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I generally find that the English speech and accent in Canada from Ontario westward all the way to the Pacific Ocean is remarkably consistent.
Sure, there are some regional differences but this commonality is still astonishing considering the vastness of the territory covered and the many geographical gaps in human settlement.
I would also agree about the unique accents in Atlantic Canada, but would like to point out that they appear to be slowly fading away in the larger cities of that region in particular. They are still very predominant in rural areas of the Atlantic region, but more and more your average younger person in, say, Halifax (and even dare I say St. John's) is sounding increasingly like their counterparts in Oshawa or Kamloops.
It is also interesting how, with some exceptions, the Canadian English accent has become quite standardized across much of the country despite the absence of a strong unifying Anglo-Canadian popular culture (which is often one way that speech gets standardized on a national level), whereas the U.S. has a very strong national popular culture, but this has not led to regional accents fading out there in any significant way.
As a Canadian, most of the friends of mine who don the stereotypical "How's it goin eh?" and "aboot" type of speech are from Vancouver or northern Ontario. It's quite amusing But it's also just a small example and I don't generalize that everyone from Vancouver talks like that.
I think another reason the "Canadian accent" is so standard across the country could be due to our large immigrant population over the past few generations. If you think about it, large groups of people having to learn a second language are less likely to pick up an accent as they already have one from their native tongue. Canadians already speak in a very enunciated way so I can see how people from Vancouver (Large immigrant population) lack a defining accent.
From my travels, people from Washington, Idaho, Montonna and North Dakota sound less American than those from California, Arizona, Michigan etc.. In NorCal, they actullay sound different from their southern counterparts in the LA area. I find Americans say over-emphasize the "OW" in words like "ABOWT" (about) and "OWT" (out) and "ROWTING" (routing) when communicating. The whole Canadian OOOT and ABOOT thing is not as prevelant as some American make it out to be although having lived in both California and Ontario I can clearly interupt any accent from these areas very quickly!
Is hockey-commentator Don Cherry a good example?
He's a native of Kingston, Ontario, going back several generations.
Imho, 95+% of Torontonians sound about the same; the ones who weren't immigrants that is
Although only 1.5% of Torontonians speak French, about 56.2% are native speakers of English, according to the 2006 Census[34]. As a result Toronto shows a more variable speech pattern.[35] Although slang terms used in Toronto are synonymous with those used in other major North American cities, there is also an influx of slang terminology originating from Toronto's many immigrant communities. These terms originate mainly from various European, Asian, and African words. Among youths in predominantly Jamaican areas, a large number of words borrowed from Jamaican Patois can be heard.
Everyone is always joking about the Canadian accent what with the "aboot" stuff, but to be honest I've never heard any evidence of this. In Canada we are so heavily influenced by American culture through TV & films, I've always thought we sounded exactly like Americans. But recently I travelled abroad (to the UK) and there were people asking me where I was from as they couldn't quite place my accent. One even said "oh yeah I thought so!" when I told him I was from Canada.
I'm from Vancouver. One thing I have noticed with the way Vancouverites speak, which is something I've always subconsciously tried to steer away from, is how the the women (YOUNG WOMEN ESPECIALLY) are all trying to project this Californian valley girl accent with heavy emphasis on the final "s" sounds. It is SOOOOO grating! We're not anywhere close to California! Please tell me I'm not the only one who notices this. It sounds so affected. I believe it could be a West Coast thing, but you don't see Seattle-lites or Oregonians speaking this way. Only Californians, but they have a damn right to it because they came up with the accent in the first place!
It has always bothered and perplexed me that we are a completely different country but we are all such wannabe Americans. We just have no damn culture! That's why when people speak of Canadian pride and whatnot, it always strikes me as pathetic and disingenuous because we don't have much of an identity and we cling to superficial crap like "poutine being our national dish" and "hockey is our national obsession."
That's my two cents.
Anyway, maybe I just detest it out here in Vancouver. Epicenter of granola-ness. I think when I visit Montreal this summer I'll see another side of Canada more to my liking... I hope.
We just have no damn culture! That's why when people speak of Canadian pride and whatnot, it always strikes me as pathetic and disingenuous because we don't have much of an identity and we cling to superficial crap like "poutine being our national dish" and "hockey is our national obsession."
This is one of the things that has always bothered me. It seems like all you ever see are the Canadians who praise a hockey puck and some other kind of lame thing and call it their "culture". Not all Canadians like hockey, in fact some really hate it (most boring sport in the world). It always seems as though any Canadian appearing on TV, interviews, news, anywhere really.. they always seem to say things that typically a Canadian wouldn't say, therefore making Canadians as a whole sound dumb or without culture or even intellect. I HATE it when I see a Canuck on TV and the very first thing they say is "I'm from Canada EH" and then some joke about living in snow and eating syrup 24/7. Its like Canadians want to be made fun of. Under the normal social circumstances, Canadians will say "eh" or other words which tag them as Canadian only its in context. I don't know why they cant act normal when they are the face of Canada. No, instead they have to act like a bumbling, beer swelling hockey nut which in turn makes the whole country look this way.
As for the accent, its COMPLETELY noticeable the way Canadians say "about" and "out" and words like that. Some Canadians have a very mild accent though. Some even sound American. I talk on the phone all day at work with Americans and they never think I am in Canada. I think you might also be right about Vancouver. I don't know if its California but it seems like there trying awfully hard to be someone south of the border. Just like people in Toronto are trying to be New Yorkers.
Trying to be everyone else. That's Canadian culture.
Depends what generation of Canadian you are. Most 2nd and 3rd generation canadian's won't carry any accent at all. As you get into 3rd generation, 4th and onwards it becomes extremely strong. If I listen to anyone outside the GTA I hear an extremely strong accent, completely different than my 2nd generation one. They may be possibly 6th or 7th generation Canadian. Most areas with high immigrant populations, a "Canadian" accent would be hard to maintain and pass on. But if you look at places such as Nova Scotia and Newfoundland with low immigrant populations, you can easily distinguish their "accent".
Also this country is extremely vast with 2 official languages, so a uniform "Canadian accent" is non-existant. You'd have to separate it in regions first of all.
You just lost any credibility with that statement.
If you think there's no culture in Canada, it's because you're ignorant, or you simply don't recognize it as culture, or you're stuck in the Eurocentric menality of culture being art galleries and museums of people long dead.
Canada definitely has a culture.
It's a regional culture more than a national culture.
I'm not talking about hockey or maple syrup. I'm talking about the traditions, the history, the stories, the music, the activities, the mentality of the people across this diverse country.
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But it's also just a small example and I don't generalize that everyone from Vancouver talks like that. 
What IS this "Canadian Accent"?
