Maple soup

[Gizmo]

Does Canada wish to apologise for foisting Celine Dion on us?

You may wish to add ballad bothering muppet Bryan Adams to that.

[Tristan]

On the trail of Hosers.
Here's a definite clue.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6tiF...eature=related

That is the two from Second City who later made the movie and an album.

That segment was from a TV show which involved many other members from the Second City cast. It came about because they wanted the whole programme to qualify as "Canadian". The government at the time believed there was too much American content on TV so there was a lot of government money for Canadian shows going around. That spot helped reach the minimum Canadian content rules and made the whole show "Canadian" and made the actors who played Bob and Doug very famous and very wealthy.

[Sporran]

Personally, I like Celine Dion and Bryan Adams. I enjoy quite a number of Canadian singers, in fact. One of my long time favourites has been Gordon Lightfoot, who sings in the video linked in the first post in this thread. Then there's Anne Murray, Gino Vannelli, Sarah McLachlan, Shania Twain, and Michael Buble - to name just a few others. We also have Canada to thank for The Band, The Guess Who and Nickelback.

[Tristan]

Personally, I like Celine Dion and Bryan Adams. I enjoy quite a number of Canadian singers, in fact. One of my long time favourites has been Gordon Lightfoot, who sings in the video linked in the first post in this thread. Then there's Anne Murray, Gino Vannelli, Sarah McLachlan, Shania Twain, and Michael Buble - to name just a few others. We also have Canada to thank for The Band, The Guess Who and Nickelback.

Don't forget Neil Young, Steppenwolf etc (good link for bands and artists here http://www.canadianbands.com/home.html )...especially considering the size of the population there has been a lot of talent over the years.

[Rheghead]

Didn't the Canadians push commercial trapping onto the indigenous tribes thus enslaving people to money, ensured the destruction of a way of life that had lasted for thousands of years and profited from the wanton killing of animal life?

[hotrod4]

Didn't the Canadians push commercial trapping onto the indigenous tribes thus enslaving people to money, ensured the destruction of a way of life that had lasted for thousands of years and profited from the wanton killing of animal life?

No that was their neighbours!

[Tristan]

The opening of the New World by the British and French governments created a lot of problems for aboriginal people across the world. I am not sure any government has found an ideal solution but I believe in Canada the aboriginal people have protected lands and the right to self government - Not idea but better than many alternatives.

[Rheghead]

No that was their neighbours!

I bit yes but Canadians were best at it, their neighbour's speciality was profitting from the mass transportation and killing of human life.

[elamanya]

what about Terry Jacks... Men without hats....Streetnix....

[canuck]

... and The Barenaked Ladies.

[anneoctober]

... and Bare Naked Ladies.

OK, wifie - you shocked me !! Now SELL me Canada !

[canuck]

...oops I forgot the website - http://www.bnlmusic.com/default2.asp

[rich]

Jean, thanks for the recipe!

Now to the political cook book!

Not all is perfect in Canada/US relations, I can tell you. This is Obama country up here - but of course we don't get to participate in US elections. In fact we have just completed a federal government election which yeilded the lowest voter turnout in Canadian history. (Our Conservatives won, by the way...)

So either everything is just fine here or so terrible that people dont think voting will make any difference.

I incline to the latter viewpoint, but take your pick.

Certainly there has always been tension between Canada and the USA. Here's one tiny - but mindboggling symptom. Have any of you recently seen the weather forecasts from any of the big US tv networks. Look at the map! Where is Canada???? There is just a blank - a third of North America has disappeared. SO where does the weather come from????

Can you imagine a weather map of England with no Scotland????

Now I have got that off my chest it's time to talk a little about terrorism.

Some Canadian historians detect a - not very well concealed - authoritarianism in the Canadian soul, up here in our invisible realm.

