Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

[Haven Walkur]

I'm running a Canadian character in a "Gamma Flight" on-line game, but I'm trying to avoid playing the "comicbook Canadian," eh? As I've never lived in Canada, I'm in desperate need of any tips that the Canadian members of the HEROBoard can give me on how real Canadians actually behave.

 

Please help. I understand that I'm asking the HEROBoard Canadians to speak for all Canadians, but give it a shot; anything you can add about how Canadians might think and act will help!

_____________________________________________________

 

1) Do the English-speaking Canadians have characteristic speech habits ("eh")? If so, do these vary with province?

 

2) How do the people of one province feel about people from other provinces? Do Canadians feel the same way about the provinces that the Americans do about the states?

 

3) How strong are Canada's ties to the Commonwealth and to Great Britain? Are pictures of the Queen displayed in schoolrooms and places of business? How much does Great Britain come up in everyday Canadian life, and how much does the U.S. come up? Be honest, could real live Canadians care less about either country?

 

4) How do Canadians feel about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police? Are the Mounties equivalent to America's FBI, or more like the Texas Rangers?

 

5) How much tension is there between the English- and French-speaking Canadians? Is it something people see every day?

 

6) Do the Canadians travel much inside Canada? How much of Canada is accessible (without heroic effort)?

[Tiree]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

From my three month visit to Canada - The biggest change I found for me were just the minor stuff -

 

Gasoline - Petrol

About - Aboot

Restroom - Washroom

 

I was in an area that was a bit depressed. So people did have a hankering against people with money. Since I was not in Quebec, you could tell they had a distain for that province, BUT it was lesser than their disdain for the US.

[burbidge]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

I am Canadian. I have lived in and around Toronto my whole life.

I have never said Petrol instead of Gasoline, that sounds more British to me, I say Gas.

I don't say Aboot.

I do say Washroom.

I also do use "Eh" from time to time. Not sure I could give you a good rule as to when "eh" works and when it just sounds stupid. I use it on the end of questions occationaly, as in: "Cool, eh?"

We say Pop, not Soda.

Couch not Sofa.

Cool Beans is never said. My brother who now lives in texas said "Cool Beans" to me on a trip home one time it seemed very strange as saying go to me.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, hope it helps.

 

Geoff Burbidge.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

I'm running a Canadian character in a "Gamma Flight" on-line game, but I'm trying to avoid playing the "comicbook Canadian," eh? As I've never lived in Canada, I'm in desperate need of any tips that the Canadian members of the HEROBoard can give me on how real Canadians actually behave.

 

Please help. I understand that I'm asking the HEROBoard Canadians to speak for all Canadians, but give it a shot; anything you can add about how Canadians might think and act will help!

 

Okay, I'll offer what I can. Let me start with your specific questions:

 

 

1) Do the English-speaking Canadians have characteristic speech habits ("eh")? If so' date=' do these vary with province?[/quote']

 

Generally, Canadians use "eh" the way that Americans use "huh." There are a few minor quirks that vary somewhat from region to region - you've seen a few examples in previous posts - but for the most part the usage is pretty similar to American English, much more so than British. One thing that is noticeable to many Americans is that Canadians tend to pronounce "r" farther back in the throat, almost like a cliched pirate's "arrrh!"

 

What's even more noticeable is the variation in accents in regions across the country. The eastern Atlantic accent is strongly influenced by Irish and Scottish Gaelic, which becomes stronger the farther east you go. OTOH as you head westward across the prairies (at least before you hit the Rockies) the accent becomes more reminiscent of the Amercan West; folks in Alberta sound very much like those from Montana, which is just south of the border.

 

One tip: if you ever saw the comedic TV show "Hee Haw!", the character of the news reader was played by a Canadian actor and patterned after the speech of rural Ontario.

 

 

2) How do the people of one province feel about people from other provinces? Do Canadians feel the same way about the provinces that the Americans do about the states?

 

Well, Canadians tend to group themselves into "regions," rather than separate provinces. If you wanted to divide North America in terms of culture, it would be more logical to do so lengthwise rather than crosswise. Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island) is most similar culturally to New England. Central Canada (Quebec and Ontario) strongly resembles New York State and Michigan. As I mentioned, the Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta) have a lot in common with Montana or Dakota. The province of British Columbia shares much with the states of the American West Coast.

 

Mind you, all of this applies to the parts of the country relatively close to the American border. The northern parts of the country see themselves as distinct from the south, where population, money and power are concentrated (and that's a source of resentment). The north is often sparsely populated, with a high percentage of that being aboriginal; it would probably come across as a little like Alaska.

