The idea is not to bash, just talk about all the influences to the culture.

wabigoon;
I trust this finds you well this chilly February evening sir.

Well let's see, the British brought us hockey and the Scots brought curling - both of which influenced our entire culture quite a bit I'd say.

The various nationalities brought cooking here and regionally one can find it in grocery stores and restaurants. So from perogies to poutine to Saskatoon pie it'll depend on where you might find yourself in Canada as to whether it's regionally popular.

Some areas of the prairies where I grew up had a fair bit of European architectural influence, though the bigger buildings typically were more British influenced than any other I'd suggest.

Canada is apparently known internationally for our ability to drink and swear so I've read.

The drinking came with each immigrant group - from German and eastern European beers to whiskey and whisky from Scotland and Ireland.

Swearing just comes naturally with living here in our mosquito infested 1 month of summer and our frigid 11 months of winter. I blame all immigrants for teaching their offspring to swear.

Anyway that's a brief overview wabigoon I could go on but will likely stop with the observation that to this day our conservative banking could well stem from the cautious Scots who ran the HBC posts.

All the best to you and yours wabigoon.

Dwayne

Where else can you see a good game of lacrosse?

Our local culture is definitely being influenced in a most positive way with the influx of cheerful, industrious people coming from the Philipines.

And all the urine bottle tossing asian truck drivers infecting our land.

We don't have any Asian truck drivers up here, but we do a a surplus of those filled bottles, so I think it's just a recent habit that's caught on for everyone.

Otherwise, there are evident cultural items in everything in Canada, ranging from food to expressions, and for the most part, it's all for the good. In the North, the Dene and Inuit cultures are also providing a different insight that's not seen in Southern Canada.

I grew up in a town where you could hear the pipe band practice on a summer night before going to watch lacrosse.

I personally think we're headed for a mess in this country eventually with multiculturalism.

I personally think you are right. Matter of fact, I think we are already part ways into that mess.

The sixty-four dollar question is, what are you going to do about it?

Yup and yup. A major overhaul of our multiculturalism policies is desperately needed. The Australian PM is a good example for our leadership in this regard.

Multiculturalism has never worked and never will long term.

Damn straight! Send all the Africans and Asians back to wherever the heck they came from! I'm certain that they're from the Lower Mainland or California or somewhere.

You can find them easily enough. We got a bunch of Russian and Uke imports boiling cabbage and beets. Guaranteed they'll be around for the free meal!

The Poles are too lazy to walk over to the cabbage pot so they'll call the Germans and Italians names. Guaranteed the Huns will toss sausage and sauerkraut through the air at them. Heck, the Pollacks are used to it. The Germans have attacked and invaded them before.

The Italians are too scared to fight back, but they'll wag their fingers at everyone, and threaten folks with the Pope as retaliation. That's just what we need; priests running loose in the general population.

And while you're at it kick the damn French and Norwegians out too. How the hell can you order food from a menu when you can't even pronounce the words!

Just keep the Algonguins around. I need family to build my damn summer home on the Muskokas. There will be a lot more room once you layabouts are gone. Don't let the door hit your collective asses on the way out. Now, I'm too lazy to build things myself, so I'll get my brother in law to do it (if he's sober...)

Multiculturalism worked to build the railroad. Of course, they couldn't find any other volunteers.

"They say there is one dead Chinese man, for every mile of the track..."
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https://www.historicacanada.ca/content/heritage-minutes/nitro

So much depends on one's definition of "multiculturalism".

Steve, your confusing race, nationality with culture.

Yes he is. My earlier statement had nothing to do with race.

No, one thing I never do is confuse anything with anything. You're confused, thinking that Canadians have any culture up here. This is the only culture Canadians got



There is no culture here, but there used to be. Canada is a barren wasteland. Do you know that in the 1700s, despite all the French people around here, you couldn't even get a decent bottle of wine?
---




We had culture once, but the Brits and the French showed up, brought fish and chips and Jesuits, and the country went to hell.

Oh, the Jesuits. I think many of us would like to forget them. "We'll civilize you! Your culture is backwards and evil. Merde! You really don't have any culture, but we'll help."

Steve said, "Hey Father, you know where "help" is in the dictionary? Right between hell and hepatitis!"

But wait, there's more! Time for a little residential school hu-m�r. Time now for a cultural exchange!

A man walked up to a Franciscan and a Jesuit and asked, "How many novenas must you say to get a Mercedes Benz?" The Franciscan asked, "What's a Mercedes Benz?" The Jesuit asked, "What's a novena?"

Culture? Are you kidding? An Augustinian, a Franciscan, and a Jesuit all died and were standing at the gate to heaven. Jesus asked each one, "If you could go back, what would you change"?

