Useful Notes / Canada

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Canada is a Northern American country and the second largest country in the world by area^note fourth if only land area is counted. Compared to other countries its population (40 million people) is rather modest at best, with a population density of only 4.0 people per square kilometre (for reference, the United Kingdom squeezes 276 people into the same space). The ten provinces and three Northern territories maintain a friendly rivalry, usually resorting to snide jokes and CFL (Canadian football) playoffs. Why is it like this? Mainly because of the country's confusing origins as a former British and French colony and exacerbated regional differences between the west, center, and east. That said, Canada is still a unified country, and the regional rivalry that goes on is similar to that of any other country.

Three of the most memorable moments to most Canadians in their history include: the War of 1812 in which a fledgling colony was defended from the invading southern forces from the United States; the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge in which the outstanding logistician and professional engineer General Arthur William Currie (equal only to the Australian General and Civil Engineer John Monash) captured a godforsaken ridge from the Germans and successfully held it against counter-attack; and finally, Game 8, 1972, Canada v. Soviet Union, a championship hockey game that older Canadians still remember to this day.^note Henderson SCORES!!!

Insisting that Canada is still a Dominion of the United Kingdom or is in any way in some sort of union with the United States is bound to stir up some backdraft amongst Canadians, as will suggesting that the French-speaking province of Quebec should be independent (outside of Quebec, minus certain parts of Montreal). Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth realm with King Charles III as head of state, and the monarch continuing to retain certain ceremonial roles such as appointing the Governor General of Canada (who carries out the day-to-day duties of head of state). The Crown of Canada is legally distinct and separate from the Crown of the United Kingdom. Legally speaking, the role of King of Canada and King of the United Kingdom are two separate and equivalent positions that happen to be held by the same person. As for Parliament and the Constitution, they’ve been around as independent entities since 1867, but it took about 115 years to get the British Parliament to fully renounce its control over Canada’s laws and foreign policy.^note 1867 is when the first British North America Act was passed, creating the modern federal government of Canada including Parliament, meaning it is the core of Canada’s Constitution. A constitutional crisis in Ottawa in 1926 over the Governor-General’s powers eventually led to the Statute of Westminster in 1931, which allowed the Parliaments of Canada, Ireland, Newfoundland (which joined Canada in 1949), Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa near-full control of their laws and foreign policy. But because of disagreements between the feds and the provinces especially Quebec, Canada requested an exemption on constitutional matters, so it had to run its amendments by the British Parliament until agreements resulted in the BNAA of 1949 (allowing limited devolution) and the Canada Act 1982, which fully cut off the British Parliament, specified which documents may make up the Constitution, and created a Canadian Charter of Rights. Quebec never ratified (so has de jure disputes with) the Canada Act despite efforts in 1987 and 1992 to resolve this.

Culturally, Canadians are perceived as being modest, quiet, shy, always apologizing, and a bit like a backwards rustic neighbour of the US (kind of like Minnesota writ large).^note However, as we discover in 2025 and 2026, Beware the Quiet Ones. Cultural similarities to America are profound, but those similarities are heatedly protested by Canadians. If one is asked to think of "Canada", generally the idea of plaid-wearing lumberjacks in a snow-filled pine forest where moose and beavers frolic about and bears savagely roam is imagined. Somewhere, ice hockey is filled in.^note If you want to be instantly made fun of and regarded as backward and/or slow, refer to it as "ice hockey" while in Canada. It's 'hockey', no qualifier needed (or accepted) under any circumstance ever. Maple syrup (as well as the maple leaf, which is on Canada's flag) is commonly associated with Canada, and it's hard to imagine it not covered in snow and freezing.

