We’re proudly Canadian and with Canada 150 on the calendar, we can’t help but chime in about how awesome Canada is!

Here at Rakuten.ca, we recently completed a poll all about national pride, traveling this country, what Canadians love most and some of their shopping tendencies.

So what are Canadians planning to do for Canada Day?

Two thirds of Canadians say they will definitely or probably plan on doing something special on the country’s 150^th birthday, including participating in local Canada Day events such as fireworks (63%), attending a Canada Day party (48%), visiting a Canadian national park (33%) and travelling within Canada (32%).

What do Canadians love most about their country?

What Canadians most enjoy about where they live is being close to their family and friends, followed by proximity to nature, parks and the outdoors. And while they appreciate many things about Canada, our healthcare system (55%), national and provincial parks (49%) and Canadian politeness (48%) top the list, followed by cultural diversity (45%), our abundant natural resources (44%) and Canadian foods such as maple syrup and poutine (35%).

Canadian’s favourite season?

Summer wins hands-down as Canada’s favourite season, with 57 per cent rating it number one. We definitely enjoy our great outdoors and, in terms of spring and summer activities, hiking (39%) camping (35%) watersports like swimming or boating (35%) and cycling (26%) are top of the list.

Sure, we LOVE summer! But let’s be honest. It can get pretty cold for several seasons and that requires some serious shopping to keep the whole family warm.

So here’s how the Canadians we polled found ways to cut their shopping costs down:

Waiting for sales before buying 65%
Purchasing during end-of-season or off-season sales 61%
Comparing prices before buying 55%
Shopping online 34% (climbs to 42% among those under 45)
Buying items for multiple seasons 31%
Buying multi-use items 28%
Monitoring sales online via email notification or social media 27%
And buying in bulk 10%

Stereotypes & Fun Facts

Canadians say the stereotypes about us they are most fond of include our uniquely Canadian wildlife such as the beaver, loons and moose (19%), maple syrup, the expression “eh” (18%), Tim Horton’s (18%) and poutine (13%). Each region has it’s particular favourite:

Western Canada – Canadian wildlife
Ontario – “eh”
Quebec – maple syrup
Atlantic Canada – Tim Horton’s

On the other hand, it’s equally true that these types of stereotypes can sometimes be annoying:

The expression “eh” 28% (universally annoying across the country)
Igloos 24%
Canadian tuxedo 16%
Canadian “funny money” 13%

We wish you a happy Canada Day, Savvy Shoppers! Don’t forget to stock up on Canada 150 gear before the big celebrations by shopping online at your favourite Canadian stores like Roots, Hudson’s Bay Company & more. We also shared our favourite Canadian iconic retailers so be sure to check out our favourites.

About the Survey: 

The Rakuten Canada survey was conducted online in early May 2017 with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Canadians.
A sample of this size is accurate to within +/-3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
View the full Press Release & poll results