What defines Canada?

On the eve of Canada Day what do people think defines Canada? A new survey for the Dominion Institute posted last Friday finds substantial regional variation, but most interesting is a tabulation of the top 20 items mentioned by the General Public, Immigrants, Educators and Order of Canada Recipients.

For the general public the top ten list is: Maple Leaf, Hockey, Canadian Flag, Beaver, Canadarm, Canada Day, Peacekeeping/ Peacekeeping by the Canadian Forces, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Universal Health Care, Niagara Falls.

The list for immigrants is remarkably similar.

Educators differ in placing Confederation, Terry Fox, Canadian constitution/Charter of rights/Bill of human rights and Vimy Ridge much higher.

Order of Canada Recipients differ even more placing Frederick Banting/Discovery of insulin first, Quebec City/Old Quebec City second and Plains of Abraham 11th, all much higher than for Canadians as whole. Hockey came in only 20th for OC recipients!

As a former meteorologist I wonder why Canada's climate and its extremes didn't rate a mention for a land once described as "quelques arpents de neige" and where "mon pays, ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver."