When it comes to Canada, there are almost too many stereotypes to count. Most of the stereotypes are misconceptions that come from the US and other countries. These stereotypes regard Canada as a whole, like the one where we all hunt moose (we don’t) or the one where we all say ‘eh’ after every sentence (we don’t do that either).
But what non-Canadians might not know is that the provinces of Canada all vary incredibly, and we Canadians have our own ideas and stereotypes for each region of the country. So here are the ones that I’ve heard in my years of living in the True North Strong and Free:
Alberta
The oil kings
Some of the big oil companies lay their headquarters here, and it’s pretty easy to find them since Alberta has like, two cities.
Calgary and Edmonton. They’ve hated each other forever, and nobody quite knows why.
Calgary is larger, and they’ve got the annual stampede (a giant cowboy rodeo fair that fulfills all of your Canadian dreams) and Edmonton has the West Edmonton Mall, one of the largest malls in the world or something.
They also have equally horrible hockey teams, the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers.
There are a few little towns scattered all over the place consisting of old fashioned saloons and conservative cowboys.
Another cool fact, every other province hates Alberta because they’re richer than everyone else. And they pay less taxes. Why? I don’t know.
British Columbia
BC is like the California Of Canada, with beaches, hiking trails, and hippies. My sources tell me that everyone in BC is laid back. They literally never get angry there. BC happens to be the only province where you can Kayak, surf, hike, and snowboard on the same day.
BC is a pretty large province but I can only name two cities; Vancouver and Victoria. I mean, are there any more cities? I don’t think so.
Vancouver has great nightlife and a large aquarium, which you can visit any time of day to see the angry protesters holding their ‘save the whales’ posters. And uh... Victoria was named after a queen.
Manitoba
Let’s see...
There’s Winnipeg. I hear it gets hilariously cold there in winter. And spring. And... fall.
They also have polar bears there.
They’re probably where the ‘Nice Canadian’ stereotype came from...
Come on, does anybody know anything about Manitoba??
New Brunswick
Ah, these guys are a real joy to have a conversation with.
Can’t understand them when they speak english.
Can’t understand them when they speak french.
But don’t worry, they’re patient.
But the real question is, are you?
Newfoundland and Labrador
In all my years of history class I still don’t know why Labrador exists.
Do people living in the 'Labrador' part say ‘I’m from Labrador’ or do they say 'I'm from Newfoundland'? Maybe both?
Usually their days look a little something like this:
Wake up
Go fishing
Eat the fish
Sleep
Repeat
What a way to live, man.
Nova Scotia
That’s where Halifax is.
Ontario
Literally nobody who’s not from Ontario likes Ontario.
Everyone thinks the world (or at least Canada) revolves around Toronto in particular and I don’t know why.
Torontonians also like to compare themselves to New York.
I know right.
The only thing they have in common with New York is their dirty streets and their toxic air that always smells like dog poop and chemicals.
Keep dreaming, Toronto.
Ontario is usually the only province that non-Canadians care to acknowledge exists. Which surprises me because there are so many better provinces out there. But that’s not my business.
At least they’ve got half of Niagra Falls.
Even that they had to share with the US.
Prince Edward Island
Why aren’t you guys part of Nova Scotia?
Quebec
It’s funny how foreigners seem to love Quebec but the people from Quebec resent everyone. These guys produce most of our Maple Syrup so we thank them for that, but if you speak English primarily, forget trying to befriend them.
They eat Anglophones alive.
They cook them up and serve them to their french poodles.
Everyone in Quebec is supposedly snobby and rich, which would explain why they tried (unsuccessfully) to leave the country. They were an integral part of the making of our country, but oh well, it’s just ditching Canada right.
Just hundreds of years of history.
Hey, want to get a Québécois talking for hours?
Ask them to tell you about how superior they are to the rest of us.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan. The rectangle in the middle of Canada. Commonly referred to as Alberta’s armpit.
The few people who live in Saskatchewan are all hard workin’ beer drinkin' farmers. And the whole province has like, four trees.
I once heard someone say that Saskatchewan is the only province that you can lose your dog in and still see him running 2 days later, because it's so flat. And that's not an untrue fact either.
God help them if they have a flood.
The Territories
Northern Lights, Inuits, Igloos, Polar Bears, and Snow.
Lots of snow.
Thank you for reading! This article was for fun and I don't take (most of) these stereotypes seriously!
- Ally O
Excellent piece! I love your writing style, Ally O. Fun and informative at the same time. Good job.
I enjoyed this. Barney Stinson infected me with Canadian stereotypes but this did shed some positive lights into slight diversities I never would have guessed.
Never heard of Saskatchewan before and from what you just described, there really isn't much to hear about.
It also the 7th largest province in Canada (just found that out) larger than all the ones we hear about including mine- Alberta
Thank you very much!