Terre de nos aïeux

Minions of the Queendom of West Procrastination! Are you aware that, while dwelling within the Western Nation of Procrasti, you are also Canadian subjects? It's true: West Procrastination is in Canada (we have an ability to house many nations within our borders), making all of you readers honourary Canadians.

And today is Canada's 139th birthday!

In last year's Canada Day Edition of the QoWP, I introduced you readers to Canada's political satire, along with its obsession with American pop culture. This year, for the education of those readers who don't have the priviledge of living within our borders, I bring you Further Bits of Canadiana, as selected by the entirely partial Queen of WP:

• Here is the English translation of the French words for "O Canada!". "Thy history is an epic of the most brilliant exploits."

Okay, so that was the only Canadiana bit that I had today. Other than that, I'm going to begin a list of some of my favourite Canadians (not including my family and friends), and I challenge all of you readers to add to this list:

• Lucy Maud Montgomery. (I also wanted to link to the fabulous quiz that Ky and Lyn wrote about their trip to PEI.)
• Kay Macpherson, co-founder of the Voice of Women. (It started off as a Canadian ban-the-bomb movement.
• Lester B. Pearson. Okay, so in spite of the AVRO Arrow and all that, what's not to like about a Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister who founded the UN Peacekeepers, brought us the Canada Flag, and wore a spectacular bowtie? Did I mention that Lyndon B. Johnson once choked Pearson, because Pearson gave a speech in at some U.S. university, opposing the war in Vietnam? (Did you know that Pearson's wife and daughter were Voice of Women members? That caused trouble when Pearson was under pressure to bring nuclear weapons into Canada.)
• Tommy Douglas. I love my Medicare.
• Joni Mitchell.
• Television Without Pity/Fametracker supercouple Tara Ariano ("Wing Chun") and David T. Cole ("Glark").
• Rick Mercer
• Randy Bachman. I already thought he was pretty awesome, and then I heard his Saturday evening radio show, "Vinyl Tap." He plays his favourite music and tell stories from the old days. Sometimes they cut away from the song and he's playing his guitar along with the music. So good.

I'll leave it at that right now, and I'll encourage you all to add to the list! (I'll probably add to the list myself, as I think of people.)