Tropes associated with Canada include:

• Canada Does Not Exist
• Canadian Equals Hockey Fan
• Courteous Canadian
• Crass Canuck
• Girlfriend in Canada
• Kooky Cascadia: The western portions of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory are part of the Cascadia bioregion.
• Moose and Maple Syrup
• Only So Many Canadian Actors, like six degrees of Canadian Bacon
• Quirky Neighbour Country: Canada is the standard one for the United States.
• Singing Mountie

Indexes associated with Canada include:

• Canadian Actors, Comedians, and Other Artists
• Canadian Authors
• Canadian Media
  • Canadian Movies
  • Canadian Music
  • Canadian Series
  • Canadian Video Games
  • Canadian Video Game Companies
• Canadian Voice Actors
• Native American and First Nations Media
• U.S./Canadian Comics

Useful Notes:

Geography

• Canadian Provinces and Territories
  • Quebec, the largest and only fully Francophone province; their culture and penchant to be different from the rest of Canada, not to mention the separatist issue, now warrants its own page.
• Cities:
  • Toronto, the biggest city and the financial hub of Canada, but it is not the national capital (that's Ottawa, also in Ontario but a bit to the Northeast; Toronto is the provincial capital — one of the surprisingly few in Canada whose largest city serves that function^note The largest city is the provincial capital of five provinces — Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador).
    • Toronto Subway, the oldest and busiest metro network in Canada, and one of the busiest in North America.
  • Montreal, the fourth largest French speaking city in the world after Kinshasa, Abidjan, and Paris (as of 2016). However, English is commonly (though not universally) spoken, and you can easily get around the city with only a smattering of French. Not the provincial capital of Quebec, (that would be Quebec City).
  • Vancouver, the financial centre for Western Canada, with a massive Pacific port. It is the city that is not Seattle, no matter how much Hollywood wants to convince you otherwise. Largest city in British Columbia, but not the provincial capital (that would be Victoria).
    • Vancouver SkyTrain, the oldest and longest driverless metro network in the Americas.
• Niagara Falls; although shared with the United States, it is the Canadian Falls which generally feature in media, as they are larger and some feel, more beautiful.
• North American Numbering Plan (telephone numbering system shared with the US and several other regions).

Law & Government

• Canadian Politics
  • Canadian Prime Ministers
• Canucks with Chinooks, the Canadian military
• The Mounties, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
• The Common Law
• The British Empire/The Commonwealth of Nations: Canada is part of this.

Culture, History, & Misc.

• Canadian Accents
  • Canadian Accent Influences
• Canadian Education System
• Canadian Football League Remember: There are three downs, not four, and the field is larger (and there are more players on it).
• Canadian History
• Ice Hockey, the national winter sport. Note that calling it "Ice Hockey" within Canadian borders will instantly identify you as a laughably clueless foreigner; it's just "hockey".
  • National Hockey League the sports league in Canada, containing 7 teams^note The Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks. that call the country home.
  • NHL Names To Know
• Major League Baseball Despite the Toronto Blue Jays being the only Canadian-based team^note Before 2005, they also had the Montreal Expos who moved to Washington, D.C.., they do have a notable presence within Canadian sports culture.
• National Basketball Association much like with the Blue Jays, the NBA also has a presence in Canadian sports, despite the Toronto Raptors being the country's only team.^note And much like MLB, the NBA also used to have the Vancouver Grizzlies before they moved to Memphis in 2001.
• Major League Soccer Even if it's the My Friends... and Zoidberg of the major sports leagues, they do have three Canadian Teams: Toronto FC, CF Montreal, and the Vancouver Whitecaps.
• Maple Syrup: One of the most emblematic products of Canada, up to the point where the maple leaf is on the flag of Canada.

• Capital: Ottawa
• Largest city: Toronto
• Population: 40,528,396
• Area: 9,984,670 km (3,855,100 sq mi) (2nd)
• Government: Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The British monarch appoints the Governor-General. Canada has a Westminster-style parliamentary system, like the UK.
• Currency: Canadian dollar ($) (CAD)
• ISO-3166-1 Code: CA
• Country calling code: 1
• Highest point: Mount Logan (5959 m/19,551 ft)
• Lowest points: Arctic Ocean (1,038 m/3,406 ft), Atlantic Ocean (3,646 m/11,962 ft) and Pacific Ocean (10,911 m/35,797 ft)