I write on the eve of Canada Day. Earlier in the day a call from a colleague in the States confirmed that Americans don’t know a thing about Canada Day (okay, it's a small sample…but she has lots of friends!). Our informal poll concluded that, while probably 95% of Canadians know about July 4th, maybe 2% of Americans know about Canada Day. That’s so typical of Americans, my friend said, if it’s not about us, we’re not interested. Yes, that might sound like a serious indictment of her fellow citizens, but which is worse: not being interested in other countries or not being interested in your own?A poll just released about how much Canadians know about Canada reveals we don’t know much. Only 31% of Canadians could name the previous Prime Minister—yikes, that’s not much of a short term memory; only 16% knew the country’s longest river (I assume more Americans would be able to name the Mississippi), and answers varied widely as to when Newfoundland joined confederation. The poll apparently didn't ask what percentage know the words to the National Anthem. While everyone knows Canadians love not-being-American, I’m not sure how wild they are about being Canadian. This isn’t new news, but there’s something a wee bit disheartening to have it reconfirmed so close to Canada Day...
Wait! Hold it, stop the presses--I'm guilty of seeing Canada through my American eyes. Canadians are wild about being Canadian. It's just that they're Canadian, so it doesn't look particularly wild. Now we're on to something! Tomorrow I'll go down to the celebrations on Parliament Hill and, watching the mild-mannered festivities, I'll remind myself this is wild patriotism, Canada-style.
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