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Many Canadians like to play up their affinities with the UK (which are often superificial it's true) in order to distinguish themselves from Americans.
Considering that pre 1985, 40 percent of Canadians had British ancestry, it is not surprising.
Now it down to 28 percent. ( 2000 figures )
Also considering that most of our major institutions and government model based on that of the UK, I hardly call it superficial.
Even though, Americans that I know also have an affinity with the UK.
English speakers around the world know Shakespeare, Dickens, and even Jack the Ripper.
This exposure usually makes one more curious about a place. I know for me, going to the UK was a passion I had a kid because of this.
How do Canadians play this up? It seems to me, to just be.
Most Canadians don't really think about the UK, the average Canadian focuses on the here and now! Going to Mexico for holidays, going to the US to do some shopping, perhaps a world tour backpacking. (that is sort of the stuff Canadians tend to think of when they think about the world beyond Canada)
Some British naively tend to think that the whole colonial thing with Britain and the queen as the center of it all is very prominent. (It isn't really)
I'm in the middle. I'm a lover of British history, but like you say, I don't dwell or think about " modern " Britain as much, except for some of their brilliant TV.
If I may, I'll answer your question with a question: are these affinities generally greater or lesser than those with the US?
Canada is undoubtedly more British than the US...also, let's not forget that there is still a fairly robust immigration of people from the UK in Canada compared to the US.
Canada is undoubtedly more British than the US...also, let's not forget that there is still a fairly robust immigration of people from the UK in Canada compared to the US.
I agree that Canada is more British than the U.S., but it's also more oriented to the U.S. than it is to the U.K. in most respects.
As for immigrants, there are more people born in the U.K. living in the U.S. than in Canada (700 k vs. 600 k approx), but relative to population, there are way more British people in Canada.
Even though British immigration to Canada has tailed off considerably.
Why has Canada rid itself of its british culture unlike Australia and New Zealand?
"...rid itself of its british culture....?This makes it sound like the Canadians wrote out a master plan of anti-British objectives and then set to, rooting them out. I think a basic book of Canadian history would disabuse the OP of that notion.
Yes....official Canadian spelling is still British for many words....
colour ....not colour ....favourite .....not favorite.....centre ....not center
As far as I know, Canada is an independent country that has the authority to pass its own laws and regulations, including those related to culture.
Canada has been able to exert control over the country's radio industry and even to some degree over the television industry. In the former case, things have been quite successful, while on the TV side it's not been as good but in this case it's not so much that Canada's hands are tied as it is that there isn't the political and regulatory will to do things any differently.
The same goes for movies, where the approach for decades has been to let the Americans eat Canada's lunch. That's fine if that's what people want, but you also reap what you sow.
As I mentioned earlier, the Americans exert less control over film distrubution in the province of Quebec, even though their films are very present here as you might expect. To my knowledge, this Quebec distinctiveness in terms of cinema actually exists without any form of regulatory coercion. It's just the way it is.
The base of Anglo culture in Canada is the United Empire Loyalists, who brought with them a very strong attachment to British institutions and the British Empire as a political entity, but who culturally were people from a North American culture that was already older than living memory when they came north, and who came north at a time when European colonization of Australia was in its extreme infancy.
It would be interesting to find out whether the the Empire Loyalists were comparatively recent arrivals in the Americas, or from more established families.
One key difference is that the Australian states were only true British colonies for a comparatively short period of time, though, and were never governed as closely or harshly by the British as their North American colonies. Britain's interest faded quickly once transportation fell from favour, quite unlike North America where a war needed to be waged for basic political freedoms and rights.
By way of example here are a few key dates in the early history of Victoria, now Australia's second most populous state.
Melbourne founded - 30 August 1835
Gold rush begins, bringing prospectors from a wide range of countries, including large numbers from China and Germany - 1851
Chinatown established - 1851
Eureka rebellion, leaders of which included miners from the Unites States, Jamaica, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland - 1854
Victoria become self governing with elected legislature and written constitution -1855
Australian Rules Football codified - 1858
Victoria participates in overseas conflict as an independent, self governing entity - 1860 to 1866.
Last edited by Bakery Hill; 12-16-2016 at 07:41 PM..
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