7 Great Things About Being Canadian That I’m Not Going to Say Sorry For

Piles of gratitude for my northern latitude

I’m on the north side of the 49th parallel, putting me in the best place possible: Canada. Over the years I’ve realized just how many ways I should count my blessings for that.

It’s amazing to think that most people feel like where they are born is somehow not just luck, like they did something to get this to happen. Like they could take credit for it. But the truth is, you can’t. And that fact means that we are equals on a certain level.

On another level, I was born in Canada, so I win!

1. Someone is always holding the door open

You don’t have to open the door unless you get there first. Sometimes it’s almost annoying, when you’re a little too far away and you wish that polite lady would just let the door shut so we could all go about our business. But I would never complain for a helpful person holding a door. It’s just the human thing to do, eh?

It’s always strange to me when someone is so far up their own butt that they can’t tell someone else is behind them. These self absorbed individuals just let that door close right in your face. Us Canadians shake our heads as we mutter “foreigner” and are forced to open our own door. But this is rare.

I’m not sure how you can live having to open all your own doors. It must suck.

2. Too nice for our own good

We take it to the limit sometimes. This might be because we have it so good up here that we are generally more positive and in a great mood. That makes it easier to stay polite when things get dicey.

Our word choices are upbeat and a lot of us go out of our way to hold open doors all the time, so how can you not be friendly in an atmosphere like that?

We also like to leave a good impression and don’t want anyone thinking we’re losers. So we are always saying sorry.

We will avoid causing trouble in public. It’s the reason I sat through this flight from hell without complaining. It wouldn’t have been nice to humiliate someone just to make my life a tiny bit better.

3. We are accepting of other races

Our government supports immigration and bringing in new faces. For the most part, the public is on board with this, and that will save our economy in the long run. The young folk won’t be overrun with needy, retired baby boomers. We’ll have help taking care of that older population.

Importing more young people means more business, more incomes, more taxes. That will help us pay for all that healthcare those old boomers are gonna need, as well as our high standard of living.

I meet people from all over the world who come to Canada to become great assets to our country. Shoutout to Sandy Mandava from India! Hard worker, team player and dedicated young dad.

We import people and export good will.

4. Healthcare. For everyone.

How is this not a thing everywhere?

All Canadian citizens get medical care. Period.

We pay for it with our taxes. And I’m glad that it works this way. I don’t need to worry that my parents, who lived right on the poverty line all their lives, will be left unable to get help in their few remaining years. South of the border, they’d be screwed right now unless I paid for everything.

Those with special needs can get help without any extra insurance or a rich family. Why wouldn’t we take care of these members of the society?

Not everything is covered by the government. Eyeglasses, prescriptions and most dental fees are on our own dime. Well, nothing’s perfect, eh?

5. Poutine takes the prize

Have you had a good poutine? This concoction of French fries, cheese curds and gravy was created in Quebec in the 1950’s. you can get some variation of it anywhere in Canada.

One legend tells us that a trucker asked for his fries to have cheese and gravy dumped on it, inadvertently creating a Canadian signature dish. More than one claim to creation exist though. Until we invent that time machine, we will never know for sure.

Some of us rate the local eateries by how good the poutine is.

“Ah, they’re ok there. But don’t get their poutine! It’s sad. Go to that place on the corner instead.”

“Yeah! Can that joint make a good poutine, eh!”

I found out the hard way that you can’t even get gravy on fries in the US in most places, let alone a good poutine. Letdown!

6. We’ve got fantastic wilderness and outdoors

Some of our scenery is so spectacular it hurts. I spend a lot of my time in the Rocky Mountains, since they are within 2 hours of my house. Between the wildlife, the forests and the mountains, there’s a lot to love.

We host the majority of the world’s bears. This doesn’t cause much trouble most of the time, because 80 % of Canada is uninhabited by people. Lot’s of room for moose, deer, blue jays, wolves, coyotes, grouse, foxes, porcupines, gophers, hawks, eagles, mountain sheep, weasels, rabbits and skunks too.

We have almost 9% of the world’s remaining forest. Drive north of Edmonton, Alberta and you will spend hours and hours travelling through nothing but trees. And this is just a typical northern part of this country.

Every part of Canada has some beautiful outdoor spaces. Come check it out sometime. Eh?

7. We’ve got harsh weather that make us tough

Canada has some cold temperatures. Russia and Alaska have some pretty brutal times too. But where I live in Western Canada, it’s below freezing for almost 7 months. That’s no joke.

Eastern Canada has places where they get feet of snow overnight. St. John’s, Newfoundland has an average annual snowfall of 335 cm(132 inches.) Revelstoke, British Columbia, is right behind them with 305 cm(120 inches) a year.

All of this just makes us strong. Canadians can handle some adversity, because we’re used to fending off nature. We learn and adapt and overcome.

Not moving — fine here thanks

I’m not leaving Canada to live anywhere else. I might go for a visit to other locales, but my heart is here. I love the people, including imported ones. I love the outdoors, even if it’s harsh in the winter. And I love the country we are building.

We are moving forward into a great future. I have no doubt. These present tough times will have us rebound into prosperity again. Stay strong, Canada!

Canadians! Let me hear from you in the responses!

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