Canadians know our country’s a pretty great place, but with our characteristic reserve, we don’t usually brag about it. So to help out, here are plenty of reasons to celebrate being Canadian this July 1.
You can call the government directly with a ridiculously cute phone number (1-800-O-Canada).
We buy and eat the most Kraft Dinner of any country in the world. “It’s Gotta Be KD” is the country’s unofficial motto.
After a citizenship ceremony in 2010, Santa Claus is now officially Canadian. Plus, if you write to him at the North Pole (postal code: H0H 0H0), he writes back.
We invented Hawaiian pizza, the Caesar, and poutine, so our Canada Day celebrations are extra delicious. Plus, our beer is stronger, so we have a better time.
In Saskatchewan, a hooded sweatshirt is called a “bunny hug.” Throughout the country, a minor disturbance is called a “kerfuffle.”
We have the highest proportion of postsecondary graduates in the world—51 percent of the population has “tertiary education.”
We have a 220,000 barrel maple syrup reserve in Quebec, courtesy of the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers.
Canada finished first in 12 of 21 events at the World Dragon Boat Racing Championships in 2013.
We hold the 2015 world record for most simultaneous high fives, set in Hamilton with more than 7,000 people high-fiving to raise money for UNICEF.
We hold the 2016 world record for the most chin-ups (14!) in the “human flag position,” which is the almost-impossible task of holding yourself perpendicular to an upright pole.
As of July 2015, we ranked first on a survey of international reputation—the fourth time in six years that we’ve come out on top. Even when we don’t win first, we’re usually pretty close, coming second to Switzerland in 2014 and Sweden in 2010.
Every Wednesday at noon in the summer, there’s a free one-hour yoga class on the lawn in front of the Centre Block.
Four out of five Canadians live within 30 minutes of the Trans Canada Trail, which will stretch 23,000 km coast-to-coast when it’s completed in 2017, just in time for the country's 150th birthday.
We have more lakes than the rest of the world combined. That’s a lot of lakes.
Unlike in the US, Kinder Eggs are legal in Canada.
We have Coffee Crisp and ketchup chips. And Nanaimo bars. And butter tarts.
About 56 percent of Canadians have a passport, while just 37 percent of Americans do.
We have great social mobility. According to a 2012 study, 87 percent of Canadians in the lowest of five income groups moved to a higher group over 19 years. In that time period, two of every five in the lowest group actually ended up in the top 40 percent of income earners.
We offer a full year of paid maternity leave.
We have the perennially popular Naheed Nenshi, who was named “World’s Best Mayor” in 2015. Although his mostly-insanely-high approval rating has gone up and down over the past year, he’s still sitting at a comfortable 69 percent or so.
Vancouver and Toronto pass for New York and Chicago. Southern Alberta becomes Wyoming. BC is transformed into Washington State.
With 243,976.55 km to play with, there’s lots to do: go swimming or surfing, watch whales, or, you know, sunbathe nude.
We have nine percent of the world’s renewable water supply and are home to one-tenth of all the world’s forests.
We invented the electron microscope, IMAX, the BlackBerry, and insulin—meaning people around the world can stay healthy and connected while watching awesome movies. And then they can go play basketball—another Canadian invention.
We have the 13th-highest life expectancy in the world. At 81.85 years, that’s 2.85 years longer than our neighbours to the south. Universal healthcare, anyone?
