians are dedicated hardcore fans and say it’s the greatest sport on earth, while 40 percent say they are casual fans. That leaves about 40 percent of Canadians relatively uninterested in the game.

Fans pack the arean in Winnipeg on April 20, 2015 as the Winnipeg Jets played the Anaheim Ducks in game 3 of the playoffs. Hockey is Canada's official winter sport, however, it seems many Canadians now are not so obsessed about the game according to poll results
Fans pack the arean in Winnipeg on April 20, 2015 as the Winnipeg Jets played the Anaheim Ducks in game 3 of the playoffs. Hockey is Canada’s official winter sport, however, it seems many Canadians now are not so obsessed about the game according to poll results © Trevor Hagan/Canadian Press)

As for other clichés, even though a vast majority of Canadians live in urban settings (approx. 80%), some 64 percent reported seeing a beaver in the wild, 60 percent a moose,, 59 percent a loon (the symbol on the Canadian $1 coin-known colloquially as a “loonie”), and 55 percent reported they had seen a bear in the wild.

In spite of living mostly in urban settings, a majority reported they have seen Canada's national symbol, a beaver in the wild
In spite of living mostly in urban settings, a majority reported they have seen Canada’s national symbol, a beaver in the wild © CBC

As to the idea that Canadians live in igloos, only 16 percent said they had ever been in an igloo, but 73 percent have been in a canoe.

One of the symbols associated with Canada is the canoe. Almost 3/4 of Canadians say they've been in a canoe. Canada even has a canoe museum, located in Peterborough Ontario
One of the symbols associated with Canada is the canoe. Almost 3/4 of Canadians say they’ve been in a canoe. Canada even has a canoe museum, located in Peterborough Ontario © http://www.canoemuseum.ca/

Half of those polled suggest the toque is the most Canadian item of clothing.

And on this Canada Day, 71 percent said they planned to celebrate the day, with many planning to watch a fireworks display.

A June survey showed 71% of Canadians say they plan to celebrate the national Canada Day holiday today. Many of them say they'll take in a fireworks display, Here the fireworks shown highlighting the Centre Block of Parliament in the national capital, Ottawa. Surveys also show however that Canadians have a slim grasp of their own history.
A June survey showed 71% of Canadians say they plan to celebrate the national Canada Day holiday today. Many of them say they’ll take in a fireworks display, Here the fireworks shown highlighting the Centre Block of Parliament in the national capital, Ottawa. Surveys also show however that Canadians have a slim grasp of their own history. © via CBC
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