Defining Canada: A Nation Chooses The 101 Things That Best Define Their Country

Toronto, ON - The definitive survey of the people, places, events, accomplishments and symbols that Canadians think define their country, conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the Dominion Institute and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, has revealed what Canadians believe are the most defining features of Canada overall.

The votes have been tallied and Canadians have said that among all the people, places, events, accomplishments and symbols that are a part of defining Canada, the Maple Leaf is the number-one item that defines Canada.

Following in second place on the overall list was hockey, while the Canadian flag was in third place. From a scoring perspective, the Maple Leaf received 14,523 points in the study, putting it well ahead of both hockey (5,612 points) and the Canadian flag (5,417 points).

The survey is of unparalleled comprehensiveness, being comprised of an unprecedented unique sample of respondents. A randomly-selected sample of 3,114 adult Canadians, including 721 immigrants; 522 educators who deal with subject areas related to social sciences, history, geography, civics, music, art or culture; and 274 members of the Order of Canada was interviewed online.

The questionnaire that formed the basis of the study began with five questions, asking Canadians to describe, on an open-ended basis, the five most important people, places, events, innovations, and symbols that define Canada. Respondents were then presented with a randomized list of the all the things they mentioned in the previous five questions and were asked to select the 10 most important things from this list and to rank these 10 items in order of importance, from most important (numbered 1) to least important (numbered 10).

Rounding out the top ten were the beaver (5,040 points), the Canadarm (4,689 points), Canada Day (4,576 points), Peacekeeping/Peacekeeping by Canadian Forces (4,169 points), Pierre Trudeau (4,091 points), Universal Health Care (3,518 points), and Niagara Falls (3,372 points).

By Region...

The following are the top five items voted on by Canadians in various regions across the country:

• In British Columbia, the Maple Leaf took first prize, while hockey, Canada Day, universal health care and peacekeeping rounded out the top five.
• In Alberta, the Maple Leaf and Hockey were first and second place, respectively, but peacekeeping, the flag, and the mighty beaver completed their top five defining items.
• Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba agreed that the Maple Leaf should be atop the list, but had a different ranking for the flag, universal health care, the beaver and hockey, placing them in spots two through five, respectively.
• Ontarians votes matched those of the general population from spot one through four, placing the Maple Leaf, hockey, the flag and the beaver in those positions. However, Pierre Trudeau held on to the fifth-place position in this most-populous province.
• In Quebec, interestingly, symbols of Canadian unity seemed to do well on the list, considering that the maple leaf reigned supreme yet again, followed by the Canadarm, the beaver, parliament hill and finally Canada Day.
• In Atlantic Canada, the Maple Leaf, the flag, hockey, Canada Day, and peacekeeping comprised the top-five overall items that define Canada for them.

Detailed Methodology...

The poll was conducted on behalf of the Dominion Institute and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada from March 31 to April 22, 2008. For the survey, a sample of 3,114 adult Canadians, including 721 immigrants, was randomly selected from the Ipsos Household Internet Panel and interviewed online. In addition, interviews were conducted among 522 educators who deal with subject areas related to social sciences, history, geography, civics, music, art or culture, and 274 members of the Order of Canada.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

or

Rudyard Griffiths
Co-Founder
Dominion Institute
(416) 737-9626

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999.

In 2007, Ipsos generated global revenues of e927.2 million ($1.27 billion U.S.).

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.

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