Canadian popular culture

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Canadian popular culture is influenced by Canada's British and French ancestry from the settlement in the 1700s and 1800s and from current contact with British and French culture. Canadian pop culture is also influenced by the United States, which borders Canada to the south; US films, television shows and magazines dominate the Canadian media system. As well, Canadian pop culture is influenced by the diverse cultures of its immigrant communities, which include substantial populations from China and India.

[edit] English-speaking Canadians

About two-thirds of Canadians speak English as their mother tongue. Major touchstones for English-speaking Canadians include Canadian beer, promoted through advertising by brands such as Molson and Labatt, and movies that poke fun at Canadian's love for beer, such as the 1980s "hoser" comedy film Strange Brew. Television programs influencing Canadian popular culture include the comedies such as Royal Canadian Air Farce, SCTV, This hour has twenty-two minutes, Kids in the Hall, and Rick Mercer; sports coverage such as Hockey Night in Canada, curling, and the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup playoffs; children's shows such as Mr. Dressup and Polka Dot Door; and teen dramas such as the Degrassi series. Hockey provides another popular culture reference, with longstanding rivalries between teams (i.e. the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, and cultural references in music such as Stompin' Tom Connors' The Hockey Song.

Canadian musicians that have become an important part of English-Canadian pop culture include the singer k.d. lang, singer-guitarist Stompin' Tom Connors, and Jann Arden.

[edit] French-speaking Canadians

About one-third of Canadians speak French as their mother tongue. While most French-speaking Canadians live in the province of Quebec (the area originally settled by French colonists in the 1600s), there are also major communities of French-speaking Canadians in the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick, and smaller communities in other parts of Canada. Major touchstones for French-speaking Canadians include Canadian beer, promoted through advertising by brands such as Molson and Labatt, and a love for ice hockey.

French-speaking regions of Canada are not as dominated by US television and magazines as English-speaking regions. There is a thriving French-language popular culture, which includes French-language television shows, newspapers, and magazines. The different media help to promote a "star system" of Canadian French-language celebrities such as popular television and film actors, sports stars, and musicians.