Perceptions of Canada What Do Israeli University Students Know About Canada Dr. Joseph B. Glass The Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Based on Joseph B. Glass, "What do Israeli University Students Know about Canada?” Canadian Jewish Studies, 10 (2002), 123-44 (http://pi.library.yorku.ca/ojs/index.php/cjs/article/viewFile/19959/18663).

Parameters of the Survey Questionnaire distributed to 2nd & 3rd year students during first meeting of course “Regional Geography of Canada” Purpose to gain an understanding of student’s basic knowledge of Canada 4 groups from March 1996 - Nov. 1998, 123 responses Discussion of answers with students, impressions & comments recorded 28 questions dealing with geography, history, culture and economy of Canada 23 open ended, 5 multiple choice

Characteristics of Respondents Average age 25.2 years Age groups: 20-29 94%, 30-39 4%, 40-49 2% 52% male / 48% female (almost no difference in responses) 88 % Israeli-born, 8 % born in former USSR 20 % visited Canada (higher correct response rate) 55% 2nd year, 37% 3rd year 74% Geography, 11% Sociology, Economics, General B.A., 10% Political Science, International Relations

Area & Land Boundaries Alaska United States Clear understanding of Canada’s great size, all ranked 1st-5th (2nd, 9.8 million km2) Students of former Soviet Union ranked Canada second after Russia Most identified US as Canada’s only neighbour with 48 states to the south and Alaska to the north-west Alaska United States

Maritime Boundaries Ability to place Canada on the global map most identified Pacific & Atlantic Oceans, 1/3 identified Arctic Ocean reflects stronger ability to identify large land masses awareness of connection to the sea & fishing e.g. salmon Arctic Ocean Atlantic Ocean Pacific Ocean

Canada’s Provinces & Territories Few could identify internal divisions:10 provinces, 2 territories Provinces identified in ranking order: Quebec, Ontario, B.C. Unaware of new territory: Nunavut, April 1, 1999 Identification correlated to media coverage, i.e. Quebec separation issue Correlation between visits and level of identification 3rd 1st 2nd

Canada’s Geography Land of Lakes and Rivers Great difficulty in identifying natural features of Canada (lakes, rivers & mountains) Longest River: St. Lawrence only river mentioned Mackenzie 4,241 km, Yukon 3185 km, St. Lawrence 3,058 km Largest Lake: different Great Lakes mentioned Lake Superior 82,100 km2 almost 4 times the size of Israel Niagara Falls: spectacular scene, world’s greatest waterfall by volume (14 million litres/minute)

Canada’s Urban Landscape 42% identify Ottawa as capital American survey 1 in 3 Largest city: Toronto 28%, Montreal 16%, Vancouver 7% Toronto 3.9 million & Montreal 3.1 million (Montreal larger until mid-1970s) – Toronto CMA 5.7 million and Montreal CMA 3.9 million in 2010 14% identified level of urbanization (77% in 1996, 80% in 2008) 30% more urbanized, 19% less urbanized, 47% no answer Greater familiarity due to newspaper article with Toronto and Vancouver rated as among the top five liveable cities

Symbol’s of Canada 80 % correctly described flag (two red stripes with red leaf in the centre), some identified “maple” leaf Canadian flag noticed on “backpacks” (Canadian pride or not to be identified as Americans) National sport assumed to have winter connection 1st hockey, also skiing and skating (As of 1994 ice hockey national winter sport and lacrosse national summer sport of Canada).

Canada’s History High awareness of aboriginal population (Indians & Eskimos in children’s literature) Not knowledgeable of European encounter Aware of European exploration (Hudson, Aware of French and English colonisation and ensuing tensions between the two cultures Aware of Canadian involvement in world conflicts Unaware of Canada-Israel connections, except Canadian Jewish philanthropy, e.g. “Park Canada”

Canadian Politics Despite Canada’s membership in the G-7, the attendance of Jean Chrétien at Itzhak Rabin’s funeral, Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, unable to identify the Prime Minister of Canada (some of the former Prime Ministers mentioned) aware of the threat of Quebec separation. Knew the results of 1995 referendum, some added the extremely slim margin

Canada’s Society & Culture Population: medium-size, very low density, diverse cultures (English, French & Aboriginal) Language: identified as bilingual: English-French Literature: not identified as Canadian, familiar with authors e.g. Lucy Maud Montgomery, Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler in Hebrew translation Music: Canadian artists more identifiable, e.g. Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, Bryan Adams, Joni Mitchell

Canada’s Economy High Gross National Product Main agricultural export - wheat Image of world granary Producers of natural resources wealth of energy (oil, gas, water) forests - wood, pulp & paper variety of minerals (gold - Klondike & Charlie Chaplin) Concern over environmental issues Atlantic Ocean over-fishing, destruction of British Columbia rain forests, cruelty to fur bearing animals (seal hunt)

Reasons for Knowledge of Canada Canada not on the Israeli educational agenda not in geography, history, or literature curriculum in the shadow of American culture and economy familiarity with Canada result of: personal connection or visit to Canada sporadic depictions or information in the media, e.g. Inuit on Israel TV, Quebec referendum, extreme weather conditions focused interest in specific Canadian subject, e.g. hockey, musician, novelist images of “exotic” landscapes, Niagara Falls, Rocky Mountains - Banff, Arctic snow, Bay of Fundy tides images of urban landscape, e.g. West Edmonton Mall, CN Tower, underground cities (Canadian development of Israeli malls - David Azrieli)

Lessons for Canadianists Provide tools to obtain information and direct to specific sources (links to websites, general bibliographies) Provide basic descriptive readings to allow for understanding of Canada’s varied landscapes & peoples, e.g. John Warkentin, Canada, A Regional Geography Integrate audio and visual depictions into lesson plan, e.g. “Nanook of the North” to introduce Nunavut Emphasise common denominators, e.g. Israel & Canada as immigrant societies, settlement on the frontier, two distinct cultures Emphasise differences along common axis, e.g. cold desert vs. warm desert, Americanisation