I sometimes participate in a forum called "Canada Bound" where people anticipating a move to Canada ask questions about immigration, work visas, student visas, the likelihood of securing a job, etc.

One poor girl was asking what Canada was really like because her father once had a friend from BC and told him many great things about it, and yet her step mother said "Canada was socialist country and you can't choose your job there". Perhaps confusing Canada with Stalinist Russia perhaps? People didn't know if it was legitimate, or a hoax, but it turned out to be legitimate!

I agree about archaic preconceptions of Canada, but this is especially so in the media, amd moreso Hollywood films and TV shows. When the rare chance that Canada is featured in a movie or film, there will always be the token RCMP in full red uniform on a horse, and whatnot. As a result, you always get people anticipating a vacation to Canada so they can finally see the police officers in red. I've had to tell one too many people that the RCMP look like regular cops - they drive squad cars, they carry guns, they don't wear red uniforms, they dont' ride horses. The red coat and the hat are only ceremonial dresses, worn in parades, at special ceremonies or at funerals.

When getting an oil change in a southern state - don't remember which, the guy taking down the plate # said "Alberta . . . which state is that"? Which is funny at a number of levels!

I was living in Hawaii and told someone I was from Canada- her response was " Oh I used to have a friend who lived in Canada but I dont remember what street she lived on"

And then my mother was visiting me, someone asked where she was from "Saskatchewan she said, do you know where that is?" The person thought for a minute and answered "Sweden?"

When I was young, we lived in Windsor but my mom worked in Detroit. She was going to fly from Windsor to Toronto for a visit and one of the women she worked with was truly puzzled. She said "but isn't that in Canada too, and Canada is just across the river". NO concept of the size of Canada.

I'm sorry...I can't help myself:

A couple of travelers were in a bar in Europe, and one commented on the fact that no one was speaking English. "There's a couple of folks over there that look like they come from North America," his buddy said, and went over to talk to them. When he came back, the first traveler said "Where are they from?" The second traveler said "That's what I asked them, and they said 'Saskatoon, Saskatchewan,' so they don't speak English."

bob, as I said those words out loud, I burst out laughing....... it can't be true but it's mighty funny.

A friend went out on a tourist boat off the West Coast to see if he'd like to be a captain/tour guide with the company.

One of the guests asked what elevation they were at.

You can scroll back in time, if possible, and I am sure you can unearth on this forum some remarkable questions about Canada.

I have two favorites:
1. I will be in Toronto, can I drive to the Rockies for the weekend?

2. I want to visit Canada. What should I see?

My response was something on the order of this: Canada is wider, coast to coast, than the US. So how would you answer a similar question about the US?

I will say this much about visiting Canada. Most of my visits have been to British Columbia and Alberta, although last year we stopped over in Toronto on the way out and were treated to a very wonderful tour of Niagra Falls by our gracious and well-informed Canadian hostess. ALL of my visits have been very enjoyable. Nothing but positive experiences.

We drove down to California from Alberta one summer and were parked on the pier at Santa Barbara. As we were getting out of the car, a couple of men stopped and were staring at the front of our car. As we approached, they said "Is this one of those new electric cars?" We said "No, why?" They replied, "Well, why else would you have a plug-in on your car?" We explained what a block heater was, but they didn't really believe us.

cathy61, They didn't believe you because we have days in February (lie yesterday, for example) when it is 85 degrees farenheit! They cannot imagine it! :)

Not a word of a lie -- there is a current commercial running here in Italy on TV for a particular brand of coffee. The scene is clearly in a wooden shack with old-style snowshoes on the wall, and people huddled around a fire. There is a fire grill with a moka (metal espresso coffee maker) sitting on the fire. The voice over says, in effect "Where is our coffee popular?", to which the camera pans out to a MOUNTIE in full, but obviously fake, scarlet uniform, who says "Even in CANADA". I laughed my pie-hole off over that one!

Last February I was having breakfast in MoBay. In speaking with the waiter I mentioned that we had to battle through a 15 " snowfall to make our flight and that we were really looking forward to our holiday as it had been
minus 35 degrees when we left Ottawa the previous day. He replied: Cool..you are the first Eskimo I have met.

That is hilarious!

Why thank you Bob Brown! But you forgot to mention what great guests you were when you visited Niagara Falls. You didn't even mention that it was pouring rain! Ahhh, always seeing the positive when travelling. Ain't travelling great!

2 stupid questions on Canada I've been asked:

"Newfoundland, that's not in Canada. Isn't it part of Greenland?

"Do you have indoor plumbing in Canada?"

I am sorry to report that the absolutely most ignorant thing I have ever heard about Canada is that Canadians are actually frustrated because they aren't really "Americans."

One of the BEST things I have ever heard about Canada was this:

"Canadians....unarmed Americans with health care."

Trying to convince a European friend that the term "Americano" does NOT imply all Canadians, Americans, Central Americans, and South Americans! He seemed to think that we are "all the same, over there". I doubt if someone from Chile would describe him or herself as an "Americano" -- rather, as a Chilean from South America...He couldn't grasp the concept of being North American, from Canada...sigh...

I had company from Australia and it was in October. It got cold and I turned on the furnace. She asked me how long we keep our furnaces on and coulnd't believe it when I said all winter. She meant how many hours.

As hard as she tried to comprehend, she coulnd't really understand how cold it gets. Finally, I asked her if she had a deep freeze at home and if she'd ever been digging for food and her hands would ache from being cold. SHe said yes, and was shocked when I told her that's what it's like here on many winter days.

Try explaining to someone from warm climates about forced-air heating...

"I have always wanted to travel across seas, like to Canada and stuff. "

- Britney Spears