You are certainly welcome to visit. While you’re taking in the attractions of this beautiful historic city, don’t talk down to the residents like we should feel privileged that YOU came all the way up HERE to see us lowly Canadians.
Couple of things: I have lived here for all 27 years of my life and I have NEVER heard any Canadian say out and about like OOT and ABOOT. I don’t even know where that idea came from. And EH is not after every sentence. I know I say it, I don’t know where it came from.
We are not a frozen wasteland. We’re just Celsius. To get the Fahrenheit temp, take the Celsius temp, multiply by 2 and add 30 (it’ll give you a ball park temp).
We are no longer “owned by the brits” as one visitor asked me. We have been an independent country since July 1st… 1867. We only bow to the Queen if she’s here. And having her image on our currency is just historical respect.
Our currency is mostly coins. Deal with it. Get over your allergy to pocket change.
Our president, isn’t a president, he’s a Prime Minister, his name is Stephen Harper. and for the record, he’s not much of a Prime Minister.
However, he did save our asses from a nasty recession. Yeah he signed a cheque to GM. But he didn’t have to sign one to our banks. see, we only have 6 or 7 national banks, so when we pay mortgages, loans, lines of credit, the massive amount of interest the banks are sitting on, paid their own way out of our recession. We did get hit, we just aren’t in the shit storm you’re in.
In the words of Rick Mercer, “we’re Canadians. we’re bigger and on top, if this was prison, you’d be our bitch!”
Enjoy your stay… —Tourist to-do’s
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2010.
Two summers ago, I had an American couple come up to me while I was sitting near the base of Citadel Hill. They pointed to the masts at the top of the hill and said: are those boats up there? I told ’em to just keep walking up the hill and they’d see the boats. I’m surprised they didn’t hear my retreating cackles.
OP…the Queen of Canada is our Head of State.
That is why she is on much of our currency.
So your ‘ historical respect ‘ shows just how out of touch you ( & a lot of other Canadians ) truely are.
While we also have PM’s who are on our larger denomination paper money.
What I personally would love to see & purchase is toilet paper with the faces of some of our real loser PM’s.
Topping that list IMO would be Harper, then Mulroney the thief followed by Trudeau-perhaps wrapped in a commie flag, Cretien & let us not forget Martin “I ship in the coal & the cocaine” from down south to Cape Breton !
Maybe we could even get tissue with the faces of Campbell, Clark & other lukewarm accomplish nothing PM’s.
I know I’d stock up on a bunch ~:)
More— we’re a constitutional monarchy. Yes, the Queen is technically our head of state, but does not rule us, and has no specific control over our laws. She is about as redundant as the Senate in our system.
I’ll say it before, and I’ll say it again. I hate Americans, especially when they’re on vacation. They still think they’re entitled to a lot of stuff, like 15 cents to the dollar or servers grovelling at their feet. This isn’t Mexico/Jamaica/Puerto Rico, where you can fulfill the American dream of having a person below your station be your slave. As to the dollar, you’re lucky to actually get the exchange rate you get.
Although, if you want bad, deal with German tourists. They’re a group of people that have the same entitlement issues, but they don’t have a sense of humour.
Actually Fever you are incorrect.
As usual you leave out some pertinent facts.
Like the Queens power toremove a Prime Minister.
In Canada’s system of Government, the power to govern is vested in the crown but is entrusted to the government to use on behalf of the people.The Crown reminds the Government of the day that the source of the power to govern rests elsewhere & is only given to them for a limited duration. As an enduring institution, the Crown serves to safeguard Canadians rights & freedom.
You may consider that a technicality or having no specific control.
I disagree & there is an often overlooked Royal perogative known as the Head of States ‘reserve powers’
To list it for you (as it seems you don’t realise it exists)
1) To appoint a Prime Minister
2) To remove a Prime Minister
3) To refuse to disolve Parliment
4) To force a dissolution of Parliment
5)To refuse or delay the Royal Assent to legislation
You may consider the removal of a Prime Minister, disolve Parliment to be minor, redundant or a throw back to olden times…but these Perogatives still hold.
While it is very true that traditionally the HOS exercises their ‘Royal Perogative’ on the advice of the Prime Minister & the Cabinet.
There are still situations in which the HOS may choose to exercise their Royal Perogative independantly from elected officials….it may be rare, but it is still there.
If the Prime Minister didn’t have to have Royal Assent, he wouldn’t have had to get permission from the GG to porogue Parliment, yet he did …twice.
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Valid bitch. But for the record, Steven Harper wants to take credit for keeping us fairly in check during the recession but that was all the groundwork that the liberals laid out before him. Stephen Harper has been nothing but a blight on this country.