 

Some of the stronger divisions of the country are between these regions, particularly the West (Manitoba to British Columbia) vs. Central Canada. Of course Quebec sees itself as distinct from the entirety of English Canada. And there's always friction between every province and the federal government. However, those divisions rarely break out into open hostility. (More on this for your later questions.)

 

 

3) How strong are Canada's ties to the Commonwealth and to Great Britain? Are pictures of the Queen displayed in schoolrooms and places of business? How much does Great Britain come up in everyday Canadian life' date=' and how much does the U.S. come up? Be honest, could real live Canadians care less about either country?[/quote']

 

Actually, the Queen is the official head of state of Canada, although in practical terms England has virtually no influence on the conduct of the Canadian government. There is a fairly strong Monarchist sympathy in English Canada, but the French in Quebec generally have little interest in the monarchy. Pictures of the Queen often do appear in federal institutions (that head-of-state thing again), and her picture is on some of our stamps, as well as the twenty-dollar bill. In day-to-day living, though, the Queen and Britain don't impact us much. The influence of the United States is far greater. Our economy is inextricably tied to yours, our airwaves and movie theatres are saturated with your media, and your tourists make up the bulk of that industry for us. Re your earlier question about relations between the provinces, they often have closer economic and cultural ties to the American states to the south of them, than to their neigbouring provinces. Lots of Canadians escape our winter by flocking in droves to your southern states.

 

The Canadian relationship to the United States is a rather complex one, including genuine fondness and admiration, jealousy, and resentment of what's often perceived as American arrogance and insular thinking. (I'm not making a judgement, just passing on the common view.) Canadians in general feel that America tends to take us for granted, not treating us seriously unless we do something that ticks you off.

 

 

4) How do Canadians feel about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police? Are the Mounties equivalent to America's FBI' date=' or more like the Texas Rangers?[/quote']

 

In general the RCMP functions rather like the FBI in the United States, but the Canadian view of the Mounties is more romanticised. In our traditional view of history the Mounties were the policemen of the frontier; our West wasn't pacified by individualists, but through the extension of authority. That image is kept alive in parades and other events when the Mounties wear their traditional uniforms and perform on horseback.

 

 

5) How much tension is there between the English- and French-speaking Canadians? Is it something people see every day?

 

A generation ago it was much more noticeable, but nowadays it doesn't manifest overtly very often. Some people still grumble about the federal government being officially bilingual, but we've learned to accept it overall. When you enter Quebec, though, you immediately realize that you're in a French territory. All signs are in French, it's the dominant language, and the separatist movement in Quebec is still a powerful political force. In some smaller communities it can be difficult to find help in English (and a few people will still be angry if you don't speak French). OTOH in Montreal a great many people are bilingual (at least), and it's not hard to get around in English. Truth to tell, many more French Canadians speak English than the other way around.

 

 

6) Do the Canadians travel much inside Canada? How much of Canada is accessible (without heroic effort)?

 

As I mentioned previously, Canadians often travel south to the States more often than east or west. Not only is Canada huge, but 80% of the populace lives within 100 miles of the American border. When you consider that travelling from Toronto to Vancouver is equivalent to going from Detroit to San Francisco, you'll understand why the east-to-west linkage isn't tremendously deep. OTOH all that space, especially in the west and north, tends to make Canadians more accustomed to long travel. For example, Calgary and Edmonton are considered relatively close at nearly 200 miles.

 

A few more things to keep in mind:

 

Canadians like to think of themselves as being polite, friendly and considerate, at least compared to Americans (again, just info, not an opinion).

 

Canadian culture emphasizes a "mosaic" rather than "melting pot" model. In other words, it's generally accepted that immigrants to Canada add to the country by retaining and displaying much of their original cultures, rather than trying to assimilate into the majority. That philosophy isn't universally adhered to, though, and conflicts definitely occur.

 

Canada doesn't have a history of state-supported slavery, at least since it became a country; so while black/white tension does occur, it's not as deeply set in the public consciousness as it is in America. I've often noticed that black American athletes who play for our cities say that they feel more accepted here than they do at home.

 

There isn't the same gun culture here as in America. For the most part guns are seen as a tool of law enforcement rather than an individual right, and Canada's gun laws are much stricter. Mind you, that attitude shifts somewhat in the rural areas, especially in the West, where rifles and shotguns are viewed essentially as tools. There's been some political disagreement between regions in recent years over this issue.

