Opinion: It’s Canada Day! And Canadians forgot why...

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Today, July 1, marks Canada Day. ‘America’s hat,’ as some have referred to the lovely North American behemoth, celebrates its 142nd birthday.

In honor of this special occasion, Ipsos Reid conducted a poll on behalf of the Dominion Institute to see just how many Canadians recognize their important political and historical figures.

Turns out not too many.

I’m imagining this playing out like Jaywalking, former late-night (now prime-time) host Jay Leno’s signature segment where he interviews passers-by about basic facts that they get horribly wrong. While only four out of every 10 Canadians knew who their first prime minister was from a picture, nine out of 10 could pick out 90s pop sensation Celine Dion and eight out of 10 recognized hockey star Wayne Gretsky (the only two people I could identify as Canadian off the top of my head).

Granted, some of the ‘top 10 Canadians’ included the man named the Father of Medicare and 2004’s Canadian of the Year, as well as the guy who won the Nobel Prize for discovering insulin. I wouldn’t be able to recognize the faces of the American equivalents of those historical figures either.

But not first Prime Minister Sir John McDonald -- whose face is on the $10 bill -- and your current ceremonial leader, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean (whom only 50% recognized)? That’s a little sad. I would seriously hope that most Americans could pick out George Washington and Barack Obama from 10 photos. But then again, the Jaywalkers could (and often do) prove me wrong.

All joking aside, Canadian leaders seemed a bit dismayed by the results.

‘We put their faces on stamps or put statues up, but if the majority of Canadians don’t recognize them, what good is it?’ said Marc Chalifoux, executive director of the Dominion Institute.

Some Canadians attribute these less-than-stellar polling results on the country’s lack of storytelling, crediting the United States for having a great deal of national pride that has not immigrated north.

Perhaps for its 143rd birthday, Canada’s goal should be to tout more of its history so its citizens can learn the stories behind the figures they celebrate on Canada Day.

--Catherine Lyons

Photo: Residents of Kimmirut, Nunavut, join crowds as they take part in Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada on Wednesday July 1, 2009. Credit: AP Photo / The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick