LEARN what it is like to be a Canadian, to live in Canada........
Here are some Canadian icons that define the Canadian Identity:

 

TIM HORTON DOUGHNUTS
	The USA has its MacDonalds, but Canada has Tim Hortons.  Tim Hortons is a coffee-and-doughnut fast food chain that was co-founded in Canada in 1964 by Tim Horton, a hockey player.  From its humble beginnings in Hamilton, Ontario, Tim Hortons has grown to be the fastest growing food chain franchise in Canada.  In Canada, there are twice as many Tim Hortons as MacDonalds.  In 2007, Tim Hortons has 62% of the Canadian coffee market as compared to Starbucks having 7% of Canadian coffee market. Every morning, thousands of Canadian line up for their Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut.  As of 2007, Tim Hortons has 2,733 outlets in Canada, 345 outlets in the United States and one outlet just outside Kandahar,  Afghanistan.
ANN OF GREEN GABLES
	Ann of Green Gables is a book written by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery and published in the year 1908.  It is a story about a well-loved orphan Ann Shirley adopted by two old brother and sister who mistakenly thought that they were adopting an orphan boy to help with their farmhouse in Prince Edward Island. After a loan period, they have learned to love Ann and Ann stayed on to bring so much love, happiness and laughter to all the people around her. Ann of Green Gables has been made into play, mini-series, movies and animated cartoons.  The Ann of Green Gables museum in Prince Edward Island is very popular among tourists, especially the Japanese.
MAPLE LEAF The Maple Leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree and is a very important national symbol of Canada. The symbol used in the Canadian flag is a generic maple leaf representing the ten species of maple tree native to Canada—at least one of these species grows natively in every province. Jacques Viger, the first mayor of Montreal, called the maple leaf  as the "king of our forest, .... the symbol of the Canadian people." HOCKEY Hockey is the national sport of Canada.  Every child that grows up in Canada learns to play hockey. It is played on a flat area of ice, using a 3-inch vulcanized rubber disc called a PUCK.  This puck is often frozen before high-level games to decrease the amount of bouncing and friction on the ice. The game is contested between two teams of skaters. The game is played all over North America, Europe and in many other countries around the world to varying extent. It is the most popular sport in Canada and Finland.     ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE   The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) coloquially known as the Mounties is the federal, national and paramilitary police force of Canada and is one of the most recognized police force in the world.   The RCMP are famous for their distinctive Red Serge, a scarlet ceremonial uniform with a Stetson hat with a wide, flat brim, which is worn on special occasions, and the Musical Ride (a ceremony in which officers showcase their horse riding skills and uniform in the execution of a variety of intricate figures and cavalry drills with music). On normal duties, the RCMP uses standard police methods, equipment, and uniforms. Horses are no longer used operationally by any unit. TOTEM POLES Totem poles are carved out of red cedar trees by First Nations people that are mainly found along the Pacific Northwest coast . (next to the Pacific Ocean along the USA and Canada coastline).  The word "totem" is derived from the Ojibwe word odoodem, "his totem, his kinship group" (root -oode). A "totem" is a symbol that each Native American family, or clan, adopts. Each clan uses a different animal as its totem. There is the Raven Clan, the Beaver Clan, and many others. The designs that we see on totem poles are often of clan animals. Totem poles are not religious objects, they are merely used to tell stories of the clan. Souvenirs of totem poles are found in many Canadian tourist shops.