Howdy Canada!

by Rachelle Khalaf

In living so far down south, many Houstonians miss out on the small nuances that differentiate Canadians from Americans. If you live in a border town like Detroit, MI or Buffalo, NY you might understand what “I’ll have a double double” means or what a tuque is. You might wonder why these nuances are so important, it’s because Houstonians have MANY connections to their northern neighboUrs which can be summed up in two words – oil sands.

So, in honoUr of Canada Day, the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act of 1867, which united Canada as a single country of four provinces (we’re up to 10 provinces and 3 territories now!), I’d like to share with my fellow southerners some facts about Canada:

1. Canada is the second largest country in the world.
2. Canada has the ninth biggest economy of the world
3. Canada is the world's eighth biggest trader.
4. The most popular Canadian quick service restaurant is “Tim Horton’s” – a doughnut shop famous for its coffee and ordering rhetoric. Double-double = two creams, two sugars, Regular = one cream, one sugar.
5. Every traffic sign must in French and English, unless you’re in Quebec – then it’s only in French.
6. According to the United Nations Human Development Index, Canada has the highest quality of life in the world.
7. Canadians pronounce the last letter of the alphabet as ZED, not ZEE.
8. The longest running TV show in Canada, since 1955, is “Hockey Night In Canada” which airs on the CBC TV network on Saturday evenings.
9. A tuque is a type of hat – typically worn in winter which is usually about 5 months long – from November to April.
10. Of all of the world's producers of natural gas, copper, zinc, nickel, aluminum, and gold, Canada is in the top five.
11. Canada is the home of many great inventions, including: insulin, basketball, baseball glove, the electric light bulb, the electric range, the electron microscope, standard time, the television, the telephone, and the zipper.
12. Canada is the fifth largest energy producer.
13. Canada has the world's highest tertiary education (or post-secondary) enrolment.
14. Contrary to popular opinion, Canada does not own the North Pole. In fact, the North Pole is not owned by any country. It is believed, however, that Santa Claus is from Canada.