All rubber stamp political powers, More. If the Queen interdicted in affairs like that, there would be significant political and social outcry. All of those powers are essentially useless, thanks to that, along with a repatriated Constitution. She’s a figurehead, along with the patronage positions that she employs, The Governor General, along with the equally useless Lieutenant Governor. If they were indeed a separate political entity, they would constantly involve themselves in state of affairs, but they’ve been relegated to ambassadorial duties.
All tourists seem to be on either their best behaviour or their worst. I started out in a tourist oriented bookshop on the waterfront back in the 80’s and I now encounter them once a week , mostly in summer. I can definitely state that I’ve dealt with ugly Americans, sterotypes straight from central casting. But I can tell you this much, I find Americans at their worst virtually indistinguishable from continental Europeans and quebeckers at their very best. These are folks who have raised arrogance and ignorance to the level of performance art. And I will take Americans at their best over any other Canadians any day of the week. And as for drunken sailors versus drunken hipsters; it’s not even a question.
Political blah blah blah aside, huzzah! Well said.
Tourists (especially Americans) need to give their head a shake and learn just a little about the country they’re visiting. Like, NO, we do not use the good ole Greenback here in Canada, and yes, we would appreciate you not assuming that you can use it here either. It’s a pain in the ass to deal with US $$.
It never ceased to amaze me, the stupid questions I was asked while working in a small retail store near the waterfront.
Technically, Canada became a dominion in 1867; it was not until 1982 that we became a legally independent country.
When the students leave town I imagine, for a brief, joyful moment, that the buses and the downtown have opened up to me again. A break from the conceited hipster (is that what they’re called these days?) attitude for a few precious months. I head down to Spring Garden for a walk in the sun and I run smack-dab into them: loud clusters of dazed, fanny-packed tourists toddling all over downtown like drunken babies. I flee ….
Re: TTFN, back in the day we used to tell los turistas that the masts at the citadel were the wreckage of the original Bluenose, blown up there by the Halifax Explosion. And one time, a very crappy summer day was improved immeasureably by overhearing the following conversation:
Wife: That Bluenose sure is a big boat ,Hon.
Husband: It’s called a shooner, dear.
4 draft lunches at the “deck” got me through that first summer.
I don’t know using us currency was never a big deal for me there’s a button on most cash registers, Alot of the Americans are nice its just the southern trash that irk me the most. I’ve been to the United States and alot of the states I was in are similar to places I’ve been to in Canada, but some of the states are the typical american stereotype.
yeah right, and that’s why the statesiders wear winter clothing the summer, first time they come here. a very bad misconception, that some idiot yank started.
What’s up with all this american hate? Sure some are arseholes, but so are many from other countries too that come visit here.
I just spent the last two months with an American from Denver and she was one cool motherfucker. I also have many other american friends and american family friends who say the same thing: they get treated like SHIT in canada. Meanwhile, my dad spent about 10 years living in the states and has been to all 50 of them and has no complaints about their hospitality.
Sometimes I think we’re a bit more of the problem here than we’d care to admit. Like holy persecution complex. I mean, canadians get pissy when americans don’t know shit about us…but WHY should they? Just because we’re neighbours? Uhh…they’re the most powerful nation on the planet — I don’t think they really have to know shit about us — if they wanted, they could eat our asses for breakfast if they wanted to.
Canadians like to bash americans, but we sure do love that greenback, don’t we? 😉
“I have lived here for all 27 years of my life and I have NEVER heard any Canadian say out and about like OOT and ABOOT”
I’ve lived here 8 yrs and I’ve heard it … a lot.
In my 40 years as a Canuck I also, have never once heard it pronounced “oot” and “aboot” from a Canadian. For some reason it’s only Americans who think we pronounce it like that. In all my travels I haven’t had anyone make fun of how I, or my fellow Canadians pronounce either word except for the 5 years living in the States.
I always thought it was funny that they do such a terrible Cdn accent by saying “oot” when we pronounce it more like “oat” and “a boat” and Americans pronounce it like “owwwt” and “abowwwwt”
Last summer during Tall Ships I had some American teens from one of the training ships come in to the store. What a great bunch of kids. Polite, enthusiastic, excited. When they hit our nautical collection they just went nuts. Each one bought about $100 bucks worth of stuff; everything from Patrick O’briens to 50 year old manuals on knot tying. Despite the harbor stink they were really grooving on being in Halifax.
And then some middle aged ,south end, progress club type comes in , slaps down a half-price Grisham pb and says “Is that the best you can do me”
I’ll throw in a copy of “Go Fuck Yourself For Dummies” – no charge.
I love making fun of Yanks and their various verbal issues. Like ruff (roof).
