CANADIAN CULTURE & SOCIETY

Religion & Beliefs:

Catholic 39% (includes Roman Catholic 38.8%, other Catholic .2%), Protestant 20.3% (includes United
Church 6.1%, Anglican 5%, Baptist 1.9%, Lutheran 1.5%, Pentecostal 1.5%, Presbyterian 1.4%, other
Protestant 2.9%), Orthodox 1.6%, other Christian 6.3%, Muslim 3.2%, Hindu 1.5%, Sikh 1.4%, Buddhist
1.1%, Jewish 1%, other 0.6%, none 23.9% (2011 est.)

Major Celebrations/Secular Celebrations:

The nationally observed celebration days in Canada are: New Year’s Day (1st January), Good Friday (two
days before Easter Sunday), Easter Monday, Victoria Day (last Monday preceding May 25), Canada Day
(July 1), Labour Day (first Monday of September), Thanksgiving Day (second Monday in October),
Remembrance Day (11 November), Christmas Day and Boxing Day (25th and 26th December).

The Family:
 Until the middle of the 20th Century most households in Canada were headed by married couples but by
2010 that statistic had reduced considerably. This was due to many couples choosing to co-habit rather than
to marry.
 In Canada ‘common law’ unions are officially recognised and provide almost the same rights and privileges
as those in conventional marriage. However, the rules governing jurisdiction of common law unions varies
between provinces. In British Columbia, Labrador and Newfoundland couples entering into a common law
union must live together for two years before being awarded the same rights as their married counterparts.
In Ontario the period is three years or if they have a child, one year. Quebec does not recognise Common
Law unions in the same way as other provinces and refer to similar arrangements as ‘de facto’ unions. These
couples enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as married couples. Quebec has the highest number of
common law unions than in the other provinces and throughout Canada common Law unions have
quadrupled over the past three decades.
 The Canadian family has changed during the last thirty years with a trend towards smaller households and
an increase in single parents. In 2005 same sex marriage became legal giving couples the same rights in
marriage and common law unions.
 Trends in the family have also been changing over the last thirty years with more than 70% of women
working outside the home. This has led towards greater domestic equality with more men taking part in
household chores, childcare and the preparation of meals.

Social Stratification:
 A geographically vast country, Canada has enormous regional differences including ethnic diversity which
complicates a coherent sense of the social stratification. In the central provinces, economic development
and wealth is reflected in higher incomes and greater class equality.
 In the more rural provinces average incomes are often as much as 25% lower than the national average with
a higher number of poorly paid, low-skilled jobs which creates class division. In these regions class division
is further reflected in less educational inclusion with many leaving school before the completion of
secondary education.

Gender Roles:
 Whilst there is no recognised exclusion relating to gender in the workplace, the process of equality moves
slowly and some bias still exists. This can be exemplified, for instance, in the healthcare industry where
men tend to lead the way in respect of the top positions. The medical profession tends to be dominated by
men whilst women are more representative in nursing/nurturing roles
 Both men and women can both participate in political life and enter government with perceived equal status.
However, this is not reflected in the overall political gender balance.
 The role of men and women in the home however, has changed significantly over the past few decades with
more men sharing child care and household chores.

Socialization:
 Children are required by law to attend education from the age of six until sixteen. It is permissible for
children to be home-schooled although this must be in accordance with government guidelines.
 Traditionally infant care has mainly been the province of the mother in the family but with more women
entering the workplace, there has been a rise in the provision of infant day care services.
 Childrearing centres around teaching children appropriate social norms and controlling behaviour.
 Although parents are permitted to use physical means to discipline a child, which can include spanking, the
use of an implement or striking a child in anger or retaliation is not considered reasonable under Canadian
law.
 Children under the age of twelve cannot be charged with a criminal offence although parents can be made
financially responsible of their behaviour. With increasing ethnic diversity, there are many areas of
parenting that come into the political forum for discussion such as arranged marriage, circumcision and
religious schooling.

Economy:
 As a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Group (OECD), Canada is
one of the wealthiest nations in the world.
 It produces and exports numerous commodities including natural forest products, manufactured items
including automobiles, oil and minerals. Although Canada’s main export market is the United States their
economy is open to global commerce.
 Canada’s GDP in the first quarter of 2017 grew at 3.7%.

Food:
 Canada has a rich agricultural and farming heritage producing food and animal products. They are classed
as ‘big eaters’ particularly of meat.
 Traditionally most families have three meals a day which includes breakfast, lunch and the main meal of
the day dinner which is eaten in the evening.
 Canada has a large and diverse ethnic population spread across the nation so that there are significant
variations of traditional meals and foods.
 Popular foods in Canada include: ‘poutine’ which originates from Quebec and consists of French fries and
cheese topped with brown gravy, Canadian ‘peameal’ bacon which comes from the loin of pork and has
been brined and rolled in cornmeal. Maple syrup is also a great favourite along with doughnuts, butter tarts
and pancakes.

Arts, Humanities & Popular Culture:

 There is no given standard for literary tradition in Canada as its British roots lean towards English literature.
There are however, many internationally known writers in Canada including authors such as Margaret
Attwood (the Handmaid’s Tale), L.M. Mongomery (Anne of Green Gables) and Robert Munsh (Love you
Forever).
 There are a number of government funded art galleries in most provinces and Canada has produced artists
in all media. There are also a numerous smaller galleries and cooperatives offering support to new artists.
 In the performing arts, Canada has many theatres throughout the country; particularly in the larger cities.
The nature of theatre varies from musical to small community based companies. There are several
companies specialising in English literature including the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and the Shaw
Festival which takes place on a yearly basis and is based in Ontario.