Fireworks explode behind the Victory and Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa, during Canada Day celebrations on July 1, 2015.  What’s great about Canada? Canadians answers are as diverse as the country it seems

Fireworks explode behind the Victory and Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa, during Canada Day celebrations on July 1, 2015. What’s great about Canada? Canadians answers are as diverse as the country it seems
Photo Credit: Justin Tang/Canadian Press

Canada 150: What makes Canada great? Many answers, no consensus

A couple of recent polls have sought to get a sense of what Canadians feel about themselves and their country.

Conducted by the firm IPSOS for Historica Canada, one survey posed a series of questions to 1,003 adults online. There was almost no consensus to any of the questions, but rather a variety of answers.

To the question, what single word describes Canada, the most common word, expressed by only 25 per cent was , “freedom”.  Historica Canada President Anthony Wilson-Smith thinks that answer may be due in part to Canada’s large immigrant population, many of whom may have come from countries where freedom was not something that could be taken for granted.

On a different McLean’s survey called The Canada Project, one of the many questions asked was “Do you think Canadians are as nice as the world thinks we are”?   Well 66 per cent said yes, and 12 per cent said we’re even nicer!

A grumpy 21 per cent said we’re not.

Canadians are friendly, we even had a kids show called *Thre Friendly Giant* which ran on TV for decades.
Canadians are friendly, heck we even had a kids show called *Thre Friendly Giant* which ran on TV for decades. © YouTube

Hockey not universally popular. What? !

Another interesting fact is that Canadians, and probably those in other countries think all Canadians are wild about hockey (which is listed as Canada’s official winter sport).  Most Canadians do love hockey, but the poll however showed that a very significant 34 per cent really aren’t interested at all in hearing about hockey or watching it. In fact “loathe” was a word used in the survey.

Dec 2016, playing hockey on the Serpentine River, Surrey British Columbia. Canadians love hockey: pro hockey, pond hockey, street hockey, floor hockey, Surpiringly though, 34 percent in a poll said they’rew not interested !
Dec. 2016, playing hockey on the Serpentine River, Surrey British Columbia. Canadians love hockey: pro hockey, pond hockey, street hockey, floor hockey, Surprisingly though, 34 percent in a poll said they’rew not interested ! © Jesse Johnston/CBC)

People around the world generally perceive Canada as a beautiful country, in fact Beautiful British Columbia is the motto on that province’s vehicle licence plate. However only 11 per cent of B.C. respondants would use the word to describe Canada, and a mere 3 per cent overall.

Canadian inventions

What is the greatest Canadian invention? Canadians voted the electric stove tops, the snowmobile was third.
What is the greatest Canadian invention? Canadians voted the electric stove tops, the snowmobile was third. © Kristofer2-wikicommons

What are Canadians favourite Canadian inventions? Well the electric oven came out on top at 44 per cent, followed by IMAX movies at 32 per cent, and the snowmobile at 25 per cent.

McLean’s magazine launched it’s own survey called the Canada Project in which they found that Canadians generally are welcoming to refugees, 57 percent would welcome more Syrian refugees, but 84 per cent say immigrants should be screened for “Canadian values”.

Another 56 per cent said Canada should stick with the British monarchy even after Queen Elizabeth epic reign comes to an end.

Surprisingly, very few Canadians would use *beautiful* to describe Canada!
Surprisingly, very few Canadians would use *beautiful* to describe Canada! © Northern lights appear over Whithorse, Yukon. (Courtesy of David Cartier Sr./NASA/Handout/Reuters)

As to whether Canadians will join in this year’s 150’th celebrations on July 1,  in 2015, some 71 per cent said they would, but this year it’s up ten points to 81 per cent.

Additional information- sources

Categories: Environment & Animal Life, Immigration & Refugees, Indigenous, Society
Tags: , , ,

Do you want to report an error or a typo? Click here!

For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.