This Is A Rant About Canada!

"Canada, a country covered with snows and ices eight months of the year, inhabited by barbarians, bears and beavers." Voltaire wrote this in 1753 (Essai sur les mœurs et l'esprit des nations). David and I think there are French people who continue to believe this—minus the reference to barbarians ! We are always touched by the feeling of connection to Canada among the people we meet. We are called 'les cousins'. In fact, many people from this area whose ancestors settled Quebec in the 17^th and 18^th centuries have relatives in Canada. In spite of this, like many people in the world they know very little about the Canada of the 21^st century. We are not surprised that our rate of tourism from Europe is low. Somehow, Canada is failing to let the rest of the world know that we are a country worth visiting. In La Rochelle we have met people who are amazed:

• by the office towers in Toronto and Vancouver ("But it looks like New York!")
• that Toronto is the most diverse city in the world  ("Non!!!")
• by the fact that sometimes Toronto is warmer than La Rochelle ("Mais ce n'est pas possible!")
• that Canada is 20 times bigger than France ("Mais c'est immense!")
• that our population is slightly more than half that of France  ("There is nobody there!")
• that many people outside of Quebec speak French ("Mais ce n'est pas possible!")
• that it takes days to cross Canada from one sea to the other ("Mais c'est immense!")
• that anglophone Canadians will welcome people who don't speak English perfectly ("Mais ce n'est pas possible!")
• that there is a French theatre company in Toronto ("Non!!!")

How is it that we cannot help the rest of the world understand the glory, diversity and beauty of our country so they want to come and visit? David and I are doing our best but it is an uphill job! We are in an ideal spot for Canadian travel advertising. There is such a positive attitude towards Canada here. However, when the Rochelais say Canada they are talking about Quebec. We have met many Rochelais who have visited the province of Quebec. When asked why they didn't venture further afield, they reply with a shrug:"C'est évident. Je ne parle pas anglais." Don't spread this around but our cousins in England don't are not very understanding of French-accented English and have traumatized some of our French friends during their visits to the sceptr'd isle. In addition, there is the French obsession with speaking and writing their own language to perfection. They impose this on their attempts to speak English.

And then, of course, there is the Canadian climate. How to get people to understand that Voltaire was wrong, that in fact parts of Ontario are only slightly further north than New York City. No one thinks about climate when they are planning a trip to New York City in spite of it's brutal snowstorms. Why does that make a difference to planning a trip to Canada? The climate on Vancouver Island is much the same as La Rochelle and some of Ontario's winter is much more benign than parts of France.

But the real question is: why isn't Canada advertising? David and I have now been in France for eight months and we have yet to see an ad for Canada in any media. It is true that we don't watch much television so there may be something there. We have seen nothing in newspapers, magazines or billboards.  I have now had five trips to Paris and the Metro has been covered with huge ads for South Africa, Australia, United States but Canada . . . nothing! After a bit of searching, I found the federal travel site: http://www.canadatravel.com/. It is beautifully set up but is definitely marketing the vastness, space and wilderness of Canada. From my limited experience, this may not appeal to many French. They are not used to vast spaces and when camping, choose to stay in places where the space is small, more communal, sometimes even in parking lots! I am reminded of the South Asian couple we met while canoe camping in Algonquin Park. They were not coming back they said because it was "too empty and too silent". I believe that we over-emphasize the issue of distance, space and wilderness and forget about letting people know that our cities are large, modern and cosmopolitan. Why market the old stones of Quebec City when that is something French people can see in their own country. I think they are more interested in skyscrapers. Come on, Canada, get with it!!