They argue that we have no revolutionary tradition and we do not have a constituonal right to happiness unlike our neighbours doown south. Trying to get an angle on this I went back nearly 40 years I guess to the Front for the Liberation of Quebec (FLQ)

A Quebec cabiner minister, Pierre la Porte was taken prisoner and murdered. Then British diplomat James Cross was kidnapped. At that stage prime minister Pierre Eliot Trudeau stepped in with the WAR MEASURES ACT. In effect every Canadian in the country could be seized and held incommunicado for as long as it took to extract any information deemed relevant by the federal government.

So here is Trudeau facing his critics from the media. What a tough little guy he was and what a great job the Quebec Jesuits did with his education! And how relevant to today's troubles....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7_a2wa2dd4

[Sporran]

I forgot to mention that singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell is Canadian as well. One of her most famous songs was the catchy "Big Yellow Taxi" from 1970. She also wrote "Woodstock", which was recorded on albums by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Matthews' Southern Comfort, as well as herself, that same year. Judy Collins had a hit with "Both Sides Now" in 1968, also written by Joni, who then recorded it on her own album "Clouds," in 1969.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joni_Mitchell

[canuck]

Yup, Joni Mitchell! She was born in the same small town in southern Alberta as my son. Many years apart of course.

[rich]

In Canada right now, along with the rest of the world, we are worried if we will ever be able to go shopping again. I have nothing but great shopping memories here in Toronto, from the Hercules Department Store on Yonge Street where I could outfit myself, (an impoversihed student), head to toe in army surplus to the goose down comforts of Eddie Bauer on Bloor Street. So here are some Canadian stores - or should I say, stores in Canada as more and more of our department stores and chains are being bought up by Americans or Europeans.

I dont mind that too much but it takes a lot of fizzle out of going shopping in New York because basically it is all the same. Well here I hope are some differences.

And I would like if I may to pay homage to Lady Eaton, of Eaton Department store Catalogue fame. She was by all accounts a deranged old bat whose mission in life was to teach Canadians proper manners. Gone are the days.


http://misscavendish.blogspot.com/20...anada-and.html

More shopping to come!

[rich]

Montreal is a sexy place to buy clothes:

http://www.canada.com/topics/lifesty...d-3960631d93e7

This is Montreal par excellence. Look out for the piper every noon.

http://www.ogilvycanada.com/en/maison/history/

Your catalogue is in the mail.....(love the posters)

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/m...odqps0gp0f1o74

And there's more....

[rich]

One might argue - even myself - that the Canadian economy is based on shopping, because what else is the trade of goods but shopping. Which brings me logically enough to the Hudson Bay Company.

This is long but it basically lays out the progress of Canadian economic history and it's a good read too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Bay_Company

[silverfox57]

having spent the best holiday of my life in Canada,three weeks in rocky mountains,
never to be forgotten,there was a lot of history on Scottish early settlers,towns and city's gave Scottish people a great welcome,took oh to the biggest
shopping center in the world,in Edmonton.spent two days in it,and never seen it all.USA was police with guns and everyone is a suspect,

[canuck]

The Hudson Bay Company, now there is a memory.
The Winnipeg store was based on a design which reflected the style of the buildings on Princes Street in Edinburgh. I have many happy childhood memories from the HBC. A big treat was a Saturday shopping trip with my father and a stop at the candy department for some Edinburgh Rock.

When the above mentioned Alberta born son graduated from university with a degree in Political Science and History the only appropriate present was an original Hudson Bay Blanket. I have since discovered that you can also buy them in the Trading Post in St. Margaret's Hope on Orkney. For those orgers concerned with family equality, I can say 'yes', my daughter also received one as a graduation present.

As for other shopping options, my first time in an H&M Store was in Inverness in the Eastgate Centre, the very place where our own DrSzin works as an elevator operator. Soon after a franchise was opened in Oakville and then one in Toronto.

Of course you cannot beat Canadian Tire for an all purpose DIY establishment.

What Scotland really lacks is a Tim Hortons, but it is hard to sell a hockey legend in a country where ice hockey is not very high up the popularity ladder.