There are many more than 10 reasons to love Canada! If you’re geographically challenged though and looking for a way to remember a little bit about the culture of each of Canada’s 10 provinces, we’d love to suggest this handy metaphor from a little book called Quotable Canada:

Look at your hand and spread your fingers wide…

#1

First, your thumb stands apart like Québec, a distinct community-oriented society. The protection of French language and culture here is paramount. As a result, you may find some resentment of English in rural areas and it even has its own dialect of French, Joual. 

#2/3/4/5 

Next, your index finger stands for Atlantic Canada and the four most eastern Canadian provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. This is a more conservative and traditional region. So, it typically moves at a slower pace. It’s characterized by rugged, misty seacoasts and hardy, vigorous people.

#6 

Then, your middle finger represents Ontario. It is the longest on your hand because Ontario is the most populous province. Multicultural, formal, polite, fairly reserved, and fast paced, this province is home to cosmopolitan cities like Toronto (Ontario’s capital and Canada’s largest city) and Ottawa (Canada’s capital and Ontario’s second largest city).

#7/8/9 

Your ring finger is for the prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. They are home to many Indigenous peoples tracing back to the aboriginal peoples known as the First Nations who have lived in the region for millennia. These provinces are known for being open and friendly. They have a lot of economic power because of local oil production and agriculture.

In a recently published article entitled Financial empowerment is the road to success for Indigenous youth, Bettina Schneider, friend of Cultural Mixology and Associate Professor and Associate Vice-President Academic at First Nations University of Canada makes the case for the availability of culturally appropriate, practical financial literacy education. She also adapted an openly licensed textbook to create a more affordable and culturally relevant personal finance literacy resource for Canadians. 

#10

After that, your pinky stands for British Columbia. This province has been home to a lot of Asian immigration. It strongly focuses on cross-Pacific trade as a result of geography. It’s proud of its healthy lifestyle and more laidback approach. 

Finally, think of your fingernails as Canada’s three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) on top.