What’s so great aboot Canada, eh?

As a United States ambassa-dog, I feel it’s my duty to report back on my recent visit to Nova Scotia. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still an American girl (props to Tom Petty), born in the USA (props to Bruce Springsteen), but O! Canada!

Here are some of the great things aboot the country in general and Nova Scotia in particular in no particular order.

Canadian television. There are no commercials for pharmaceutical products. Ever. You notice it pretty quickly which just goes to show you how over-saturated we are in the US. The other cool thing is that news coverage is regional yet available to the whole country via satellite. Thus, people in the Maritimes can watch “Northbeat” which covers Nunavut and find out what’s happening to the Inuit and other native peoples living along the Arctic coast. When was the last time you watched an American program produced by native peoples detailing their daily lives, interests, hopes, dreams and challenges?

The Olympics. Watching Olympic coverage on Canadian television was so refreshing. The announcers don’t over-analyze the athletes and they say things like: “He came in eighth this year, a fine improvement over the last games!” They don’t disparage their athletes for not finishing on the medal stand, but rather, praise them for the enormous effort put forth just to get there.

It’s green and clean. Americans have a lot to learn from their northern neighbors when it comes to living green. Even the tiny town of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia collects food scraps and other organic waste and recycles them in a city compost center. Residents can then get free, non-chemical fertilizer for their gardens and lawns.

Smoking not glorified. Unless you’re watching an American program, you don’t see people smoking. And if you DO want to buy cigarettes, you won’t find them prominently displayed up front in every grocery and convenience store. Oh, they have them alright. But they’re back behind the counter in a plain, non-sexy display stand.

So, while they may be just a tad over-the-top on hockey, Canadians are an amazing bunch. What a pity we Americans are so xenophobic we hardly ever take the time to get to know more about them.

Pop Quiz: Can YOU name the Prime Minister of Canada? Didn't think so. But don't worry, I couldn't either before I went there. It's aboot time we Americans made the effort to know more aboot our wonderful neighbors to the north.