OK well this is the topic where i will post Canadiana now for my first post:



Tim Hortons is a fast food restaurant chain founded in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with locations in Canada and the eastern United States. It is the largest coffee and doughnut chain in Canada. In addition to its coffee and doughnuts , Tim Hortons is also well-known for its Timbits, bagels, soups, and sandwiches.

1964
First Store opens in Hamilton, Ontario
The very first Tim Hortons store opened on Ottawa Street in Hamilton, Ontario in 1964.

1967
Tim Horton and Ron Joyce become full partners
Few could have imagined that a 1,500 square foot coffee and donut shop opened in Hamilton, Ontario in 1964 would become the launching pad for a giant Canadian chain. Ron Joyce (left in photo), franchisee of Store # 1, managed to get three successful stores running by 1967 and became full partners with Tim Horton, a legend in the National Hockey League.


1974
Tim Horton is killed in a tragic accident.
In February 1974, Tim Horton died in a tragic car accident. Ron Joyce established the Tim Horton Children's Foundation that year in honour of Tim's love for children and desire to help those less fortunate. In 1975, Ron Joyce became sole owner of the chain which then consisted of 40 stores. He built a formula for success by focusing on "always fresh" product and outstanding service.


1976
Introduction of Timbits®
As consumer tastes grew, so did the menu choices in the Tim Hortons stores. In 1976, the popular Timbit, a bite-sized treat was introduced. Over the next several years, items like muffins, cakes, pies, croissants, soups and chili were added to the menu.


1987
Store 300 opens in Calgary, Alberta
The 300th store in the Tim Hortons chain opened in Calgary, Alberta in February 1987.


1991
Store 500 opens in Aylmer, Quebec
The Tim Hortons chain celebrated this significant milestone - their 500th store opening - in January 1991 in Aylmer, Quebec.


1995
Tim Hortons merges with Wendy's International Inc.
In 1995, Tim Hortons merged with Wendy's International, Inc. Tim Hortons continued to operate as a separate entity. The merger provided a new focus for the expansion of the Tim Hortons concept in the United States. Tim Hortons locations can presently be found in Michigan, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Maine, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The Canadian operation is 95% franchise owned and operated, and plans in the U.S. call for the same key strategy to be implemented as expansion progresses.


Store 1000 opens in Ancaster, Ontario


1996
Introduction of Bagels
The 1980's and 90's brought the introduction of deli-style sandwiches and the extremely successful launch of the bagel program. The chain's biggest drawing card, however, remains its legendary Tim Hortons coffee. The special blend is also available in cans and pouches so customers can enjoy this great tasting coffee at home

1997
Store 1500 opens in Pickerington, Ohio
This Tim Hortons in Pickerington, Ohio, is the chain's 1500th store.


1998
Introduction of "Tim's Own"™ sandwiches
The six varieties of "Tim's Own" sandwiches are made fresh-to-order with the best quality ingredients. The Tim Hortons lunch menu also includes a wide variety of soups, including "Tim's Own" chicken noodle, as well as chili and bagels.


1999
First store honoured!
In October, the very first Tim Hortons store re-opens after renovations, unveiling a special plaque and signage commemorating the historic site. Ottawa Street in Hamilton, Ontario is honourarily renamed "Tim Hortons Way".


2000
Store 2000 opens in Toronto, Ontario
Tim Hortons celebrates the landmark opening of its 2000th store in December, 2000, at Richmond and Sherbourne streets in downtown Toronto.


2001
New Career Wear launched
A new line of Career Wear, by international fashion designer Stephan Caras, is introduced to the chain. Over 55,000 store employees, management and owners are proud to be wearing the new look, with its warm beige, brown and black tones. Designed to be professional yet comfortable, it is also durable and functional.


2004
In May, the Tim Hortons chain celebrates its 40th Anniversary
Tim Hortons expands its U.S. business into Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts by acquiring 42 Bess Eaton coffee and donut restaurants.

2006
Tim Hortons goes public
In March 2006, Tim Hortons completed an initial public offering, and was fully spun off as a separate company as of September 29, 2006. Tim Hortons trades on the NYSE and TSX (THI).


Courtsey of Tim Hortons.com & Wikipedia

MMMmmmmmm! Timmy's large Double Double. :wub:

They just opened a Tim Horton's in Augusta, Maine.

I remember Tim and his crew cut playing in the Old Boston Garden. Good steady defenceman he was.

Castor canadensis
The Canadian beaver was the country’s first natural resource to be exploited by Europeans. At one time, beaver pelts were the unit of currency in the new land. The beaver population was almost wiped out by 1930, but conservation measures have since restored their numbers to relatively healthy levels.
Beavers have a well-developed social hierarchy in which the family is the basic unit, and the female the central figure in each family. The usual family group consists of the adults, the kits, and the yearlings of the previous year. The average size of the family is about 10 or 12 individuals. Adult weight varies between 15 and 35 kg with the average being about 20 kg.
The bear, wolf, coyote, fisher, wolverine, otter, and lynx prey upon the beaver who is, nevertheless, a powerful antagonist when at bay. Their lodges, made of tangled sticks and caked mud, offer protection that even black bears have difficulty in breaking through.
Beaver dams are usually about 50 m in length, 2 m high, and about 3 m through the base. Their dams help to maintain water levels in forest streams, thus providing habitat for themselves, fish, and waterfowl.

"Beaver Tails"
Canadian Doughnuts
" If you ever visited Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in the winter months on the Rideau Canal, which is the longest skating rink in the world, they serve a sweet pastry, that is essentially a flat doughnut with sugar on top.

Dough:
1/2 cup warm water
5 teaspoons dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1 cup warm milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
4 1/4 - 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
oil for frying
granulated sugar for dusting
cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the yeast, warm water and pinch
of sugar. Allow to stand a couple of minutes to allow yeast to swell or dissolve.

