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Canada and the rest of the UK

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02:48 / 27.10.05

I went through the topics, and to the best of my knowledge, nothing like this exists. (Prove me wrong somebody)

My question is thus: what do the citizens of the UK think about Canada? What is your perception of us Canucks? Do you like us as a nation, do you dislike us a political entity? Do you even care if we exist?

I'm from Winnipeg and I'll give you (entirely subjective) my country's perception of Britain: Canada likes you. Britains are smart, witty, funny, fun to be around, polite, smart (did I say that before?) and generally obsessed with the Royalty more than we are. Canadians generally have a laugh over the fact that (it appears to us) tabloids are more vicious than ours, and that they are concerned mostly with "Becks" and "Posh", a concern we find so charming. Canadians have a healthy respect for Brits because of your television, essentially. We appreciate Fawlty Towers, Vicar of Dibley, AbFab, Men Behaving Badly, etc.

In terms of other parts of the UK: the Irish aren't really big in Winnipeg, so I don't know what we think of them. Mostly violent, I guess, although I know that's mildly offensive, but there it is. Our knowledge of modern Ireland comes mostly from "The Commitments" and that Brad Pitt/Harrison Ford movie.
Scotland: nobody knows a thing about Scotland in my minimal social circle.
Etc: We love Australia!

So, what does the UK think about Canada? Are we annoying? Are we fun? Are we polite?

The Canadian self-identity is supposed to be reserved, generous, modest, introvert personality. I don't think this to be true. I think we call ourselves that because we don't want to be compared to the US. (I'll tell you what Canada thinks of them: the US is like our handicapped brother. Fun, loud, but not very smart.)

(Also... Canada does not much care for Blair after the whole Iraq-America thing. But I don't pretend to know much about it...)

pointless & uncalled for

08:34 / 27.10.05

I'm British-Canadian and simply put we are both fucking ace. Oh yes, the grass is greener on my side of the fence.

09:45 / 27.10.05

Erm, well, 'Brits' does not = 'English'. That said, I think there's a perception of Canada as kinda like the US except sensible ie. less emphasis on firearms, more on medical/dental care. We probably find it difficult to tell accents apart, and you'd find yourself unfairly lumped in with the US as a result. When abroad, it's always worth pointing out, fairly early on, that you're Canadian rather than American - just as it's often useful to identify oneself as Scottish rather than English...

10:13 / 27.10.05

Well, descending into stark generalisations here, as this thread demands, I always thought that Canadians were the Americans it was okay to like, until a load of them pissed into the Cuban swimming pool I was floating in at the time.

10:15 / 27.10.05

When abroad, it's always worth pointing out, fairly early on, that you're Canadian rather than American - just as it's often useful to identify oneself as Scottish rather than English...

Pah, Ganesh, that doesn´t mean a thing. Haven´t you heard of the tactics of USAmerican Tourists? They walk around Europe, telling anyone, whether they want to hear it or not, that they are Canadians, not USAmericans. So, if somebody tells you, Hey, I´m from Canada, you can expect it not to be true.

I´ve only met one Canadian yet, and I could be pretty sure, she was from Montreal: She could hardly speak any english!

10:30 / 27.10.05

They walk around Europe, telling anyone, whether they want to hear it or not, that they are Canadians,

The concierge in a hotel in Rome told me that tourists in Italy who say they are English are often German. Fanny old world.

It’s obviously impossible to speak for the population as a whole, but I think lots of British people do feel a bond with Canadians over a similarly uneasy/complicated relationship with the US. I also think we imagine you as having a pretty nice standard of life, in a slightly romanticised, idyllic sense. We imagine the air is fresh, the water pure, the people wholesome, the culture quite folksy.
My parents lived in Canada for a long time before I was around and I think a lot of my own perceptions are born of the stories they would tell. I think they found Canadians to be uncynical in a way that was hard to relate to coming from Britain. They also talk of a superficial niceness that I think they found wearing and insincere. I know that they came back to Blighty in large part because they didn’t want to have Canadian children – I don’t know what you can take from that, but it’s always seemed to me slightly at odds with all the good things they said about the place.

I think there’s a perception of Canada as the USA’s sensible older brother. You’d be the first we’d ask to house-sit for us, and we’d be happy for you to date our daughters. But we’re not going to get drunk and marry you in Vegas. So things are probably much as you’d want them.

