Canadq A Brite Star World Cultures Copyright © 2023 by The Brite Star Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c)3 All rights reserved. Published by The Brite Star Foundation, Inc. 11411 Southern Highlands Parkway Suite 338 Las Vegas, Nevada 89141 Vincent W. Goett, Publisher
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“Good morning class,” said Ms. Betty. “Today Cynthia is going to tell us about her home country of Canada.” The Brite Star kids were excited to learn about Canada and Cynthia was excited to tell her friends about her family’s homecountry.
Map andFlag “Canada is located right above the United States. It’s our neighbor to the north,” Cynthia explained. “That’s what Icall a big neighbor,” said Miles. The whole class laughed. “The Canadian flag has a red stripes on either end and a white stripe in the middle witha large red maple leaf on it. It’s been our national symbol since 1868, and its red color has been described asa symbol of Canadian sacrifice its made withother countries,” saidCynthia.
Land “Canada is the second largest country in the world. Only Russia is bigger. One thing that makes Canada really special is that it has lots of forests, lakes, and mountains. The Pacific Ocean is on the west side of Canada and the Atlantic Ocean is on the eastside.” “There are sixregions of the country: the Canadian Shield, the Interior Plains, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands, the Appalachian Region, the Western Cordillera, and the Arctic Archipelago.” “Wow, those are some tough names to say,” said Alexander. “Yes,it’s easier just to say Western, Central and Eastern Canada,” said Cynthia.
Climate “Canada is so big the climates range from very nice in the summer to really, really cold in the winter. In some places next to the ocean, like Vancouver, it rains a lot but it’s very green and has lots of forests. Vancouver is located in the province of British Columbia and is one of the few places in Canada that doesn’t getmuch snow.” “Then that’s only place I’d live in Canada for sure. It sounds like a very cold place to me!” said Miles. That made the classlaugh.
People “Over 37,000,000 people live in Canada,” Cynthia continued. “That sounds like a lot of but there are over 350,000,000 people in the United States so Canada has a lot less people for sure.” “The Canadian people are a lot like people in the United States and, just like the United States, people from othercountries have moved there,” said Cynthia. “Aren’t there Canadian Native people who, still to this day, make beautiful jewelry?” askedMissy. “That’s right. Native people have greattraditions and they love Canada, too,” saidCynthia.
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Language “Canada’s constitution established both English and French asthe official languages,” explained Cynthia. “However, English is dominant throughout most of thecountry.” “My dad says French is the language of love,” said Miles, making a goofy face. “No,” blurted Leo. “Big Leo says the language of love is Italian!” Everyone began shouting their opinions of love languages.
Religions “Calm down, class,” Ms. Betty said, “LetCynthia continue.” “Canada has lots of beautiful churches,” said Cynthia. “Most of Canada’s population claim affiliation with an organized religious faith. Most are either Roman Catholic or Protestant.The major Protestant churches are the United Church of Canada, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Lutheran church. Roman Catholics make up the largest single religious group and thesecond largest group are Protestants,” sheexplained.
Currency “In 1870the Canadian government passed the Currency Actwhich made the Canadian Dollar the official currency of Canada. A Canadian dollar is made up of 100 Canadian cents,” said Cynthia. “I bet you don’t knowwhat they used to call the dollar coin in Canada,” challenged Hudson. “Oh, Ido. Itwascalled the Loonie,” said Cynthia. The class laughed at that funnyname. “What? Why?” asked Jeremy. “Well, the Loon is the national bird of Canada and there is a picture of the Loon on the dollar coin,” explained Cynthia. “So, the name Loonie stuck. Loonie coins are very rare now because they were replaced in the1980s.”
Government “Canada’s government is based on the British system with the national government run as a parliamentary democracy. That meanstheir politicians are elected just like in the United States,” said Cynthia. “The country is divided into 13provinces and territories, all of whom have their own separate governments with theirown power.” “The Queen is Canada’s head of state but the prime minister rules Canada. He is the head of government and holds one of the most powerful leadership positions in any western democracy. He has no term limits so can stay in office as long as he keeps getting reelected,” saidCynthia.
Food “Canadians love food -- especially barbeques of hot dogs and hamburgers. They really love french fries, too,” Cynthia said. “Of course pizza is another big favorite.” “Canadian farmers grow lots of fruit and vegetables and those are favorites, too.” “In Canada turkey is still the main Thanksgiving food, just like in Brite Star. But in Canada, Thanksgiving is on a completely different day,”said Cynthia.
Just then Chef Lou came in the classroom with trays full of food. The food looked great and smelled wonderful. “In honor of Cynthia’s report about Canada I made a special meal on the barbeque . . . hotdogs, french fries and my special Canada turkey burger,” Chef Lou said.
The kids cheered. Some of the class had never tried a turkey burger before, but they all loved them. Everyone was happy that they learned about their neighbor country, Canada.
Think AboutIt 1. What country is the only one bigger than Canada? 2. What two languages are the official languages of Canada? 3. What are the six regions inCanada called?
4. Why was the dollar coin calleda Loonie? 5. Who is head of thegovernment?
Let’s WorkTogether! Learning about different countries, cultures and people around the world is important. It helps you understand people from those places better. It can be exciting too! You will learn about things you may enjoy!
I will. .. • • •
Ask people I know from Canada more questions about their country. Read books about Canada. Make a list of ways Canada is like my country.
It’s fun to learn some of the practices of other countries. Doing so gives you a broader understanding of a world that is bigger than just your own
country.