Stir in remaining sugar, milk, vanilla, eggs, oil, salt and most of flour to make soft dough. Knead 5-8 minutes (by hand or with a dough hook), adding flour as needed to form a firm, smooth, elastic dough. Place in a greased bowl.

Place bowl in a plastic bag and seal. (If not using right away, you can
refrigerate the dough at this point). Let rise in a covered, lightly greased bowl, about 30-40 minutes. Gently deflate dough, (if dough is coming out of the fridge, allow to warm up about 40 minutes before proceeding).

Pinch off a golf ball sized piece of dough. Roll out into an oval and let
rest, covered with a tea towel, while you are preparing the remaining
dough.

Heat about 4 inches of oil in fryer (a wok works best but you can use a Dutch oven or whatever you usually use for frying). Temperature of the oil should be about 385 F. Test by tossing in a tiny bit of dough and see if it sizzles and swells immediately. If it does, the oil temperature is where it should be.

Stretch the ovals into a tail - thinning them out and enlarging them as you do. Add the beaver tails to the hot oil, about 1-2 at a time.

Turn once to fry until the undersides are deep brown. Lift beaver tails
out with tongs and drain on paper towels.

Fill a large bowl with a few cups of white sugar . Toss beaver tails in
sugar (with a little cinnamon if you wish) and shake off excess.

You can also top off Beaver Tails with whatever preserves, pie fillings or even just powdered sugar.

YAY BaNaNa! :drool:

James Eugene "Jim" Carrey
(born January 17, 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada) is a Golden Globe winning Canadian comedic film actor.



He is best known for his manic, slapstick performances in comedy films such as Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Dumb & Dumber, The Mask, Liar Liar, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Bruce Almighty. Carrey has also achieved critical success in dramatic roles in films such as The Truman Show, The Majestic, Man on the Moon, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Simon Birch.

Early life
James Eugene Carrey was born January 17, 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada to Percy and Kathleen Carrey. He has three older siblings, John, Patricia and Rita. His family is Catholic and has distant French Canadian roots (the original surname was Carré). A comedian from an early age, Carrey mailed his résumé to The Carol Burnett Show when he was 10 years old. The teachers in Carrey's high school gave him a few minutes at the end of each school day to do a stand-up comedy routine for his classmates. He was also formerly considered a class idiot in Royal Canadian Air Cadets.

Carrey's parents fell on hard times when Jim was 13 years old. His father lost his job and was forced to move to the Toronto suburb of Scarborough, where they took security and janitorial jobs in the Titan Wheels factory at 1051 Tapscott Rd (now IPSCO BuffaloInc). The Carreys lived in a historical house located on site. Carrey attended Blessed Trinity Catholic School in North York for two years, then began at Agincourt Collegiate Institute, Scarborough's oldest high school. For a time the family was in such financial straits that they lived in their Volkswagen van or in a tent on a relatives lawn. In order to help out, Carrey began working eight-hour shifts each day after school. The long hours exhausted Carrey, giving him little time to focus on homework and studies, this took a major toll on Carrey's grades, as he was a good student prior to these hard times. He once wrote a check worth $20 million, hoping one day to cash it in. A few years after that, his father died. He then placed the check he wrote to himself inside the pocket of his father's funeral clothes.


Start in comedy
Carrey was forced to drop out of high school at the age of sixteen and work in a factory bathroom scrubbing hairs off urinals in order to support his family. In 1979, at the age of 17, he moved to Los Angeles and started working in The Comedy Store, where he was noticed by comedian Rodney Dangerfield. Dangerfield liked Carrey's act so much that he signed Carrey up to open Dangerfield's tour performances.

Carrey turned his attention towards filmed entertainment. He auditioned to be a castmember for NBC's Saturday Night Live when the show was looking for new cast members for their 1980–1981 season. Carrey was never chosen to be a cast member (although he finally hosted the show in May 1996). His first lead role on television was Skip Tarkenton, a young animation producer on NBC's The Duck Factory. The short-lived comedy, which aired from April 12, 1984 to July 11, 1984, offered a behind-the-scenes look at the crew that produced a children's cartoon.

Carrey continued performing in small character roles in film and television, most notably 1985s Once Bitten. His small roles eventually led to a friendship with fellow comedian Damon Wayans. The two co-starred as aliens in 1989's Earth Girls are Easy. When Wayans' brother Keenen was putting together a sketch comedy show for Fox called In Living Color, Carrey was hired as a cast member. His unusual characters, including masculine female bodybuilder Vera de Milo and the masochistic safety inspector Fire Marshall Bill Burns (whose dangerous, ill-advised "safety tips" were the target of censors and television watchdog groups who saw Carrey's performance as something that younger viewers would see as harmless fun and try to imitate unadulteratedly), as well his on-screen behavior amazingly caught America's (and Hollywood's) attention.

Film career

Carrey made his film debut in the short film Rubberface (1981). 4 years later, he had a starring role in the dark comedy Once Bitten as Mark Kendall, a teen virgin who is pursued by a 400-year old vampire (Lauren Hutton). After many more supporting roles in films such as Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) and The Dead Pool (1988) Carrey did not experience box office success until almost a decade later when he was cast in the starring role in the comedy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, which premiered only months before In Living Color ended. The film was panned by critics, and helped earn him a 1994 Golden Raspberry Award nomination as Worst New Star. However, the film was a huge commercial success, as were Carrey's two other starring roles, in The Mask (film) and Dumb and Dumber, both released the same year.

In 1995, Carrey appeared as the Riddler in Batman Forever and reprised his role as Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Both films were successful at the box office and earned Carrey multi-million-dollar paychecks.

Carrey made headlines when it was revealed that he was paid twenty million dollars for his next film, The Cable Guy (directed by Ben Stiller), a record sum for a comedy actor. The attention drawn to his salary, coupled with negative reviews for the film and its character's dark mood in contrast to his other performances, all contributed to the film's mediocre earnings. Carrey quickly rebounded with the successful and family-friendly Liar Liar, a return to his trademark comedy style.