By the way, can anyone explain some of the characteristics that differentiate a Canadian accent from an American one? A Canadian friend of mine once tried to do this (some talk of ‘about vs. aboot’) but it was all rather lost on my ear.

10:40 / 27.10.05

The concierge in a hotel in Rome told me that tourists in Italy who say they are English are often German. Fanny old world.

Haha! As if a german tourist could fool anyone with that accent. Those tee-ages make me spittle or cramp my tongue!

Scrambled Password Bogus Email

10:52 / 27.10.05

Aboot, indeed.

My parents and sister have emigrated to Canada, and I went over for the first time in the Summer...Liked it! MUCH more European than American, which surprised me...but definitely felt more 'homely' (ie like Blighty) than the States...

Sharp humour, bit too much emphasis on eating Moose, but hey, I was in B.C. (and Northern BC at that).

I saw the Aurora Borealis, and it was a.m.a.z.i.n.g...everything I had hoped for and more, and actually one of my great top 5 of 'things to see before I die'. So, job well done, all told.

Very materialistic town we were staying in, though...Oil patch, everyone just money money money...but there you have it.

rising and revolving

11:56 / 27.10.05

See, that's what's nice about being Australian. You can tell anyone anywhere that you're actually from where you're from, and you tend to do okay.

Although many Canadians initially identify my accent as British, curiously enough. I think it's because I've generally got an 'urban' Aus accent, rather than the rural drawl that has been typified by Crocodile Hunter/Dundee types.

As an Australian living in Canada ... well, it's very Aus compatible. I think Canada in general is viewed as being 'like the US but further away' by the bulk of Australians. Honestly, we barely hear anything about it in general - occasional media sterotypes, like Moose and Mounties.

Living here is an entirely different kettle of fish. And of course, living in Montreal is another fish holding device all together.

The best I can tell about Montreal is that it's really, ultimately, NOT French, US, English, Canadian, or anyone else who's dropped in over the years. It's fucking Quebecois, damnit. French to the Americans, American to the French, ignored and condemned by the French, Brits, and Canadians at one point or another.

Really, it's not like anything else.

Regrettable Juvenilia

12:31 / 27.10.05

Britains are smart, witty, funny, fun to be around, polite, smart (did I say that before?) and generally obsessed with the Royalty more than we are. Canadians generally have a laugh over the fact that (it appears to us) tabloids are more vicious than ours, and that they are concerned mostly with "Becks" and "Posh", a concern we find so charming.

This is all true. Here are some other facts about 'Britains':

- By law, all Britains must drink at least three cups of tea a day.

- Her Royal Highness the Queen has provided a deckchair for every single member of the public, except immigrants. They can be claimed from any beach hut which bears the Royal crest.

- If a Walesman, Scotlandish or Irisher sees an Englisher in the street, he must tug his forelock and/or bow the knee.

- British people will always buy you a pint of ale if you greet them in the pub with the words "Pip pip!"

rising and revolving

12:46 / 27.10.05

British people will always buy you a pint of ale if you greet them in the pub with the words "Pip pip!"

Surprisingly enough, this is 100% true. At least in my limited UK experience.

13:08 / 27.10.05

Good grief. Matt, I don't want you to think that I'm taking shots at you, but... well, that's exactly what I'm about to do.

Speaking as another Winnipeg resident:

I'm from Winnipeg and I'll give you (entirely subjective) my country's perception of Britain

Key words: entirely subjective. Don't assume to speak for our city (much less our country -- "Canada thinks?"), especially when you also say things like nobody knows a thing about Scotland in my minimal social circle.

While I'm hardly a world traveller, my "knowledge" of people from Britain, Ireland, Scotland (and Australia, for that matter) is based on interactions with people from Britain, Ireland, Scotland (and Australia!).

Not all of us draw conclusions from "viewings of The Commitments".

That all being said, your ultimate question ("What are their perceptions of Canada?") is an interesting one.

13:14 / 27.10.05

*cough*

Scotland and (Northern) Ireland are, as I say, parts of Britain ie. they're broadly included within the term 'Britain'.

13:34 / 27.10.05

Silver: that was the whole point. It is entirely subjective.
Therefore, it's my perspective of Canada's perspective. This thread has two objectives (or goals, if you prefer): to laugh about how we see each other (stereotypes, and the like), and to realize that perspective doesn't mean a whole lot.

