Born in Alberta to two pastors, Vaughn Roste has spent most of his life in the Canadian Bible Belt. In spite of this, he has managed to become an normal flawed human being.

A graduate in theology and music, he manages to tear himself away from his computer every summer and spends a good four months living in a tent and planting trees in the Canadian wilderness. Travels have taken him through the United States and Europe and on to Togo, Israel, Colombia, and El Salvador, sometimes on government or church sponsored programmes. He has lived near most of the major Canadian transport systems: the Alaska Highway, the Trans-Canada, the St Lawrence River, and the Yellowhead Highway. Thus, if he hasn't quite visited all of Canada he has certainly had good access to it.

In all of this he feels quite Canadian, and proudly so, and proves this patriotism by leaving the country whenever possible. Ostensibly to promote awareness of Canada throughout the world, he does so in fact as a ploy to avoid shovelling the walk.

"Much time and government funding has been spent in the public contemplation of the question of nationalism. All that anyone can seem to agree on is that Canadians are NOT American. Any other statement made about Canadians pales in the face of this one.
Being NOT something else is the guiding principle around which the whole of Canadian society is based. French Canadians have less of a difficulty with being NOT American, but are equally obsessed with protecting their identity and being NOT English Canadian, so the principle is the same."
Xenophobia is an irrational fear of foreigners, probably justified, always understandable.
Xenophobe's Guides - an irreverent look at the beliefs and foibles of nations, almost guaranteed to cure Xenophobia.

The fabric of society
The nation aspires towards a 'cultural mosaic', something like a patchwork quilt, whereas Americans have aimed for the 'melting pot'. Canadians are essentially practical, and have figured out that the bat-brained idea of a melting pot would simply never work in a country where 50% of the land never completely thaws at all. A quilt is a much more pragmatic idea: it's cold outside.

On a clear day you can see forever
Having so much land has a great effect on the character, customs and culture of the nation. Take, for example, the prairies. The plains of Canada stretch out endlessly. The flattest spot in the world can be found here, with nary a tree to obstruct the view, which leaves the prairie observer with a remarkably huge view of nothing. In Saskatchewan it is said that you can watch your dog running away for three days.

Honesty is the best policy
In the settling of the Canadian prairies, the early pioneers had no-one to rely on but themselves and their near neighbours. Honesty and integrity were important, not to mention things like a good reputation and a virtuous character. It's an attitude that persists to this day. In areas with sparse population, one cannot underestimate the power of public opinion (and the potential damage of the rumour mill). Peer pressure promotes public propriety. Politicians are expected to live up to their promises (and are regularly voted out when they regularly don't).

The bear truth
Canadians are down-to-earth, even earthy, people, and there are fewer extremes of class in Canadian society than in many others. Arrogance is curtailed by a lack of things about which to brag, although in your presence a Canadian might have caught a larger fish or climbed a higher mountain than you have, and killed a more ferocious grizzly bear (with his bare hands, naturally).