Despite the regular comedy successes, Carrey took a chance and a slight paycut to star in The Truman Show (1998), a change of pace that led to forecasts of an Academy Award nomination. Although the movie was nominated for three other awards, Carrey did not personally receive a nomination, leading him to joke that "it's an honor just to be nominated ... oh no", during his appearance on the Oscar telecast. However, Carrey did win a Golden Globe (Best Actor in a Drama) and an MTV Movie Award (Best Male Performance). The same year, Carrey appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on the final episode of Garry Shandling's The Larry Sanders Show, making an impression by ripping deliberately into Shandling's character.

In 1999, Carrey won the role of comedian Andy Kaufman in Man on the Moon. Several actors, including Edward Norton, were interested in the role, but Carrey's audition, including an act with the bongo drums Kaufman used in his performances, helped him be cast. Coincidentally, Carrey was born thirteen years to the day after Kaufman. Despite critical acclaim, he was not nominated for an Academy Award (though again, won a consecutive Best Actor Golden Globe award.)

In 2000, Carrey re-teamed with the Farrelly Brothers (who had directed him in Dumb & Dumber) in their comedy, Me, Myself and Irene, about a state trooper with multiple personalities who romances a woman played by Renée Zellweger. The film grossed $24 million dollars on its opening weekend and $90 million by the end of its domestic run. Carrey has since continued to appear in successful comedies as well as more dramatic roles. His performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) earned high praise from critics, who once again incorrectly predicted that Carrey would receive an Oscar nomination, although the film won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and co-star Kate Winslet received a nomination for her performance. (Again, Carrey was nominated for a Golden Globe for this performance, his sixth.)

In 2003, Carrey re-teamed with Tom Shadyac for the financially successful comedy Bruce Almighty. Earning over $242 million in the U.S. and over $484 million worldwide, this film became the second highest grossing live-action comedy of all time.

In 2005, he starred in a remake of an old film called Fun with Dick and Jane where he played Dick, a husband who lost his job after his company went bankrupt. The movie takes us through the troubles of being poor.

Carrey has stated that he finds the prospect of reprising a character to be less enticing than taking on a new role,and fans say he rarely turns down roles because he enjoys trying new things.

Golden Globe Awards

2005 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Nominated)
2001 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Nominated)
2000 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Man on the Moon (Won)
1999 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama, The Truman Show (Won)
1998 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Liar Liar (Nominated)
1995 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, The Mask (Nominated)

People's Choice Awards

2005 - Favorite Funny Male Star (Won)
2001 - Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Comedy (Won)

MTV Movie Awards

2006 - MTV Generation Award
2005 - Best Villain (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events) (Nominated)
2004 - Best Comedic Performance (Bruce Almighty) (Nominated)
2004 - Best Kiss with Jennifer Aniston (Bruce Almighty) (Nominated)
2001 - Best Villain (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) (Won)
2001 - Best Comedic Performance (Me, Myself, & Irene) (Nominated)
2000 - Best Male Performance (Man on the Moon) (Nominated)
1999 - Best Male Performance (The Truman Show) (Won)
1998 - Best Comedic Performance (Liar Liar) (Won)
1997 - Best Comedic Performance (The Cable Guy) (Won)
1997 - Best Villain (The Cable Guy) (Won)
1997 - Best Fight with Matthew Broderick (The Cable Guy) (Nominated)
1996 - Best Male Performance (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls) (Won)
1996 - Best Comedic Performance (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls) (Won)
1996 - Best Kiss with Sophie Okonedo (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls) (Nominated)
1996 - Best Villain (Batman Forever) (Nominated)
1995 - Best Comedic Performance (Dumb & Dumber) (Won)
1995 - Best Kiss with Lauren Holly (Dumb & Dumber) (Won)
1995 - Best Comedic Performance (The Mask) (Nominated)
1995 - Best Dance Sequence (The Mask) (Nominated)
1995 - Best On-Screen Duo (Dumb & Dumber) (Nominated)
1994 - Best Comedic Performance (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective) (Nominated)

© wikipedia

Maple Syrup Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup butter or margarine --
1 melted
2 eggs
1 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup seedless raisins or chopped
1 nuts

Instructions:
Cream together syrup and butter. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Heat oven to 400 F. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add milk and flour mixture alternately to syrup mixture. Fold in raisins or nuts. Drop from a 5ml measure about 5 cm apart onto greased baking sheet. Bake in 400 F oven for 10 minutes.


© recipespin.com

Moose
Alces alces


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Description- This horse-sized animal is the largest member of the deer family with long, dark brown hair, high, humped shoulders and long legs. A pendant of hair-covered skin sometimes reaching 2 feet hangs under the throat. Each April the male moose or bull grows a set of antlers reaching 120-150 cm which he loses in the winter after rutting season.

Distribution - The moose occurs in spruce forests, swamps, aspen and willow thickets; it is built to live in rough country and is well adapted to a cold climate. It can be found throughout most of B.C.

Biology - The rut lasts from early September to late October and 8 months later 1-2 calves are born. Moose are unpredictable and sometimes dangerous; although they generally avoid human contact, cows with calves and rutting bulls have been known to charge people, cars, horses and locomotives.


Tracks - The moose track is slightly larger and more pointed than that of the elk and similar in shape to a deer's but twice as large. The track may be blunted if the ground is rocky and hard, making it more difficult to distinguish from the elks. A typical print is of two pointed pear shapes with the tips closer than the wider bottom.

Get to know the NS Canada



Origin
Not much is known about the region's early history, as that historical information has died along with the region's initial inhabitants. Reports of the early days of the region indicate it was sparsely populated.

Pre 2004-Constitution Era
It is known that by April, 2003, the region was at a healthy 175 nations, and was led by a delegate called Taiga. By April or May of 2003, Las Chupacabras became delegate, and imposed Canada's first constitution on the region. Elections were held, electing 14 members to the inaugural government.

After an eventful first month, rule under the Las Chupacabras constitution began unravelling under the weight of its large size. The True Domination briefly succeeded Las Chupacabras as delegate and elections were held. Due to regional disillusionment with the government structure, only four ministers were elected, and not a single cabinet meeting was called during this second government.

The True Domination left the region for a stint with the Rejected Realms Army in August, 2003, allowing Las Chupacabras to once again become the delegate, only to return later and attempt to take over the delegacy from a clearly disinterested Las Chupacabras. A nation called the Queendom of Tofiti also vied for the delegacy. In quick succession at the end of August, 2003, saw three delegate changes in three days.

The True Domination remained in power until January 2004 and under his stewardship, the region of Canada stagnated, with little growth in population and no activity in Canada's forums. Near the end of The True Domination's reign as delegate, Canada began making attempts to integrate itself on the inter-regional scene. Bweezystan staffed an embassy in The South Pacific, and began discussions on reviving the region's government structure through a new constitution.

2004-Constitution Era
Bweezystan became delegate of Canada on January 13, 2004. Shortly thereafter, the new constitution was unanimously approved by a referendum. Riding the wave of renewed activity in the region, elections were held in February, 2004, electing Canada's first functioning cabinet in over six months making way for the new government structure that is still in effect today.

Under this new structure, and with renewed enthusiasm from a solid core of a dozen nations, the region began to grow and prosper. Embassies were opened in regions such as The North Pacific, assistance was offered to The South Pacific when it was subject to a coup attempt by El Sabah Nur. Recruitment attempts began in earnest, greatly increasing the region's population and activity.

Basic laws were also enacted, governing ejections from the region, an intelligence agency was created, and Canada's defence system was improved.

In early, March, 2004, Bweezystan announced it would be stepping down from the delegacy. On March 28, 2004, Checkers McDog took over as delegate.

Under the leadership of Checkers McDog, Cabinet passed a well received accountability measure, the Cabinet Disclosure law, forcing Cabinet to post weekly reports to inform the public of its activities. Several other legislation was passed and the House of Commons was organized with political parties where any Resident nation not in government may pose questions to the government.

Present Day
Carbanousa has succeeded Checkers McDog as UN Delegate/Prime Minister. Currently, Canada continues to promote the traditional Canadian values of Peace, Order and Good Government, and is continuing with its Democratic Traditions and advances in Inter-regional Diplomacy.

Great Flag Debate

In 1963, the minority Liberal government of Lester B. Pearson gained power, and decided to adopt an official Canadian flag, by act of Parliament. The idea of an official national flag had been discussed for decades in the 20th century, particularly during the Liberal governments of Mackenzie King; indeed, during the Second World War there was for a time an effort to create a national flag for Canadian troops to carry into battle, but in Pearson's words, "It was a ridiculous design by some heraldic expert in National Defence, with all sorts of symbols on it." But it was not until the 1960s that the debate intensified, and became a subject of considerable controversy culminating in the Great Flag Debate of 1964. The principal political proponent of the change was Prime Minister Lester Pearson. Pearson had been a significant broker during the Suez Crisis of 1956 (for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.) Pearson was disturbed when the Egyptian government objected to Canadian peacekeeping forces on the grounds that the Canadian flag (the Red Ensign) contained the flag (Union Jack) of the United Kingdom, one of the belligerents. According to Mike: The Memoirs of the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson, Pearson's principal concern was for the Canadian flag to be distinctive and unmistakably Canadian. The main opponent to changing the flag was the leader of the opposition and former prime minister, John Diefenbaker, who eventually made the subject a personal crusade.

Pearson was leader on a minority Government and risked losing power over the issue, however Pearson knew the Red Ensign with the Union Jack was unpopular in Quebec, a Liberal base of support. The Red Ensign was strongly favoured by rural English Canada, the heart of Tory support. On May 27, 1964, Pearson's minority Liberal government introduced a motion to parliament for adoption of his personal favorite design of a "sea to sea" (Canada's motto) flag with blue borders and three conjoined red maple leaves on a white field. This motion led to weeks of acrimonious debate in parliament, and the design came to be known as the Pearson Pennant. Diefenbaker demanded a referendum be held on the flag issue, but Pearson instead formed a 15 member multi-party parliamentary committee to select a new design. Through a period of study with some political manoeuvring, the committee chose the current design, which was created by George F.G. Stanley, inspired by the flag of the Royal Military College of Canada, in Kingston, Ontario. The ultimately favoured design with red bars and a single maple leaf was voted unanimously by the committee on October 29, 1964. The new flag was passed by a majority vote in the House of Commons on December 15, 1964. The Senate added its approval two days later.

Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed the new flag on January 28, 1965. It was inaugurated on February 15, 1965, at an official ceremony held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in the presence of Governor General Major-General Georges P. Vanier, the prime minister, the members of the Cabinet, and Canadian parliamentarians. Since 1996, February 15 has been commemorated as National Flag of Canada Day.

Despite the preceding acrimony, the new flag was quickly embraced by the Canadian public, and internationally the flag quickly became a welcome and easily recognizable marker of Canada worldwide.

Attachment to the old Canadian Red Ensign persisted for quite a while for many people, especially veterans. In 1967 the Canadian Government first used the Canadian Coat of Arms (whose shield was used on the red ensign) on a red flag for the nation's centennial celebrations. It was designed to appeal to those who were used to the Red Ensign and had not yet become accustomed to the Maple Leaf Flag. The Canadian Red Ensign itself can be frequently seen today across Canada, usually in connection to veteran's associations.

Occasionally, the Pearson pennant itself can still be seen as a Canadian cultural marker. Most notably, in the 1990s Martin Tielli of the Canadian rock band Rheostatics often played a double-necked bass guitar with a modified Pearson pennant painted on it.