 

Canadians in general are not as overtly patriotic as Americans. With the exception of Quebecois, open flag-waving and nationalistic cheerleading are seen as almost rude. Our self-image is rather self-effacing, which may be why political and social humor is pretty mainstream here.

 

Canadians cherish our socialized health care system. Most of us don't think twice about seeing a doctor when we're sick, and have trouble understanding why Americans find the concept so controversial.

 

I hope this helped. I'm sure you'll have more that you want to know, so feel free to post followup questions.

[oryanfactor]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

At the risk of going political here, the reason it's controversial here is that the United States (we are both American) has always had trouble with one size-fits-all government plans about anything and, we like very much choosing our own health care.

 

In fact, it's been suggested that a plan be set up that would provide health care to all, but be optional, and the response from those promoting single payer health is that it wouldn't work, we need to mandate it. Mandates get to be tricky business.

 

That being said, we United Statesians are a suspicious lot, and seem to be about 3 1/2 seconds from our next revolution at any given moment in time.

 

oryan

[Zed-F]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

1) Do the English-speaking Canadians have characteristic speech habits ("eh")? If so, do these vary with province?

Yes, and yes. Some areas have very distinctive speech. Others have pretty much 'North American Standard' with few differences. Generally the most distinctive speech patterns can be found in Atlantic Canada.

 

2) How do the people of one province feel about people from other provinces? Do Canadians feel the same way about the provinces that the Americans do about the states?

Mostly, individual people from other provinces are treated just like anyone else. However, provinces as a whole develop reputations. Moreover, there is a certain amount of tension between the provinces based on political divisions, but this is again generally not enough to infuence relations between individual people.

 

3) How strong are Canada's ties to the Commonwealth and to Great Britain? Are pictures of the Queen displayed in schoolrooms and places of business? How much does Great Britain come up in everyday Canadian life, and how much does the U.S. come up? Be honest, could real live Canadians care less about either country?

Canada's ties to the Commonwealth are pretty loose. We do participate in Commonwealth Games and so forth, but in general you could spend a large amount of time in Canada and never realize there were any ties to England at all, except for some things like the way certain words are usually spelled in the British fashion rather than the American one. In general, American culture has considerably more impact on Canada than British culture does.

 

4) How do Canadians feel about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police? Are the Mounties equivalent to America's FBI, or more like the Texas Rangers?

The RCMP are a combination of State Troopers and the FBI. In some rural areas they are the only police force. In the cities, however, municipal or provincial police do that job, and the RCMP presence is more at the federal level.

 

5) How much tension is there between the English- and French-speaking Canadians? Is it something people see every day?

At an individual level, not much, usually. At a political level, it's something that crops up regularily but not every day. It is of particular importance near election times, but not so much otherwise.

 

6) Do the Canadians travel much inside Canada? How much of Canada is accessible (without heroic effort)?

Canadians travel within Canada as much as Americans travel within the States, I'd imagine. A short trip to go camping in a neighboring province makes a good 'small' vacation. A cross-country trip would be a 'big' vacation, with commensurate expense and frequency. All of the southern portions of Canada is fairly readily accessible, though you can expect a fair bit of driving in some circumstances, and cross-country trips are usually done by air. The northern parts of Canada are accessible without heroic measures for the most part, unless you want to get *way* out there, but are more effort than most people would want to make for a casual vacation.

[SirViss]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Just a question:

...

The province of Vancouver shares much with the states of the American West Coast.

...

When did THIS happen?!? And was it the island or only the city that became a province?

 

[Greywind]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

From what I've noticed, living on the border, Canadians, on a whole, tend to speak a more proper English, somewhere between the Brit stiff upper lip and the sloppier Americanized.

 

Also, playing online, if it is in play by post, to be more "authentic" don't forget the silent "u" that they have tendency to sneak into words; colour, honour, etc.

[Supreme Serpent]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Disclaimer: not a Canadian. I have traveled to BC twice, once for a couple of months for business, second time for pleasure for couple of weeks. Oh, and to Quebec/Montreal years and years ago for a few days.

 

Random bits and impressions.

 

At least where I was, they shot off fireworks on Halloween.

 

Tim Hortons has yummy donuts. Timbits are good.

http://www.timhortons.com/en/index.html

 

Canadians are good at placing their wildlife signs. If you're driving along and see a sign that says goats, there are goats ahead. If you ever see a T-rex sign, look out.

