A Question For Our Canadian friends

hollydolly

hollydolly

SF VIP
Location
London England
Do you consider yourselves North American?

It's something I've always wondered. I always presumed being Canadian meant also by default being North American.

I've just been reading a post elsewhere, where a Canadian has replied to a poster very angrily after being referred to as an NA..saying that Canada is a country on it's own that Canadians are absolutely NOT North Americans, never have been , never will be etc ..

I've just looked it up on Wicki, and it says that Canadians, as well as Mexicans and Americans, are all North Americans...

So....I thought I'd come and ask my Canadian friends on here.... :D
 

hollydolly said:
Do you consider yourselves North American?

It's something I've always wondered. I always presumed being Canadian meant also by default being North American.

I've just been reading a post elsewhere, where a Canadian has replied to a poster very angrily after being referred to as an NA..saying that Canada is a country on it's own that Canadians are absolutely NOT North Americans, never have been , never will be etc ..

I've just looked it up on Wicki, and it says that Canadians, as well as Mexicans and Americans, are all North Americans...

So....I thought I'd come and ask my Canadian friends on here.... :D
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Apparently that person never took geography class in school .... :confused:
.... and doesn't know the difference between countries and continents.

But since you addressed Canadians, they can answer you...
 
Actually this is a split continent it houses both North and South Americas. Canada, like we in the USA and our southern neighbors are in North America as you well know.
 
AZ Jim said:
Actually this is a split continent it houses both North and South Americas. Canada, like we in the USA and our southern neighbors are in North America as you well know.
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I don't well know at all Jim...I always thought it was the case..but on several occasions I've heard Canadians say they are not ''North Americans''...and today when i read elsewhere the lady get so angry when someone referred to Canada as being in North America, I came here to get a definitive answer from those who DO know.. :)
 
Ever want to take a loooooooooong drive?
800px-PanAmericanHwy.png
 
I don't know about the Canadians themselves, but whenever I want to refer to both peoples I say "North Americans" and I have done on this forum with no comments made.
 
Ha ha ha --- are you kidding? --- duh, of course we are not called North Americans, we are called Canadians, same as Americans are called Americans, not North Americans. You can say North American when you are referring to all the countries in North America -- Canada, U.S., Mexico, have I missed any? E.g. North Americans were able to see the eclipse.

Same for Braziians, Peruvians, etc. identified by their country not by the continent of South America, unless the statement was to include all the countries of South America.
 
Jeez Bonnie.....I know Canada is HUGE....it must be such a wonderful place to visit, and be able to drive for thousands of miles..

Both my daughter and my husband have visited Canada several times in the course of their work , I've never had the opportunity sadly..
 
Right Cookie...so now I have my answer...thank you muchly.

So just to be clear,..Canadians are not called North Americans, and the lady today on the other discussion forum was correct..yes? ...
 
hollydolly said:
Jeez Bonnie.....I know Canada is HUGE....it must be such a wonderful place to visit, and be able to drive for thousands of miles..

Both my daughter and my husband have visited Canada several times in the course of their work , I've never had the opportunity sadly..
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Whitehorse is Canada. .. North of there is Alaska, state of the US of course. :)
 
Exactly! I can see why the lady might have been frustrated, understanding that Canadians were being referred to as some sort of Americans, i.e. North Americans, because we are North of the U.S. But we are not Americans. We are Canadians living in Canada on the North American continent, just as Mexicans are not Americans (or South Americans because they are south of the U.S.), they are Mexicans living in Mexico on the North American continent.
 
Well just to be clear, Canadians are Americans, they are not United States Americans but because they live on the Continent of America they are technically American. Just as Europeans, no matter their country, Europeans. Africans are Africans no matter their country also. Ok...I am not trying to start a geographic war but just stating my views.
 
FWIW if I was visiting another country and they didn't know where I was from and asked me, I'd say "United States" or "USA", then I might add the name of my state, but not necessarily. I wouldn't say America and I wouldn't say North America.

I've known and worked with quite a few people from various areas. People almost always say "I'm from Hungary/Hungarian, France/French, etc." (not Europe/European).

I've never heard a Canadian say they are American or from North America.

However, (and this happened just last week) many times a person has told me they are from Africa, then I ask which country and they say Ethiopa, Kenya, South Africa, etc. (A surprising number of people think Africa is a country....it's a continent. Maybe in geography class they were thinking about recess, lunch, or whatever).:eek:nthego:
 
Jim, you are mistaken, sorry. Canadians are NOT Americans in any sense, but like Mexicans and Americans, they are NORTH AMERICANS, any more than Americans are NORTHERS, either. The whole two words have to be used. If Canadians were Americans they would not need a passport to come to the States. Capiche?
 
Cookie said:
Jim, you are mistaken, sorry. Canadians are NOT Americans in any sense, but like Mexicans and Americans, they are NORTH AMERICANS, any more than Americans are NORTHERS, either. The whole two words have to be used. If Canadians were Americans they would not need a passport to come to the States. Capiche?
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You miss the point but it's academic anyhow. Never mind.
 
Why even bother bringing it up then, claiming to be academic. If you want to use language like that, go ahead, if it amuses you, but it is incorrect. Are all South Americans Americans too because they live in South America? Are Mexicans Americans too? Or are South Americans Southers, and all North Americans Northers. Equally ridiculous!
 
Cookie said:
Why even bother bringing it up then, claiming to be academic. If you want to use language like that, go ahead, if it amuses you, but it is incorrect. Are all South Americans Americans too because they live in South America? Are Mexicans Americans too? Or are South Americans Southers, and all North Americans Northers. Equally ridiculous!
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Cookie! Calm down, we are old-timers subject to sudden effect! Your post struck me as hilarious in the way you leveled your scorn upon him! I love this place! :D

imp
 
Cookie said:
We are Canadians living in Canada on the North American continent,
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Wouldn't that technically make you a North American?

I live in Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA - that makes me a Wilkes-Barrian (Barrien?), also a Pennsylvanian, also an American, also a North American, also an Earthling ...
 

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