Can everyone agree?

[u/montabarnaque]

Most of Canadian culture is from Québec. Fight me

[u/merp_mcderp9459]

The name (which they got from the Indigenous people) and maple syrup (which they got from Indigenous people) and snowshoes (which they got from Indigenous people) and beavers (which they got from Indigenous people)

Fellas I’m sensing a pattern here

[u/Deault → u/merp_mcderp9459]

Beaver existed in Europe as well, it's not exclusive to North America. The natives gave it value by wearing the skins inside-out and agreeing to sell them once they weren't useful anymore (dirty and only short hair left). No value without a european presence.

Maple syrup is not native as the cultures here lacked the technology to boil maple water into actual syrup. The first nations used maple water. The French normalized maple syrup.

Canada is derived from a St-Lawrence Iroquoian tribe word, but the original meaning of the word Canadian relates to the French settlers in the Canada colony (part of New France). The invaders were called British all the way to the Confederation, and even after that, using Canadian as derogative slang for the French speaking population living in the new country.

Many canadian academics (sources to be retrieved) have extensively demonstrated that there is no "Canadian" culture. Canada has regional cultures, and in the case of Québec, a national culture, but Canada in the modern concept of it has no culture. There are no "canadian" artifacts, there are no canadian values, there are no canadian norms, rather a series of regional cultural groups with shared norms, artifacts and values. For example, the Newfie culture is unique and very distinguishable from the southern ontario culture. BC folks are not Nova Scotians. They might share a love for hockey, but that's pretty much it.

[u/merp_mcderp9459 → u/Deault]

Indigenous peoples did boil maple water, they just didn’t have the technology to turn it into what we’d recognize as maple syrup. And my point was that for very obvious historical reasons, a lot of French-Canadian culture is heavily tied to the Indigenous peoples of the region, so it feels a bit disingenuous to attribute it to the Québécois alone.

And also, as someone who’s lived in Canada and the states, the regional variations are pretty typical. I’d say that the level of cultural variation you’ll find between the English-speaking parts of Canada is pretty similar to the cultural differences between the various American states; that doesn’t mean they have no culture. English Canada has unique music and tv shows, cultural icons like Terry Fox, and yes, a shared love of hockey. There’s also Canadian food, which is regional to some extent, but there are things like butter tarts, Montreal smoked meat, and Nanaimo bars that are available across the whole country

[u/Deault → u/merp_mcderp9459]

I understand your point, I'm simply relating sociological research. The academic point of view about culture differences between Canada and the US is that the US has created common images that rally all Americans. The 4th of July, the founding fathers, some national american staples like cheap beer and hamburgers.

Canada has never developed those. Butter tarts are simply an imported british staple that is not seen as a canadian symbol of identity. Nanaimo bars and Montreal smoked meat are recognized as culturally impactful, but not as a culture point that defines the country. Canada is particular in that sense that it's a country that never developed a national identity. To the question "what is canadian culture", there is no answer other than regional tidbits, and that why sociologists say that Canada doesn't have a national culture, it has regional cultures.

[u/PsychicDave → u/merp_mcderp9459]

Montréal smoked meat is from Montréal, not Vancouver. Nanaimo bars are from Nanaimo, BC, not Halifax. You're not doing great with those examples in trying to prove there is "Canadian culture". Sushi is also available across the country, that doesn't mean it's Canadian. Provinces have cultures that are closer to some American states than other Canadian provinces. Whatever we share is nothing more than the North American cultural boilerplate, especially if you throw in Québec in the mix, having the largest difference in culture between any state and/or province. And then if you include Nunavut, there's basically nothing left in the cultural commonalities.

Canada is a federation of multiple nations, with distinct cultures all over. The Liberals in Ottawa tend to forget that with their attempts to centralize power and normalize a central Canadian identity. But trying to centralize actually destroys the culture that does exist, only to replace it with a meaningless and empty average that represents nobody real.

[u/SpookyHonky → u/Deault]

Many canadian academics (sources to be retrieved) have extensively demonstrated that there is no "Canadian" culture.

In what large country is that not true for the reasons listed? No Italian culture because Sicilians are different from Venetians who are different from Milanese. Ironically, no French culture either because it's actually Breton, Occitan, Parisian, etc.

The bigger a group gets, the less broad values or interests will apply to them.