The Augustinian thought for a moment and said, "There's so much sin in the world. If I went back, I'd try and stop people from sinning so much."

The Franciscan thought for a bit too and said, "There's so much poverty in the world. If I went back, I'd try and get people to share more of their wealth with the poor."

The Jesuit looked at Jesus and replied, "If I went back, I'd change my doctor..."

Uh huh! So try this: A nun at a native school asked her students what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Suzy said, "I want to be a prostitute."

"What did you say?!" asked the nun, totally shocked.

"I said, I want to be a prostitute," Suzy repeated.

"Oh, thank heavens," said the nun. "I thought you said you wanted to be a Protestant!"
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Here's some culture! Everybody loves to sing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SND3v0i9uhE

A Catholic boy and a Jewish boy were talking. The Catholic kid said, "My priest knows more than your rabbi." The Jewish boy said, "Of course he does, you tell him everything!"

Oh my, I think I just channeled Nelson, BC.

Either way .... I don't like the way it's headed. I'm tired of politicians telling telling me we need more people here from afar.

There was a region in BC somewhere that wanted the government to let them stop using Canadian law and let them take on Sharia law. Excuse me. This is Canada . . . . you don't like our laws, find someplace to live where the existing laws are more to your liking.

Keith,

Too bad the government didn't apply that thinking to the Sikhs who wanted to wear turbans in the Mounties. Just another reason to have a lack of respect for Mounties.

Jim

Jim,

Amen to that. Too much bleeding heart BS going around these days. We need a hard, strong leader of this country who will hold to and maintain CANADIAN ideals, culture, and traditions. If others wish to come to our country, be prepared to accept those conditions. If you don't like it, or think you can find better circumstances elsewhere, you're welcome to go there instead.

Jordan,

I agree completely!

Jim

Paul we 'll always welcome you over here ...

Phil

I was talking to a friend about immigrants the other day.
His notion is, he is for them if they come to build the country up.
Not for them if they want to tear the country down.

Therein lies the rub.

Right on. I hear what you are saying and should clarify my statement. .... I have no problem whatsoever with folks who want to come here and assimilate into Canadian culture and all it has to offer. My problem stems from those who come here with no intention of assimilation and try to change us to fit their ways.

x2! .... A unified country is strong. Division will weaken.

Food is a part of culture, think of all the different foods the "old", immigrants introduced to "us".
Not just Chinese food either.

Somehow, the older wave seems like it must have been easier to accept, but I doubt if the established people looked at it that way.

Things took a turn with John Cabot, and Christopher Columbus, not to mention Leif Erickson.
Like it or not, I think we're stuck.

Nobody knows these people who died 500 + years ago. Chinese were brought to Canada for cheap labor on the railroads. Economics is what drove our economy same as every where else.

I heard you very well and I agree very well on it.

all the best.

Exactly! Just like the white man assimilated into the native Mohawk and Algonquin culture eh;-)

Culture is not static; get over it.

So long as people follow the laws of the land, I don't give a rats a&& what they wear, who they worship and what they eat.

I do. If I decide to eat you, I hope that you were grain fed. Sadly, few humans remain uncontaminated. You are probably full of chemicals too.

The most amusing misconception found while living along the border is that most Americans think "why they are just like us".

Nope, far more like England and Australia. One need look no farther than the gun laws and allowing one Province to have all signs in English torn down or painted over. Even our whack job state of Kalifornia has not gone off that cliff.

At least you don't have "home grown terrorists" blowing things up (yet).

After we (USA) go down the loo, it will be interesting to see how the new "nation states" are arranged. Betcha it will have far more to do with work ethic and guts than race, religion or heritage.

Loved to visit when the US dollar was strong ...... now it's cheaper to stay home.

Unfortunately, that would be against the laws of the land ;-). Plus I consider anything beyond grass fed to be contaminated.

And here was me, thinking this thread would be about food, music, Scots, Irish, Germans, English, Italians, and other Europeans. I was wrong again.

I wonder what happened to Kutenay, this is his kind of topic..

I hope he is still with us and in good health.... maybe one of his friends can chime in ??

Canada has some very delicious beer. When dining at the Saskatoon Inn I drank some local craft beer the waitress called "honey brown". I think I will always remember the pleasure of that experience.

Multi cultures downside is you may become a minority. Here is a brief preview, in the Houston area, which has become an officially Hispanic majority,many of the radio stations have switched over to Spanish language and Mexican music. I'm glad I'm married because the night clubs are mostly Spanish. Although I enjoy Mexican food, the price is an odd feeling of being in a foreign place and driving around your neighbor hood or city and actually noticing when you see an occasional white or European person.

I can tell you everything about Canadian culture in two words:

Diana Krall.

A good Island girl.