It has been 147 years since Confederation. Here are 147 Canadian assets, favourites, likes.
1. Rocky Mountains
2. Road hockey
3. Maternity and parental leave
4. We say “sorry”
5. We are known for being kind
6. Four seasons
7. Saying “eh”
8. Two official languages
9. The great white north
10. Aboriginal heritage
11. Three oceans surround us
12. We border the U.S.A.
13. Multi-cultural, diverse citizenship
14. Gay rights
15. Vancouver
16. Canadian music scene
17. Benefits for employees
18. Decent wages
19. Country roads
20. Abundance of natural wonders
21. Clean air
22. The hardworking beaver is our national animal
23. Our flag
24. Lumby
25. National parks
26. Camping along a river
27. The Toronto Blue Jays
28. The Great Lakes
29. Our school system
30. Freedom of speech
31. Golf courses in abundance
32. Whistler-Blackcomb
33. Snowshoeing in the backcountry
34. Cottages or cabins on a lake
35. Working from home in pjs
36. Frisbee golf on Salt Spring Island
37. Our beer
38. Farmers’ markets
39. John Lent and other Canadian poets
40. We live in a democracy
41. Women’s rights and freedoms
42. Our health care system
43. Travelling by train
44. Our water
45. Feeling safe
46. We volunteer thousands of hours
47. Home ownership
48. Building standards
49. Hope
50. Country of choice for others
51. Chris Hadfield
52. We donate to charities
53. The Newfoundland accent
54. We are becoming a country of cyclists
55. Wells Gray Park
56. RCMP
57. The Prairies
58. Our ability to grow our own food
59. The Okanagan Valley
60. Rick Mercer
61. That 110 gay couples married in Toronto June 27.
62. Pearl and Leo
63. Funtastic
64. Letters to the editor
65. CBC
66. Canadian radio stations
67. Neighbourhoods
68. Small towns
69. Toronto Island
70. Montreal
71. Canadian passport
72. Canada Day celebrations
73. Winter carnivals
74. Religious freedom
75. Our attitude of acceptance
76. National pride
77. Wayne Gretzky
78. Citizens care about the environment
79. We are a country of workers and tryers
80. Wild animals — bears, wolves
81. Christmas in Canada
82. Being welcomed back home
83. St. Lawrence River.
84. Armed Services
85. Our love of our pets
86. Diverse heritage
87. Made in Canada stamp on products
88. Hollywood North
89. Ottawa
90. Skating on a lake or pond
91. Saturday night hockey
92. National anthem
93. Diverse landscape from coast to coast
94. Freedom of choice
95. Canadians take up causes
96. Vancouver Canucks
97. Our abundance of retail opportunities
98. Our birds
99. Warm summer days
100. Vernon vipers
101. Our roads for the most part
102. Ability to walk safely in most areas
103. Music festivals
104. Museums
105. Okanagan Science Centre
106. Sidney Crosby
107. Olympic teams
108. National art galleries
109. Small town art galleries
110. Children’s sports programs
111. Kalamalka Park
112. Kayaking, canoeing
113. Fishing at a mountain lake
114. Hiking
115. Interior Provincial Exhibition
116. Heritage sites
117. Our writers
118. Poutine
119. Canadian wines
120. We are known as a peaceful nation
121 World view of us is positive
122. Skiing and golfing on the same day
123. The Yukon
124. Cycling across Canada
125. The Trans-Canada Highway
126. Winnipeg musicians
127. The Charlottetown Festival
128. The Maritimes
129. Pearl and Leo
130. We are proud to be Canadians as we work around the world
131. We compare ourselves to the richest country in the world, and say we are better
132. Large land mass, large hearts
133. Canada is a playground
134. Being polite is a patriotic duty
135. Self-deprecating humour
136. We are dominating the world in more than hockey — music, basketball, tennis
137. Tim Hortons double double
138. Canadian artists say they are Canadian!
139. Our history is not always glorious, we have made mistakes
140. Driving to Vancouver, ferry to the Island
141. Kal Tire
142. Andrew Wiggins — #1 NBA draft pick
143. Nanaimo bars
144. Diverse arts
145. Buskers anywhere
146. Food trucks — tacos to poutine
147. Patrick Nicol — Mr. Canada — enjoy the new park within Polson Park
Michele Blais is a longtime columnist for The Morning Star, writing about a variety of issues, and appearing every other Sunday. She has worked with families and children in the North Okanagan for the past 27 years.
