O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
From O Canada, the national anthem of Canada
We have just returned from a 15-day trip to Canada, taking in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. It was a trip I did not dare bank on despite an early invitation from Toronto Cousin, back in April, to help celebrate his father’s 95th birthday in October. Despite our last minute plans, I am extremely glad we took the plunge to explore a country new to us, in the company of my cousins based in Ontario.
Since we covered a lot of ground, the posts on Canada will be spread out until November. This is so I can share some recipes along the way as I put on my apron and return to the kitchen.
As soon as we arrived back in London on Sunday morning our pace shifted up two gears. By the evening we were sharing a family dinner for seven. The children were very excited to hear about our trip, and in between mouthfuls of food all we could say was: everyone should visit Canada.
CANADA 101
Essential facts and history can be found on Wikipedia’s Canada page. If you are visiting Ottawa (Ontario), a visit to the Canadian Museum of History, located across the Ottawa River in Gatineau (Quebec), is a must.
On the ground, I can say from our experience that Canadians are polite, friendly, helpful and quite moderate in speech and dress. Maybe we were lucky, but we did not come across any bad behaviour. To me, it is the very model of a civilised society.
ELBOWS UP!
On the drive from Toronto to Ottawa I asked Toronto Cousin about the phrase ‘elbows up!’, having seen it on a book cover and on several signs.
This is a phrase originating in ice hockey, Canada’s national sport for winter (it is lacrosse for summer). In hockey, ‘elbows up’ is a signal for players to adopt a defensive stance, to protect themselves or their teammates against their opponents when the game gets rough or underhand.
By extension, the phrase is now a rallying cry to encourage Canadians to be strong and determined, ready to defend themselves against any ridiculous political aggression.
I don’t know what the equivalent in the UK might be. We always say ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ but in light of global hostilities we might be better off taking a (maple) leaf out of Canada’s book and saying instead ‘Keep Calm and Elbows Up!’.
Watch this funny video with Canadian PM Mark Carney and Mike Myers on defending Canadian sovereignty.
HEAD HELD HIGH
At the end of our stay, having spoken to many Canadians and having read many articles on aspects of Canada, I felt quite protective towards the country. It helps that the UK and Canada have a shared history and acknowledge the same head of state. As part of our trip we were guests at a Canadian citizenship ceremony where newly minted citizens are sworn in. The Oath Of Citizenship is as follows:
I swear (or affirm)
That I will be faithful
And bear true allegiance
To His Majesty
King Charles the Third
King of Canada
His Heirs and Successors
And that I will faithfully observe
The laws of Canada
Including the Constitution
Which recognizes and affirms
The Aboriginal and treaty rights of
First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples
And fulfil my duties as a Canadian citizen.
Thanks to our Canadian cousins who were supremely generous with their time, help and advice, we experienced a lot more than an average tourist would have seen, done and eaten. I will write up my notes from the trip over the next month.