Fate of the first Maple Leaf
The first Maple Leaf flag was sewn by Joan O'Malley in November 1964. After this flag was first raised in February 1965, it was said that Prime Minister Pearson gave it to the Liberal caucus. On February 15, 2000, a ceremony was held in which the Chair of the National Liberal Caucus presented Sheila Copps, then Minister of Canadian Heritage, with that flag. However, what is also said to be the first Maple Leaf Flag was discovered in 2005. That Maple Leaf Flag had been given to then Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Lucien Lamoureux. Mr. Lamoureux was later appointed as Canada's ambassador to Belgium. After his death and some delay, the flag was returned to Canada.

1 Possible Flag Choices:

Ah yes. One of my favourite pages of Canadian history.
The Pearson pennant versus Diefenbaker's loyalty to the red ensign.

Lawren Stewart Harris (October 23, 1885 – January 17, 1970) was a Canadian painter. He was born in Brantford, Ontario and is best known as a member of the Group of Seven who pioneered a distinctly Canadian painting style in the early twentieth century. A. Y. Jackson has been quoted as saying that Harris provided the stimulus for the Group of Seven. During the 1920s, Harris' works became more abstract and simplified, especially his stark landscapes of the Canadian north and Arctic. He also stopped signing and dating his works so that people would judge his works on their own merit and not by the artist or when they were painted.

In 1969 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.



Lawren Harris was born in Brantford Ontario into a wealthy family on October 23 1885. He was the first born of two sons. Lawren went to school at St. Andrew's College in Toronto, and then at age 19 (from 1904-1907) studied in Berlin . He was interested in philosophy and eastern thought. Later, Harris became involved in Theosophy and joined the Toronto Lodge of the huggin january 20th 1910 and together had had three children born in the first decade of their marriage. Soon after meeting and becoming friends with J. E. H. MacDonald in 1911 , they together formed the Group of Seven. In 1913, he financed the construction of a Studio building in Toronto with friend Dr. James MacCallum. The Studio provided artists with cheap or free space where they could live and work.

Lawren’s school-time friend F.B. Housser was married in 1914 to a woman named Bess. Lawren and Bess fell in love, but saw no action that could be made. For Lawren and Bess to divorce their spouses and marry would cause an outrage.

Later in 1918 and 1919, Lawren with J. E. H. MacDonald financed boxcar trips for artists to the Algoma region. Another painting trip after Algoma was to Lake Superior North Shore with A.Y. Jackson. Harris was so passionate about the monumental North shore and fascinated by the theosophical concept of nature, he returned annually for the next seven years. There he developed the style he is best known for. Harris’s paintings in the early 1920’s were characterized by rich, decorative colours that were applied thick, in painterly impasto. He painted landscapes around Toronto, Georgian Bay and Algoma. Lawren’s first trip to the Rockies in 1924 soon became annual too for the next three years. In 1930, Harris’s landscape paintings became simplified as he sailed with A.Y. Jackson aboard a supply ship. Lawren finally left his wife of 24 years, Trixie and his three children and married Bess Housser in 1934. Harris was threatened to be charged with bigamy by Trixie’s family because of his actions. Later that year he and Bess left their home and moved to the U.S. Then in 1940 they settled back to Canada in Vancouver and Lawren started his abstract paintings. Throughout Lawren’s life, he never had to support himself initially as a teacher or commercial artist (as all the other Group of Seven members had to do), but could support him self as a full-time painter. Lawren Harris died in Vancouver in 1970 as a well-known artist. To Harris art was “a realm of life between our mundane world and the world of the spirit.”

Group of seven art. :wub:

Laura Secord (née Ingersoll) (September 13, 1775 – October 17, 1868) was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. She is known as Canada's Paul Revere.

Laura Ingersoll was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1775. Suffering the aftermath of the American Revolution, her father, Thomas Ingersoll, moved the family to the Canadas in 1795, and in 1797 she married the Loyalist James Secord, son of an officer of Butler's Rangers (the Ingersolls themselves were not Loyalists). James and Laura resided in Queenston in Upper Canada (present-day Ontario), while her family went on to settle present day Ingersoll, Ontario. On October 13, 1812, James Secord was injured at the Battle of Queenston Heights, part of the emerging War of 1812.

In June of 1813 the American army invaded again and the Secord home was forced to billet American officers. Laura became aware of plans for a surprise attack on troops led by British Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon at Beaver Dams, which would have furthered American control in the Niagara Peninsula. While her husband was still suffering the effects of his injury, Laura set out to warn Lieutenant Fitzgibbon herself. She walked approximately 32 km from present day Queenston through St. David's, Homer, St. Catharines and Short Hills at the Niagara Escarpment before arriving at the camp of allied Native warriors who led her the rest of the way to Fitzgibbon's headquarters at the Decew home. A small British force and a larger contingent of Mohawk warriors were then readied for the American attack with the result that almost all of the American soldiers were taken prisoner in the ensuing Battle of Beaver Dams.


Laura Secord warns James Fitzgibbon.The story has become something of a legend in Canada. An older version said that Laura brought a cow with her as an excuse to leave her home in case of questioning by American patrols; another version, more likely to be true, holds that she left under the guise of visiting a sick relative in neighbouring St. David's. It is also said that she walked barefoot at least part of the way and took six hours to climb the Niagara Escarpment.

Over the years, Laura Secord and James Fitzgibbon petitioned the government in request of some kind of acknowledgement but to no avail. Finally, in 1860, when Laura was 85, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), heard of her story while travelling in Canada. While stopped in Chippawa near Niagara Falls, he was made aware of Laura's heroics and her plight as an aging widow and later sent an award of £100. It was the only recognition that she received in her lifetime.

Laura Ingersoll Secord died in 1868 at age 93 at the Village of Chippawa (today part of Niagara Falls, Ontario).

Today her house is still an active dwelling on the bank of the Welland River, with a commemorative plaque in front. Laura and her husband attended Holy Trinity Church in Chippawa where their grave markers are presently located, as well as a few relics of the family. Laura and James are buried in Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls, Ontario at a monument (with a bust of Laura on top) close to that marking the Battle of Lundy's Lane. A cup and saucer from the family are displayed at Lundy's Lane Historical Museum in Niagara Falls, Canada and the original home in Queenston has been rebuilt to the original floorplan including the original fireplaces.

Flag Day is celebrated on February 15 in Canada, commemorating the adoption of the Maple Leaf flag on that date in 1965. The day is marked by flying the flag, occasional public ceremonies (especially in 2005, its 40th anniversary), and educational programs in schools.

The banner replaced the Red Ensign which had been in use, if not officially, in one form or another since 1868. The new distinctive Canadian Flag first flew on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Feb. 15, 1965.

Flag Day was instituted in 1996 by an Order-in-Council from Governor General Roméo LeBlanc, on the advice of the Cabinet of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, and is officially called "National Flag of Canada Day". Outside of the federal government, however, this title is little used. The official name could be interpreted as suggesting there is a national flag for Canada Day, July 1st. The somewhat awkward official name, with insertion of the qualifying words "of Canada", likely stems from the problem of using the word "national" in Canada, where it is invoked by various groups such as aboriginal peoples, called First Nations, and by the province of Quebec, which uses it to refer to itself (e.g., National Assembly of Quebec). At the official level, it was decided "National Flag Day" would not fly. Despite this, "National Flag Day", and especially "Flag Day", are commonly used.

At the very first Flag Day ceremony in Hull, Quebec, Chrétien's speech was drowned out by a group of demonstrators upset by proposed cuts in the unemployment insurance legislation. Chrétien left the stage and while walking through the crowd he encountered Bill Clennett, one of the demonstrators who was shouting, "Chrétien, au chômage" ("Make Chrétien unemployed"). Chrétien grabbed Clennett by the neck and pushed him aside. Chrétien was criticized for this incident, which came to be dubbed the "Shawinigan Handshake", after Chrétien's town of birth Shawinigan, Quebec.

Numerous Canadians feel that Flag Day should be declared a national statutory holiday, as there is a long period early in the year (between New Year's Day and Good Friday) without any holidays (except in Alberta and Saskatchewan: see Alberta Family Day). That suggestion grew louder as the flag celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2005. On Flag Day 2007, New Democratic Party MP Peggy Nash introduced a private member's bill to make Flag Day a national statutory holiday. Nash says her bill would make Flag Day a federal holiday and it would be up to the provinces to decide if they also wanted the statutory holiday.

:yes: :fonz:

You civil servants, any excuse for a holiday! :lol:

D'uh!



:shrug:

"O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada. Calixa Lavallée composed the music in 1880 as a patriotic song for that year's St. Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony. The first lyrics that were composed for the song were written in French by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier in 1880 for the same ceremony. An English translation did not appear until 1906, and it was two more years until Robert Stanley Weir penned the English lyrics. Weir's words were altered in 1968 to their present form, although the French lyrics remain unaltered. The choice of "O Canada" for the national anthem did not occur until 1980, when it was signed into law during the Canada Day celebrations that year. It was modified, along with the royal anthem of Canada, God Save the Queen, to be part of the Vice Regal Salute.

Official lyrics
Official (English)
O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons 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.

Official (French)
Ô Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

Translation of French lyrics
O Canada! Land of our forefathers
Your brow is wreathed with glorious garlands!
Though your arm knows how to bear the sword,
It knows how to bear the cross!
Your history is an epic
Of the most brilliant feats.
And your valour, in faith steeped,
Will protect our homes and our rights;
Will protect our homes and our rights.

History
The original French lyrics were written by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier, as a French-Canadian patriotic song for the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society. The French "Ô Canada" was first performed on June 24, 1880, at a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day banquet in Quebec City, but did not become Canada's official national anthem until July 1, 1980. When it was made the official anthem, most English Canadians were surprised to learn that it did not already have such status.

Since 1867, "God Save the King" and "The Maple Leaf Forever" had been competing as unofficial national anthems in English Canada. "O Canada" joined that fray when school children sang it for the 1901 tour of Canada by the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (later King George V and Queen Mary). Five years later Whaley and Royce in Toronto published the music with the French text and a first translation into English by Dr. Thomas Bedford Richardson. Then, in 1908, Collier's Weekly magazine held a competition to write English lyrics for "O Canada" and all kinds of versions were submitted. The competition was won by Mercy E. Powell McCulloch, but her version did not take. In 1917, Albert Watson wrote the hymn Lord of the Lands to the tune of O Canada. (see external link below)

The English version that gained the widest currency was written in 1908 by Robert Stanley Weir, a lawyer and at the time Recorder of the City of Montreal. A slightly modified version of his poem was published in an official form for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927, and gradually became the most generally accepted anthem in English-speaking Canada, winning out over the alternatives by the 1960s. "God Save the Queen" is now Canada's royal anthem, while "The Maple Leaf Forever" is virtually forgotten.

The line "The True North strong and free" is based on Alfred Lord Tennyson's description of Canada as "That True North whereof we lately heard".[1] In the context of Tennyson's poem, "true" means "loyal" or "faithful".

Official changes to the English version were recommended in 1968 by a Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons. The National Anthem Act of 1980 added a religious reference to the English lyrics and the phrase "From far and wide, O Canada" to replace one of the somewhat tedious repetitions of the phrase "We stand on guard." This change was controversial with traditionalists, and for several years afterwards it was not uncommon to hear people still singing the old lyrics at public events. By contrast, the French version never wavered from its original.