 

The Centre of the Universe is in Victoria, BC.

http://hia-iha.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/cu/main_e.html

 

Many Canadians are up-front and direct. To some, can seem tactless. Fun trying to teach them American style "dance around the issue and don't call the idiot an idiot" customer service.

 

Z is pronounced "Zed" not "Zee"

 

A lot of brands are a little "off" from what you'd expect in the US. Smarties instead of M&M's, etc.

 

****'s in metric everywhere. How many kilometres can you go on a liter? Gahhh!

 

Rather than go into slang specifics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_slang

[Greywind]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Tim Horton's invaded America.

 

A general rule of Canada is that 90% of the people live on 10% of the land.

[Chiba Bob]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

To define a Canadian as part of one large socio-economic entity very difficult to do. You need to narrow your Character's focus down to a specific region and ethnic background. For example, I was born and raised in B.C. most of my life and have a Irish/English-Lithuania background. One of my half-sisters has an Italian background while my other half-sister and brother have a Jamaican background, and that's just my family. I have friend from Mexico was born in Chile and raised in England. I could go on.........

 

One's Canadian perspective shifts depending on cultural background. In B.C. The whole English/French thing seems very trite when socio-economic makeup of B.C in composed of Native Americans, East Indian, German, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, French, French Canadian, Italian, Korean and Vietnamese ... just to name a few. Each of these cultural backgrounds, each having its own unique Canadian identity, in B.C. in the greater whole. I can stereotype certain cultural segments of B.C.'s population but on the whole ... it would be very difficult and would seem comic bookish.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Just a question:

 

When did THIS happen?!? And was it the island or only the city that became a province?

 

 

You mean there's something out there besides Vancouver?

 

 

Edited, and thanks for pointing it out.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Canadians are good at placing their wildlife signs. If you're driving along and see a sign that says goats' date=' there are goats ahead. If you ever see a T-rex sign, look out. [/quote']

 

Now this is sig-worthy.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Some of the stronger divisions of the country are between these regions' date=' particularly the West (Manitoba to British Columbia) vs. Central Canada. Of course Quebec sees itself as distinct from the entirety of English Canada. And there's always friction between every province and the federal government. However, those divisions rarely break out into open hostility. (More on this for your later questions.)[/quote']

 

To comprehend the regions, you need a map of Canada. Now picture a cow standing over the map. The head is over the prairies, where the cow grazes on the lush fields of grain. The udders sit over central Canada (Ontario and Quebec), so they get the milk and the cream. And let's not discuss which part sits over the Maritimes, or what they get as a result...

 

That's pretty much Canadian regionalism in a nutshell. Many in the west and the east view Toronto, for example, as believing the universe revolves around them.

 

If you want a summary of how Canadians view one another, try and find a song called "Toronto Sucks" by the Arrogant Worms. Link to lyrics: http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Toronto-Sucks-lyrics-The-Arrogant-Worms/CDC197A42F2982BA48256F86002D386A

 

As I mentioned previously' date=' Canadians often travel south to the States more often than east or west. Not only is Canada huge, but 80% of the populace lives within 100 miles of the American border. When you consider that travelling from Toronto to Vancouver is equivalent to going from Detroit to San Francisco, you'll understand why the east-to-west linkage isn't tremendously deep. OTOH all that space, especially in the west and north, tends to make Canadians more accustomed to long travel. For example, Calgary and Edmonton are considered relatively close at nearly 200 miles. [/quote']

 

As a Western Canadian, I'm more familiar with US issues than with Quebec. I've had several experiences that say it's easier to expand a busines north-south than east-west, although that senitiment is changing as the US has tightened border control since 9/11. Apparently, the Montreal banks just about shut down just before the last "separation" vote as those with any significant wealth tried to shift it to a branch outside Quebec.

 

And if you have a plan to get those Calgarians further away, we'd be interested in hearing it.

 

There isn't the same gun culture here as in America. For the most part guns are seen as a tool of law enforcement rather than an individual right' date=' and Canada's gun laws are much stricter. Mind you, that attitude shifts somewhat in the rural areas, especially in the West, where rifles and shotguns are viewed essentially as tools. There's been some political disagreement between regions in recent years over this issue.[/quote']

 

Most of what I've seen has been a failure of the central urban government to comprehend that, in rural locations, guns are needed due to [predators (I'm urban myself, so don't ask me who's wrong or right). The biggest frustration of recent years has been the massive funding of a gun registry which seems incapable of any efficiencies, and is now proposed for dismantling.

