Coupe Grey Cup!!

Now, I have never really been a big football fan. I like baseball and I understand baseball, so that is my favorite! 

Since the Versus network in the United States today carried the Canadian Football Championship Game – The Grey Cup – from Montreal, we watched. Hubby Keith is very interested in all sports and was a quarterback at Rose-Hulman (okay, it was Rose Poly then) in Terre Haute, Indiana. 

Keith says Canadian football is a little bit faster game and there are a couple of rules that make it a little better than our football. 

Reggie McNeal from Lufkin was playing with the Toronto Argos (Argonauts) this year. Now, if they had been in the Grey Cup, everyone here would have been watching! 

The Calgary Stampeders are playing the Montreal Alouettes in Montreal at the Olympic Stadium which is covered. 

It is always nice to see at least a bit of home – like the Tim Horton Ads around the field. (There are a few Tim Horton shops in the northern U.S. They have donuts, sandwiches and soups. Everybody loves them and you can find one just about everywhere in Canada.) 

If you read Frank Hilliard’s blog, Mesopotamia West, you will know he is not too keen on the bilingual/multicultural aspect of Canada. Before I left Canada, we were all working hard to keep Quebec in the Canadian Federation and we succeeded, but by less than a percentage point. Why they want to be out of Canada has always been a puzzle to me and I try not to think about it, especially since I am in the South now. I recall a couple from church going to Mt. Tremblant and wondering why people did not wish to speak to them in English. That is very bad for tourism! 

We were long into the game today when I thought I would double-check on the bilingual signage on the screen – Coupe Grey Cup. Keith just thought “Coupe” was a sponsor and hadn’t thought much about it! Pretty good for a fellow who speaks a couple of languages in addition to English! 

The bilingual aspect and more, the unilingual French in Quebec makes it a little tough for people like me down here. 

When I first arrived in East Texas and went to the library, a woman at the front desk wanted me to speak some French to a fellow who was taking French at school. 

I have said before that Quebec has done a lot of PR over the years, speaking at Chamber of Commerce meetings, etc. in New York City, for instance. Quebec Province has done a better job at promoting Quebec than Canada has done promoting Canada. That is really too bad, because right now, for instance, the monetary exchange favors American tourists. A lot of Americans like to fish and hunt and Canada has terrific spots for them to visit. 

I think the one thing that Americans do not really understand is that about 80% of the Canadian population lives without 200 miles of the border. So, the “Great White North” is pretty sparsely populated. If you look at the five different time zones, you also get a feel for the expanse of Canada. If Canada would do a little more PR, it would result in more tourism dollars. 

British Columbia offers a very different holiday from Ontario and certainly from The Maritimes. I am very fortunate to have visited every province but one (Manitoba) and there is definitely a different flavor to each region. 

One thing every American tells me about their trip to Canada was the cleanliness! Some also talk about the beauty and friendliness. Most people I talk to have been to British Columbia, a few to Toronto (not other parts of Ontario) and a few to Nova Scotia. There are direct flights from Houston to Toronto and Calgary and some people have been on cruise ships to Vancouver and Nova Scotia. 

Perhaps it is time for Mr. Hilliard to start harassing the Canadian government to do more advertising to entice American tourists.

Oh, yes - Calgary won the Coupe Grey Cup!