Why to be proud of Canada?

Invited article:By Mel Tobias

In the past, Canadians don’t generally think of their own country among the world’s great vacation spots. That’s all changed now with the economic downturn. A global poll listed Canada first as the most appealing vacation destinations in the world, ahead of Italy and Australia. More and more Canadians are staying home instead of going after the sunny Caribbean, exotic Asian cities and Europe’s historic capital. The world sees Canada for its unspoiled nature, vibrant cities, fascinating history and friendly people. Here are other Canadians attractions, having talked enough about Vancouver, Toronto and Quebec.

Newfoundland has St. John’s, North America’s oldest city. It has heritage sites and outdoor adventures. The National Park was designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site. Hiking trails are an integral part of the Newfoundland travel experience.
Nova Scotia has Cabot Trail and Cape Breton Island. There are all kinds of festivals like the Halifax International Busker Festival and the Luneburg Folk Harbor Festival and the Pictou Lobster Festival.

Prince Edward Island is a wonderful island for adventure and culture. The Charlottetown Festival is a three-month festival of musical theater, comedy and artistic performances by top Canadian performers. Then, there is the 2009 Canada Games with 18 events and one can watch future Olympians. No Canadian province has a monopoly on great golf. Prince Edward Island is the country’s top golfing holiday destination.

New Brunswick has colorful Fredericton, the provincial capital that has been designated as one of Canada’s cultural capitals. There are several outstanding galleries and it is a must to visit the historic St. Andrews By-The-Sea.

Then, there’s the festival oriented Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, enchanting Saskatchewan with its rolling terrain and Calgary with its world famous Calgary Stampede, an event that can compete with the cowboys of Texas.

For a finale, there is Nuvavut (in the north). It is home to the meeting point of glaciers and sea ice. The Northwest Territories is the best place to watch the Aurora Borealis, something that must be seen in a lifetime, just like the pyramids of Egypt. Visualize breathtaking ghostly colors dance in the night sky. The entire province is really the perfect viewing post for this experience that will bring to mind episodes of The X-Files.

We celebrated Canada Day last July Ist. It was Canada’s 142nd birthday and there are a lot of things to be proud. Here’s a collection of data from different publications that will make every Canadian proud of Canada.

We can be proud that Canada is renowned and respected peacekeepers around the world and that we are known to be polite and that we have more fresh water than anyone else. And that we are only 33.7 million of us which means we have space to move around.

Other things to be proud about is the fact that Canada ranks No. 2 among the top industrialized countries in the world and we are ahead of Britain, France and Germany.

Canadians have a higher household incomes than the Australians and the British and a higher level of home ownership than the Americans.

On the subject of immigration, maybe we are letting too many people into the country. Canada granted more new citizenships per capita than any other nation. Canada’s wealth, education system, diverse and tolerant society are primary lures to immigrants.

When it comes to life expectancy, Canada is now estimated to be 81.23 years, eighth in the world and when it comes to quality of life, the number of years lived free from disease, Canada tied with France.

The health issue could be due to the fact that Canada was named the second-fittest and second-most relaxed country in the world (behind the Netherlands and Spain). And despite having the third-largest number of McDonald’s franchises per capita in the world, Canadians are relatively careful about what they put in their bodies. This is specially true in British Columbia, specially in Vancouver.