 

Canadians cherish our socialized health care system. Most of us don't think twice about seeing a doctor when we're sick' date=' and have trouble understanding why Americans find the concept so controversial.[/quote]

 

Probably as much trouble as Americans have understanding how we can tolerate the concept so readily...

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

You mean there's something out there besides Vancouver?

 

Ironically, I'm typing this in a hotel in Victoria...

[L.Craig]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

I think as Canadians we are laid back, and as rivals in Canada, I live on the West Coast on Vancouver island and I can't stand Ontario, especially Toronto and the Leafs.

[Aeralys]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

I too, am canadian, and I think the only problem I've seen yet, besides whoever thought vancouver was a province was the comment that we travel to the USA more than internally.

 

This you will find is only true when talking about bussiness people. For the most part, especially here in western canada, we would rather go to B.C. and the rockies then down to the states, it's too much of a hastle.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

1) Do the English-speaking Canadians have characteristic speech habits ("eh")? If so' date=' do these vary with province?[/quote']

I varies greatly by region.

2) How do the people of one province feel about people from other provinces? Do Canadians feel the same way about the provinces that the Americans do about the states?

There is some low level rivalry. Mostly Sports and Politics. As for the States... I do not know?

3) How strong are Canada's ties to the Commonwealth and to Great Britain? Are pictures of the Queen displayed in schoolrooms and places of business? How much does Great Britain come up in everyday Canadian life' date=' and how much does the U.S. come up? Be honest, could real live Canadians care less about either country?[/quote']

The term "Royal" comes up often and Canadians generally enjoy British Humour. The US comes up more often and views vary greatly, but American Policies are common.

4) How do Canadians feel about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police? Are the Mounties equivalent to America's FBI' date=' or more like the Texas Rangers?[/quote']

The RCMP is viewed as THE Police in BC.

5) How much tension is there between the English- and French-speaking Canadians? Is it something people see every day?

It varies.

6) Do the Canadians travel much inside Canada? How much of Canada is accessible (without heroic effort)?

Yes, and every part of Canada mostly accessible without Heroic Effort. There is just a lot of it.

 

Does that help?

 

QM

[Terry Wilcox]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

And if you have a plan to get those Calgarians further away' date=' we'd be interested in hearing it.[/quote']

 

We're getting closer; we're buying all your real estate.

 

And any song by the Arrogant Worms is a good Canadian song: The Last Saskatchewan Pirate, Rocks and Trees, etc.

[Tiree]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Don't forget your loonies and toonies (1 and 2 dollar coins)

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Newfie Jokes ~ "NewFoundland wants Quebec to secede. It means a 6 hour less drive to Ottawa"

 

Geo Political Map of Canada for reference.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/Map_Canada_political-geo.png

[Pentoth]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Another thing is that we don't seem to have figured out where we stand as a people politically. We are more liberal than the U.S. but less liberal that Europe. Our last two government's have been a minority. When I talk to most people they seem to like this because it prevents either sides agenda from being pushed to hard. We are very moderate in our point of views. For eample we seem to be split about 50/50 in the gay marriage debate. Also because of all the lies that have been told to us by the Conservative and the Liberal governments we have a very low opinion of politics. Voter turn outs are getting so low (especially with youths) that on various political shows the question of legislating voting has even come up. In Ontario at least people seem to prefer a politician that takes a stand and does something damaging to a politician that does nothing at all.

 

Don't underestimate that to many Canadian Hockey is almost a religion. Another thing is that we DON'T HATE AMERICANS... Fox news is completely wrong on that. We may not like Bush (he ignored us in his thank you speach because he said it was "implied". As well as his dismissal of the friendly fire bombings of Canadian soldiers. He didn't say anything until pressed.) but we don't hate the U.S. Another interesting point on Canadian U.S. relations our governments were not as buddy/buddy as we think of them as being until Ronald Reagan and Brian Mulrooney were both in power. In fact Nixon and Trudeau were known to curse each other out.

[keithcurtis]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

Geo Political Map of Canada for reference.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a2/Map_Canada_political-geo.png

I use this one.

http://savageearth.net/Merikia.jpg

 

Keith "hee-hee-hee" Curtis

 

PS. In all seriousness, this is an interesting thread, since Susan and I will shortly live a short ferry ride away from our northern neighbors.

[Chiba Bob]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

OK ... I vote that Keith has too much time on his hands!

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Questions for the Canadian HEROBoard members

 

OK ... I vote that Keith has too much time on his hands!

 

If he thinks Fresno to Canada is a short ferry ride, I have to agree.

 

Hugh "Geography was never my strong suit, however..." Neilson