I’ve honestly have never head oot or aboot, with the exception of maybe of my one trip to Thunder Bay, where it wasn’t oot or aboot per se. But it was pretty damn close.
That ‘aboot’ is from South Park. Terrence and Phillip say itin “Bigger, Longer & Uncut”.
Sarey– The origin of that stereotype is from SCTV, specifically Bob and Doug Mackenzie. That’s where many American stereotypes of Canadians come from, and likely what South Park’s creators were emulating.
“I mean, canadians get pissy when americans don’t know shit about us…but WHY should they?”
because it’s polite.
if i was going to another country i would try to learn something about it.
when i went into the states a few summers ago, made sure i changed money into american currency and read a few head lines of national online newspapers from where i was going. just to keep current.
also i am going to brazil in december and i starting to learn portugese now. and learning phrases and manners, ‘please & thank you….’
i know going to brazil is a lot different than just going into the states, but when i go to the states i am not going to start every conversation with anyone i meet with an exaggerated stereotype i have only heard on tv. “hello, welcome to the united states.”
“if i tell you my name can i have a free gun?”
its obviously a stupid thing to say to someone. but what i don’t understand is why they..and by “they” i mean “some” know absolutely nothing about us. i am only 25 and i know a lot of american history. most of it, oddly enough from school.
Think American tourists are bad? The absolute WORST tourists BY FAR, about 50 times worse than the worst American tourist you have ever run into, are AUSSIE TOURISTS! Maybe not all the ones with money you meet in Whistler, but go to typical Aussie tourist haunts like Bali, Phuket, other Asian/Pacific island tourist hotspots, and heaps of places throughout Europe… hoo-ee! All they care about is getting pissed and telling off the locals. Australia is the trashiest place on earth. US got nothing on the absolute ignorant arrogant racist white trash you find in Austraya!
Typical Aussie bloke:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LNSrzQb3KZg/SKej…
Typical Aussie Sheila:
http://www.convictcreations.com/research/i…
This video sums up your typical Aussie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQpr1lKHjP8
And remember, nobody likes a Bogan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA8gJoT5yl4…
But don’t get me wrong, I tend to like Aussies. Have a lot in common with them actually! Gimme another VB and get fucked, love!
I second Q on the Aussie tourists especially ones with 1 yr. work permits ; they’re frigg’n everywhere on the west coast and you can hear them coming from a mile away stfu why are you forever yelling!
Good one, Ivan. They had an article in one of the local rags about 15 years ago on the most ridiculous questions tourists ask – number one was a tourist at Peggy’s Cove who wondered what they did with the rocks in the winter.
I seem to recall a long drunken convo on the deck of the Ruptured Raven back in the 80’s with a couple of stereotypical New Yorkers. The wife had Judge Judy beat hands down in the ettiquette and manners department.
I think we sold her on the theory that the rocks at Peggy’s cove were actually made from burlap and styrofoam and that every spring out of work fishermen got part time jobs assembling, painting and setting them up in advance of the tourist season.
On the plus side, for every chucklehead like that there’s always folks like the fellow from Colorado I was talking to on Saturday; who comes up here with his parents every couple of years and make a beeline for our establishment. His Dad is a Raddall fan and he is an aviation buff and they just love Hali (and a certain bookstore).
Canadian banks did get a bailout. Two different takes on the issue:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/Opinion/11881…
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/…
Why, Dr Fever! For someone who seemingly thinks of himself as so brilliant, to say “I hate Americans,” you sound awfully stupid.
more is right fever.even though everything is rubber stamped,legally,again legally,she can take charge if she decided to.keep in mind the word legal.also keep in mind every canadian soldier gives an oath to the crown not the canadain flag.
i can not speak for you but generally people in the military are people of honour where their oath is their bond.
actually, I will admit that the way some americans pronounce “foyer” and “chaise lounge” makes me LOL a bit.
At least I’m willing to admit it. I don’t like Americans. Don’t like their politics, don’t like their attitude. It’s a symptom of being told you live in the “city on the hill” all your life; they all carry an undeniable arrogance.
And yes, I realize that statement itself is arrogant.
yea PK although I’m thinking only about 10% of yanks would say either of those words as the rest wouldn’t know wtf they meant 🙂
If some tacky tourist is being ignorant, try to educate them! And if they’re a pain after you try to explain things, then just resort to being an ass… Especially when it comes time for YOU to visit THEM
Then again, I guess I’m jus lucky with tourists… I volunteered at Tall Ships, made brief friends with people who stayed at the hostel on Barrington (Translation: I got totally fucking drunk with foreign people), and I’m in for the IRF this week.
Ok Fever, just as long as you know that you sound just like kay when she makes her ignorant blanket statements about Haligonians. Interesting.