I think you're taking it a little too seriously here. I'm just having a little bit of fun at a stereotype's expense.

I noticed you didn't call me on my characterization of the US. Is that because I speak a little truth? Or because your perspective of the US is just as skewed as my perspective of Britain? Or vice versa?

To everybody:
Tell me definitively, cause I've never had a chance to figure it out: what is the difference between Britain and England then? Brit does not equal English? Why? Just curious.

13:40 / 27.10.05

Because British people aren't uniformly English. English people, however, are British.

Put this way, English is a course, British is a meal.

13:44 / 27.10.05

Britain is composed of several nations, only one of which is England.
*Great* Britain is England, Scotland and Wales. But ‘Britain’ is generally used as a shorthand for 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain (see above) and Northern Ireland'.

13:46 / 27.10.05

Put this way, English is a course, British is a meal.

Are you Galactus?

13:48 / 27.10.05

Is your herald Mr. Bean, then?

13:48 / 27.10.05

We'll i'm from Wales and what i think about the British is...Not much really! When i moved here from Cardiff it took fucking ages to get a Visa sorted, the journey on that bridge across the border was horrific, i can't understand what anyones saying, i still don't get the money system (how many welsh Davids to a Pound again?) the British Underground system is fucked,...i could go on but whats the point. I'm here now so i'd better get used to the place.

13:48 / 27.10.05

Good grief, what do they teach you in Canadian schools?

Great Britain, or Britain, is the overall name for Scotland, England and Wales. The United Kingdom is the overall name for Scotland, England, Wales (or Great Britain) and Northern Ireland.

13:51 / 27.10.05

They teach us Canadian history, mandatory, but I've forgotten everything. From my social circle, we all know more American history than Canadian, because of our media's saturation from the American media. But I propose to speak for all of Canada on this point. It's just everybody I know.

14:10 / 27.10.05

Ariadne, thank God someone pointed that out.

Oh, and everyone does understand the difference between northern and southern Ireland, don't they?

14:11 / 27.10.05

I noticed you didn't call me on my characterization of the US. Is that because I speak a little truth?

Heh. My opinion of the US isn't really relevant to the discussion. Somewhere along the lines of "I don't like the USA, but I like Americans."

Nothing wrong with having fun with stereotypes, but your intent was not clear in your initial post.

"I'm a Canadian -- it's like an American, but without the gun." (Dave Foley, Kids in the Hall, ex-pat)

rising and revolving

14:11 / 27.10.05

They teach us Canadian history, mandatory, but I've forgotten everything. From my social circle, we all know more American history than Canadian, because of our media's saturation from the American media.

Australia is identical in this regard, btw.

And the mandatory Australian history is pretty low impact, too. 1 year, maybe 2 during high school. Which is a shame, because Australian history is really neat, if often embarassing.

But yeah, number of people who can name the first Australian Primeminister vs the first US President is very, very, shaming.

14:12 / 27.10.05

Scotland and (Northern) Ireland are, as I say, parts of Britain ie. they're broadly included within the term 'Britain'.

See, other Canadians probably knew that...

14:13 / 27.10.05

Matt, I think people are being particularly kind in not mentioning what you had to say about the US.

14:28 / 27.10.05

Matt's lack of knowledge on what coutries constitute Britain might also explain the topic's title, which seems to imply that Canada is part of the United Kingdom. It is not. The United Kingdom is shorterned reference to the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland.

Although Canada, and various other commonwealth countries, share Great Britain's current monarch, they are not part of the United Kingdom, which refers to a specific piece of legislation, the Act of Union, 1800.

This Act of Union followed the Act of Union in 1707 that joined England and Scotland to form Great Britain, and the Acts of Union 1536-1543, where England absorbed Wales.

Details on these various bits of legislation are available here.

I could also add that For many centuries, English Monarchs also claimed the crown of France... but this is probably going into too much detail...

14:31 / 27.10.05

And, strictly speaking, Northern Ireland isn't part of Britain, however Britain and Ireland and surrounding isles have been historically referred to as the British Isles.

14:34 / 27.10.05

Incidentally, I was out with a French Canadian friend of mine on Monday, and we got to chatting about Louis Riel and she was ashamed to admit that aside from recognising his name, she could recall next to nothing about him. Having said which, much of my knowledge came via Chester Brown's Comic biography of the man...

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:40 / 27.10.05

I noticed you didn't call me on my characterization of the US. Is that because I speak a little truth?

Oh, those fun but dumb handicapped people! They're just hilarious, aren't they?

Yeah, lots of 'truth' there, matty boy.

16:49 / 27.10.05

This is what I said to Silver, and I'll say it again:
I think you're taking it a little too seriously here. I'm just having a little bit of fun at a stereotype's expense.

Calm down, Petey.

This: I noticed you didn't call me on my characterization of the US. Is that because I speak a little truth? is said with a grin.

I'm not trying to cause a controversy, I'm just having a conversation in the conversation thread.

toughest, fastest, fatest

16:53 / 27.10.05

Scotland and (Northern) Ireland are, as I say, parts of Britain ie. they're broadly included within the term 'Britain'

Northern Ireland is not part of Britain, not by any stretch of the imagination.

Mon Oncle Ignatius

17:28 / 27.10.05

What do the citizens of the UK think about Canada? What is your perception of us Canucks? Do you like us as a nation, do you dislike us a political entity? Do you even care if we exist?

First off, I cannot begin to speak for the citizens (technically we're subjects; we're under the thumb of Her Maj. the Most High Liz[ard]) of the UK. As has been observed elsewhere in the thread, the whole UK thing is open to a lot of dispute and can be known to cause controversy. But anyway, on Canada.

I've always had a fascination for the place, as my parents lived there for a few years, and a sister of mine is technically a Canadian citizen (or are Canadians subjects of HM the Q at all?) and her daughter is definitely part Canadian. The parents left Canada after a while, partly because it was cold in Hull, Ontario. So I coulda been a contender for Canadianness, but wasn't by a decade and more.

All the Canadians I've met have been generally very chilled, polite and open. I hadn't known the thing about "aboot" until I knew someone from Canadia[1] for a while, but find it endearing and a little quaint, somehow. Actually, the Quebecois I've met have been engagingly crazy, in a good way - but thinking abou(o)t it, they're probaly not entirely representative of the Province. It was great fun to try having a conversation in French with them when utterly drunk beyond being able to speak English coherently as well.

For historical reasons (my own, not the world's) I really like that there is a part of North America which is French-speaking and hence more European than (most of) the USA - and perhaps this is why I am so drawn to New Orleans as well, though I realise that the Frenchness is only a very small part of the equation there. So I am quite curious to visit both English- and French-speaking Canadia one day.

[1] No, I'm not mis-spelling anything, just referring to the country in a way some of its inhabitants have done to me.

wembley can change in 28 days

17:55 / 27.10.05

I think there’s a perception of Canada as the USA’s sensible older brother. You’d be the first we’d ask to house-sit for us, and we’d be happy for you to date our daughters. But we’re not going to get drunk and marry you in Vegas. So things are probably much as you’d want them.

See, here's the thing. Canada desperately wants to be not only the rational, healthy, wheaty side, but also a major dose of sugary frost on the World Stage. We're dying to matter, so it hurts just that much more when you can even assume that we'd prefer things as you described above.

Please, world, get drunk and take us to Vegas! We'll buy the ring!... Oh, two rings? Oh, jeez, hoser forgot there's supposed to be like two rings, eh. That's starting to get a little pricey - why don't we save it and go to Niagara Falls instead? Check out that Madame Tussaud's wax museum!

But truly. No, don't be shocked about the England/Britain/Wales thing - I never really knew the difference until I actually travelled to the UK. It's possible I learned it once in geography class, but when you're trying to memorize all the African capitals for a quiz, some knowledge just has to make way. And as for Australian accents, again it took me ages to be able to recognize one straight away, and I had to live in an area where I wasn't hearing Canadian accents all the time - I mean, I doubt most Australians can hear the difference between a Maritime accent and a Toronto one, whereas to me that's pretty clear.

18:18 / 27.10.05

i think the england-as-britain-as-england thing comes from the fact that almost all english folks refer to england rather than britain as a matter of course, saying things like "the queen of england" and the like.
there are more english folks than scots or welsh, so the meme wins.

the fact that we have seperate teams in sport probably helps cement that, especially as scotland and wales suck at many of them.

northern ireland is conflated less, i believe, because of the infamous violence and the visibily that gives the country.

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