At official government/military occasions, it is not unusual for the anthem to be sung bilingually; it is sung in French up to (and including) the line "Des plus brillants exploits", at which time the lyrics switch to English.

Two provinces have adopted Latin translations of phrases from the English lyrics as their mottos: Manitoba —Gloriosus et liber (glorious and free)— and Alberta —Fortis et liber (strong and free). Similarly, the motto of Canadian Forces Land Force Command is Vigilamus pro te (we stand on guard for thee).

The original song has three additional verses, but these are rarely sung.

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow,
Great prairies spread and Lordly rivers flow!
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western sea!
The land of hope for all who toil,
The true North strong and free!
God keep our land, glorious and free.
O Canada,we stand on guard for thee!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

O Canada! Beneath they shining skies,
May Stalwart sons, and gentle maidens rise.
To keep thee steadfast thro' the years,
From East to Western sea.
Our own beloved native land,
Our true North strong and free!
God keep our land, glorious and free.
O Canada,we stand on guard for thee!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our Dominion, in thy loving care.
Help us to find, O God, in thee,
A lasting rich reward.
As waiting for the better day,
We ever stand on guard.
God keep our land, glorious and free.
O Canada,we stand on guard for thee!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee!

Canada's Walk of Fame

Canada's Walk of Fame acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians. It consists of a series of stars in 13 designated blocks worth of sidewalks in front of Roy Thomson Hall, The Princess of Wales Theatre, and The Royal Alexandra Theatre on King Street and Simcoe Street in Toronto, Ontario. Created in 1998, it includes athletes, coaches and other sports figures; actors, directors, writer and producers of movies, television and stage; singers, songwriters and musicians; playwrights; authors; comedians; even cartoonists and supermodels.

History
The first class of inductees was inducted in 1998, but the Walk of Fame was first conceived back in 1996 when founder and current president Peter Soumalias suggested the idea of a Walk of Fame for famous Torontonians to the board of the Toronto Entertainment District Association. They rejected his idea. He then went on to establish a Walk of Fame for Canadians on his own.

He would partner with Bill Ballard, Dusty Cohl (co-founder of the Toronto International Film Festival), and Gary Slaight. Despite not having a lot of money, research and no media plan, they managed to pull it off and the Walk of Fame has since become a popular tourist attraction in Toronto and has been named the Number one Canadian recognition event.

The Walk of Fame has since partnered with several different organizations, such as the Mary Pickford Institute to produce a young filmmakers competition. There is also a music competition to be launched in 2007, and a book is planned, which at the moment is titled "108 Great Canadians". There are also plans to manage a festival of Canadian films.

Comparison between the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame

Although it initially seems much like its closest American counterpart, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Canada's Walk of Fame differs in many ways.

The Hollywood Walk allows only celebrities of the silver screen, television, radio and singers/musicians, Canada's Walk allows people of more diverse occupations, as listed above. While most celebrities on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are American or have achieved their fame in the USA, Canada's Walk of Fame is exclusive to Canadians. Very few Americans come to Canada and achieve fame, and so an international allowance is redundant. This is not to say immigrants are not allowed, only the celebrity must have held Canadian citizenship or had a primary residence in the country at one point. As Canada's entertainment industry grows, more actors, singers and other creative personalities might start to appear on the Walk.

Both Walks have stars signifying each celebrity's spot, but the American path requires an upkeep fee, unlike the Canadian counterpart which actually is a true hall of fame. Whereas any celebrity that meets criteria can finance their way into the American walk, Canadian are selected via a supervising committee, and thus must earn their honour. Finally, Canadians stars are inducted in an annual group ceremony; Hollywood rarely inducts more than two major stars at a time. As well, celebrities can have more than one star in the Hollywood Walk. The same celebrity can be honoured as many as five times under the various categories. This does not happen in Canada's Walk, although some may have an individual star but also be inducted as part of a larger group, such as John Candy, Martin Short and Eugene Levy who have their own star but also were in Second City Television.

Those that are eligible for Canada's Walk Of Fame must be born in, or have spent much of their early life in Canada, have had national or international impact on Canada's Heritage and must have at least 10 years of experience in their own field of service.

There have really been no true controversies about who has or hasn't been inducted. Some feel that there should be fewer producers and lesser-known artists and writers on the walk of fame, because although they are very successful, they are not as famous as many of those who are not inducted and thus make the Walk of Fame seem more like a "Walk of Success".

Stephen Harper

Harper grew up in Toronto, the smart, intense, politically-aware son of an accountant whose rock solid integrity was his watchword. The family was and remains closely-knit.

As a senior high school student at Etobicoke's Richview Collegiate, he was an admirer of Pierre Trudeau, but only briefly. Harper became a passionate conservative, utterly rejecting what he later excoriated as Trudeau's "centralism" and "socialism."

At the age of 19, Harper departed for Alberta to work for Imperial Oil, his father's employer. He attended the University of Calgary, training as an economist and eventually, in 1991, receiving a Master's degree. By then he was a major political figure: present at the creation of the Reform Party in 1987 and its chief policy analyst thereafter.

In the mid 1980s, Harper had worked for Calgary Conservative member of Parliament Jim Hawkes in Ottawa. Running against Hawkes as a Reform candidate in the elections of 1988 and 1993, Harper lost the first race but won the second.

He was part of Reform leader Preston Manning's leadership team in Parliament from 1993 to 1997, but the two men clashed over policy and party strategy. Harper left the House of Commons to lead the National Citizens Coalition, a conservative interest group. At the NCC he mused about ways to bring unity to conservative politics and expressed angry sentiments about the West's alienation from Central Canada.

Reform, seeking broader support, meanwhile hatched the Alliance. Harper won its leadership in 2002 and that of the Conservative party soon after, just in time for the 2004 election.

The 2006 election made Stephen Harper prime minister. He led a carefully modulated national campaign, expertly targeting voter concerns about government accountability, taxes, crime, health care and child care. His demeanour was composed and reassuring, and the media no longer presented him as foreign to the political mainstream.

