On a vacation the first question people ask you is where you’re from. We proudly boast Canada because we know confidently that Canadians are known for being polite. This is a widely held belief and longstanding virtue and I wonder, as Canadians what other associations we could aspire to. Unified would be nice.

They say Canadians are polite and we know all 30 million people in this country are not polite, yet all Canadians are perceived that way. I think it’s a really nice thing to be associated with … polite. This quote by Jeff Bezos of Amazon explains what messaging is: “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

We’ve inherited this wonderful country legacy to uphold thanks to all polite fellow Canadians who have blazed the trail before us. I hope it stays that way. We could be known for lesser things.

I think countries can have brands too. Just as Nike is a quality brand and Tim Horton’s is a convenience brand, Canada is a polite brand. 

Not everyone in British Columbia is urbane, free-spirited and green, and not everyone on the east coast is easygoing. Not every teacher is picketing. Not every rock star smokes drugs and not everyone eating burgers is unhealthy. Associations are as normal as brushing your teeth.

What might be remiss is the pause to notice where our associations came from? I don’t want to deliberately hurt anyone. This pot gets stirred online every day.

Today I focus on the fact that on the world stage, collectively, Canadians are well-known coast to coast for being polite. That’s an association I’m proud to identify with.

Am I the Only One?

Column by Carrie Wynne