6 Common Things Canadians Do That Always Really Annoy Me, According To A Fellow Canadian

Overrating Canadian brands

I love Tim Hortons as much as the next Canuck, but it does feel a little weird that Canadian identity is so wrapped up in what is essentially just a company.

And you notice this in a lot of places.

From Kraft Dinner and Harvey's, to Timmies and Canadian Tire, these big companies and brands are among the first things that come up when Canadians are asked what sets them apart from the rest of the world.

And while it is fun to know we have different brands and stores from other countries, maybe we should stop tying our national identity to for-profit companies.

Instead, we should focus our national pride on things like the beautiful nature we're given or the uniquely diverse country we live in!

The politeness stereotype

This is an age-old stereotype about Canadians around the world, as well as within Canada.

And the problem with it is just that: it's a stereotype.

The truth of the matter is that Canada isn't a place where everyone is magically nice and polite. Canada, like any other place in the world, is full of great people, as well as some jerks and rude people.

In other words, it's full of humans!

While you might get more base-level niceties here, below that surface you'll find that Canadians are just as impolite or polite as anyone else in this world.

The assumption that all Canadians are nice, or have to be nice, is just not something I can relate to. The biggest jerks I knew growing up were all Canadian!

The way we talk about the weather

Want to hear a chorus of people bragging their ability to handle cold temperatures? Say "it's really chilly here" when referencing a place that's not Canada, in front of a Canadian.

Canadians love to talk about how cold it is where they are, how tough they are and how much worse the weather is where they are or where they're from.

But, I hate to break it to you, Canada — bragging about the conditions you can handle is is annoying!

We get it. Canada can be cold, but it's never THAT cold — unless you live in the northern regions of course.

Heck, there are parts of the United States that are more northern than a lot of Canada, which means it's hard to brag about our resilience to cold when that's the case

And it's not just between Canadians and non-Canadians! Albertans will make fun of Ontarians, who will make fun of BC-ers who will make fun of Nova Scotians, who will make fun of Quebecers — all claiming they live in the coldest, snowiest, worst place to be in the winter.

Just relax about it!

The lack of support for Canadian art

I sometimes feel like there's a perception that if it's Canadian, it's not worth checking out.

This means tons of great Canadian books, movies, music, TV shows, art and more get ignored by its own nation — that is until it gets noticed by the Americans!

There are a few notable exceptions such as Kim's Convenience and the music of The Tragically Hip, but it takes a whole lot for Canadian audiences to switch over to some homegrown art.

And it really seems, in my own experience, that Canadians will only care about their own artists when Americans do.

For example, this is definitely the case with Schitt's Creek, which played for a bunch of seasons on Canadian TV before getting its massive success.

Smug comparisons to the U.S.

One of Canada's favourite things to do is to say, with a wink and a nudge, "at least it's not as bad as the United States."

And while, yes, Canada does have some good things, like a single-payer healthcare system, so does a lot of the world!

And yes, Canada might not have the same problems as the U.S., but by constantly comparing ourselves to our downstairs neighbour, we actually end up ignoring some very real problems right here.

Constantly pointing out who (and what) is Canadian

Try watching a tv show or movie with a Canadian and have them not mention who's from Canada. It's impossible.

And yes, I'm guilty of this also. But it can be a little much when Canadians are constantly talking about who is and what is Canadian — to other Canadians!

While, yes, American cultural dominance is a major thing, we also can't feel this inferiority complex that is making us go "Look! Look! That's Canadian! That's Canadian! That person is Canadian!"

Because, as a Canadian, I'm tired of being told that Ryan Reynolds and Jim Carry are from here.