The Conservatives won 123 seats, enough to form a minority government. Harper's support in Ontario increased, and he made a completely unexpected breakthrough in Quebec with a pledge of a more malleable federalism.

Harper's first period as prime minister was a mirror image of the campaign. He was disciplined and decisive, focused intently on his key election promises, and adding to them a forthright assertion of international leadership in Canada's mission to Afghanistan.

He's no more and no less than the embodiment of western outrage over Trudeau's NEP. I've always associated him with sentiments such as vendettas and setting old scores with Canada's past. A perfectly good waste of time of a Prime Minister.

Western outrage to the NEP was pretty much limited to Alberta. They make up 28 seats in a 308 seat HoC. Want explain to me how he is no less than an embodiment of western outrage over the NEP? He had to obtain support from coast to coast and he did, including my riding in Ontario. There is a possibility that the reason he got voted in was the unbridled corruption and utter arrogance of the Liberal party. May shock you, but some people who actually live in this country feel the twelve years before Harper's mandate were the perfectly good waste of a Prime Minister years!

WOO!

D-man, you've answered your own question. Liberal corruption plus a terrible liberal campaign (the Libs led the polls handily before the campaign began) were the only reasons he won the election. It's necessary to change governing parties after long stretches of power. He is however only biding time.

He was an enthusiastic Liberal youth prior to the NEP and a hard-right conservative immediately after the NEP. That says quite a bit.

The 12 years of Liberal government being a waste of time is just wrong. You could disagree with the politics and the antics, but the numbers don't lie. Canada had the strongest G8 economy and financial statement during that period. It's currently along with Australia the only country on earth whose public pension system is solvent for the foreseeable future.

I Loved the Discusion that my Last Primeminister Canadiana Got So:

Jean Chretien

Jean Joseph Jacques Chrétien was born January 11, 1934, in Shawinigan, Québec, the second-youngest child in a family of nineteen. Politics was in his bones. His grandfather was a loyal Grit and his father was a regional organizer for the Liberal party. At age fifteen, Chrétien was heckling Union Nationale speakers and by 1956, he was warming up crowds for the local Liberal candidate.

Chrétien graduated with a law degree from Laval University in 1959 and joined a Shawinigan legal firm. In 1963, at age 29, Chrétien ran successfully for Parliament, learned English, and began his swift ascent up the Liberal hierarchy.

After two years as a backbencher, Chrétien was appointed Prime Minister Pearson's parliamentary secretary. When he joined the Cabinet in 1967 as minister without portfolio, Chrétien became the youngest minister since Charles Tupper. In 1968, he was appointed Minister of National Revenue.

In Pierre Trudeau's Cabinet, Chrétien served as Minister of Finance, the first French-Canadian to have the position. He also held the challenging portfolios of Indian Affairs, Treasury Board, Industry and Trade, Justice, Energy, and Mines & Resources.

Chrétien masterminded the federal effort in the 1980 Québec referendum on sovereignty. Over the following months, Chrétien helped create and implement the federal government's strategy for patriating the Constitution and enacting a Charter of Rights.

In June 1984, Chrétien lost the Liberal leadership race to John Turner. In 1986, he left politics to practice law and write his wildly successful autobiography, Straight From The Heart. He succeeded Turner as leader of the Liberal Party June 23, 1990, the day after the Meech Lake Accord failed.

Under his direction, the Liberals turned away from a personality-centered approach, offering voters a set of policies in the form of the "Red Book", an election document that attempted to marry business concerns with traditional Liberal social values.

With all his years in the political business, Chrétien was often pictured as old news, a relic of a time past, especially after a younger Kim Campbell succeeded Mulroney as Conservative leader. When Chrétien won a stunning victory in the 1993 election, however, a prominent commentator said that yesterday's man had suddenly become today's dreamboat.

On October 30, 1995, a second referendum on Québec sovereignty was defeated by a little bit more than one percentage point; in 1980 the Federalist side had won by 20 percent. But the government remained popular as it continued to fight the deficit, and Chrétien's opponents on the conservative right remained fragmented and divided.

Although not strong in the West, Jean Chrétien's Liberals were the only Canadian political party with support in all parts of the country.

From Laurier onwards, the Liberals had monopolized the national political centre. Their trick was to provide good government, social progress and a flexible approach to the country's problems. They specialized in finding ways to maintain a national consensus, especially in their ability to appeal to Québec and to recent immigrants.

In the election of April 1997, Chrétien counted on public approval for his economic policies, which had surpassed their deficit-reduction targets, and ran a stand-pat campaign that resulted in a reduced majority.

He called another election in November 2000, and again the campaign was lacklustre, but the economy (along with the Government's handling of it) and the inability of the Opposition to mount a credible alternative were the Chrétien trump cards. He brought his support almost back up to 1993 levels.

The man of the people remained high in the polls. It seemed likely that he could win a fourth term if he wanted, emulating Laurier, his political hero. Yet relations deteriorated with finance minister Martin, ending in a messy divorce. Ethical problems in the government became almost routine. Pundits accused him of staying on simply to ensure his place in history, and deny Martin his. His own members of parliament deserted him, forcing Chrétien's resignation.

The prime minister did not go quietly, or quickly. He stubbornly stayed on for another sixteen months, defining his last period in office, as his biographer Lawrence Martin wrote, in the activist Liberal tradition of Pearson and Trudeau. Chrétien supported the public funding of political campaigns, same-sex marriages and lighter sentences for the possession of small amounts of marijuana, while directing money towards cities, children, health care and aboriginal peoples. In foreign affairs, he drew attention to the poor and diseased of Africa, signed the Kyoto Protocol on the environment and refused to participate in Washington's war on Iraq. His open denunciation of the "right wing" impulses of George W. Bush's America caught the mood of early twenty-first century Canadians.