Canada Day is July 1

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Notes 'n' quotes of our nation

I want to thank all the Canadians who came out today to wave to me - with all five fingers!
– President George W. Bush (during his first visit to Ottawa Nov. 30, 2004)

As always, Canada will now bury its war dead, just as the rest of the world, as always, will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does. It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored. Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance.
– Kevin Myers (The Daily Telegraph, London)

Canadians have an abiding interest in surprising those Americans who have historically made little effort to learn about their neighbour to the north.
– Peter Jennings

The great themes of Canadian history are as follows: Keeping the Americans out, keeping the French in and trying to get the Natives to somehow disappear.
– Will Ferguson

The U.S. is our trading partner, our neighbour, our ally and our friend ... and sometimes we'd like to give them such a smack!
– Rick Mercer

In a world darkened by ethnic conflicts that tear nations apart, Canada stands as a model of how people of different cultures can live and work together in peace, prosperity, and mutual respect.
– Former U.S. president Bill Clinton

When I'm in Canada, I feel this is what the world should be like.
– Jane Fonda

What is a Canadian? A Canadian is a fellow wearing English tweeds, a Hong Kong shirt and Spanish shoes, who sips Brazilian coffee sweetened with Philippine sugar from a Bavarian cup while nibbling Swiss cheese, sitting at a Danish desk over a Persian rug, after coming home in a German car from an Italian movie ... and then writes his Member of Parliament with a Japanese ballpoint pen on French paper, demanding that he do something about foreigners taking away our Canadian jobs.
– Anonymous

The beaver, which has come to represent Canada as the eagle does the United States and the lion Britain, is a flat-tailed, slow-witted, toothy rodent known to bite off its own testicles or to stand under its own falling trees.
– June Callwood

You look at the history - the aboriginal people welcomed the first settlers here with open arms, fed us and took care of us ... that continues today; we welcome people from all nations to come in and share.
– Peter Stoffer

A Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe.
– Pierre Burton

A Canadian is sort of like an American, but without the gun.
– Anonymous

Americans are benevolently ignorant about Canada, while Canadians are malevolently well informed about the United States.
– J. Bartlet Brebner

I think every Canadian should have a map of Canada in his or her house. It should be displayed in a place where one can sit and contemplate the wonderful vastness of this land. As Canadians we are continuously groping for an identity and a sense of love for our nation. We grapple with the concept, find it somewhat distasteful and leave it for another day. We find American flag waving, hand over heart while belting out 'Oh, say, can you see' ... too much and avoid doing the same. We admire their national spirit, but Canadians are, in contrast, understated. To understand the identity that exists in our hearts think of our sweepingly majestic home, its quiet, serene beauty. A beauty recognizable to us all. We are proud of this nation and of who we are. We just don't say it. It's like the map. It just sits there on the wall displaying the lines of our coasts, the bulk of our waterways, and the breadth of our northern territories. Surveying all of this leaves me in awe. It brings a tear to my eye ... O Canada ...
– Debora O'Neil

It is the task of the rising generation of Canadians to create a new confidence and a new sense of cultural and civic duty in Canada. Unless we achieve some success on this front, and I believe we are beginning to do so, the very real attractions of the vigorous society to the south of us may attract too many of our able people. Then the human resources and skills required to shape and direct a complex industrial economy will simply not be available to us in Canada.
– Mitchell Sharp

Canadians have been so busy explaining to the Americans that we aren't British and to the British that we aren't Americans that we haven't had time to become Canadians.
– Helen Gordon McPherson

Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die.
– Pierre Trudeau

I am so excited about Canadians ruling the world.
– John Diefenbaker

We'll explain the appeal of curling to you if you explain the appeal of the National Rifle Association to us.
– Andy Barrie

Many Canadian nationalists harbour the bizarre fear that should we ever reject royalty, we would instantly mutate into Americans, as though the Canadian sense of self is so frail and delicate a bud, that the only thing stopping it from being swallowed whole by the US is an English lady in a funny hat.
– Will Ferguson

In any world menu, Canada must be considered the vichyssoise of nations; it's cold, half-French and difficult to stir.
– Stuart Keate

Canadian pride may not rest on our sleeves, but it resides deeply in our hearts.
– Steve Miller

I wouldn't let someone take my Canadian citizenship from me for anything.
– Jim Kale

Let us be French, let us be English, but most importantly let us be Canadian!
John A. Macdonald

There are few, if any, Canadian men that have never spelled their name in a snow bank.
– Douglas Coupland

Canada is a nation of people who came from somewhere else.
– Microsoft Encarta

Canada is like your attic, you forget that it's up there, but when you go, it's like "Oh man, look at all this great stuff!"
– Unknown

I don't trust any country that looks around a continent and says, "Hey, I'll take the frozen part."
– Jon Stewart

 
Quotes courtesy of:

members.shaw.ca

www.allgreatquotes.com

www.canada4life.ca