Happy Canada Day !!!

Happy Canada Day !!! Let's celebrate !!!

A new poll from Ipsos Reid reveals the top 101 things Canadians say best define the country. Of course, no surprise is the Maple Leaf symbol up front, with the Flag of Canada in third place. No. 2 is hockey. No. 4 is the beaver, followed by the Canadarm in No. 5 spot.

Overall, the data paint a picture of an evolving country--one headed away from a cherished understanding of historical events and people, toward a more symbolic understanding of itself. Marc Chalifoux, the executive director of the Dominion Institute of Canada said the findings show a "generational shift." Older people felt more strongly about historical events than did younger generations. The youngest bracket, aged 18-34, was more "attached" to places and icons.

"The findings were somewhat worrying," said Chalifoux. "We feel our Canadian history and our story as a country is an important element of what defines us, and to see those elements disappearing from the list . . . it's historical amnesia."

Here's the entire 101 list . . . some things may seem surprising, but hey! it is who we are.

101 Things that Define Canada:

1. Maple Leaf
2. Hockey
3. Canadian Flag
4. Beaver
5. Canadarm
6. Canada Day
7. Peacekeeping
8. Pierre Trudeau
9. Universal health care
10. Niagara Falls
11. The Rocky Mountains
12. Wayne Gretzky
13. Parliament Hill
14. Ottawa
15. Frederick Banting and the discovery of insulin
16. The RCMP
17. CN Tower in Toronto
18. Quebec City
19. Terry Fox
20. Confederation
21. Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
22. First and Second World Wars
23. Canadian Constitution/Charter of Rights/Bill of Human Rights
24. Multiculturalism
25. Stanley Cup
26. Calgary Stampede
27. Celine Dion
28. Canadian National Railway
29. Toronto
30. Vimy Ridge
31. Plains of Abraham
32. Sir John A Macdonald
33. David Suzuki
34. Montreal
35. Wilderness
36. Tommy Douglas
37. Loonie
38. Freedom
39. Quebec
40. Maple syrup
41. Moose/caribou
42. Wildlife
43. Stephen Harper
44. Lester Pearson
45. Grey Cup
46. Olympics
47. Expo 67
48. Bilingualism
49. Vancouver
50. Avro Arrow
51. Democratic nation
52. Quebec Winter Carnival
53. Banff National Park
54. Hydroelectricity
55. St. Lawrence Seaway
56. Curling
57. Remembrance Day
58. Tim Hortons
59. Maurice Richard
60. Trans-Canada Highway
61. Snow
62. Canada geese
63. Medical/scientific/technical inventions and advancements
64. Rene Levesque
65. Great Lakes
66. Chateau Frontenac
67. Immigration policy
68. Environmental conservation/concerns
69. Blue Nose
70. Oil
71. 1972 Summit hockey series
72. National Anthem
73. Bombardier
74. Montreal Jazz Festival
75. Jean Chretien
76. Don Cherry
77. War of 1812
78. 2010 Vancouver Olympics
79. Charlottetown
80. Repatriation of the Constitution
81. Friendly, polite country
82. Victoria Day
83. The Prairies
84. Discovery of the polio vaccine
85. Winter
86. Halifax
87. Queen Elizabeth
88. Hudson Bay
89. Anne Murray
90. Canadian beer
91. Pierre Berton
92. Victoria
93. Quebec referendum
94. Fleur-de-lis
95. National parks
96. Olympic Stadium
97. Juno Award
98. Rideau Canal/skating on the canal
99. Aid/helping other countries
100. Space exploration
101. Canadian elections

» Source: Dominion Institute of Canada/condensed report from Canwest News Service.