Only Eight Per Cent of Americans Know Identity of Canada's PM, Poll Indicates

Canadian Press in The Ottawa Citizen ^ | December 1, 2002) | Donald McKenzie

[quidnunc]

Canadians are much more informed than Americans when it comes to knowing the identity of their neighbours' political leader, national capital and largest city, an opinion poll suggests.

The Leger Marketing survey found that only eight per cent of 1,500 adult Americans named Jean Chretien when they were asked to identify Canada's prime minister. Five per cent gave other answers, including Pierre Trudeau, who died two years ago after last being in power in 1984.

A whopping 86 per cent said they didn't know or refused to answer.

The Americans were polled Oct. 7-13, long before Chretien's communications director, Francoise Ducros, created a stir in the United States and elsewhere when she called U.S. President George W. Bush a "moron."

Conversely, 90 per cent of the 1,502 adult Canadians who were polled Nov. 6-10 (also before the Ducros brouhaha, which led to her resignation) knew Bush was U.S. president, compared with three per cent who gave other answers.

When asked to name the capital of the other country, 88 per cent of the Canadians said Washington and 21 per cent of the Americans got Ottawa right.

Such numbers didn't surprise Colin Campbell, a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia who recently spent 19 years in Washington, D.C.

"I think Canadians are much more citizens of the globe than Americans are and I think they're much more attuned to their own nation than Americans are," Campbell said in an interview.

"Canadians are really intrigued by the world around them in a way that Americans aren't."

But Campbell wasn't about to let all Canadians off the hook.

"That 12 per cent (who couldn't name Washington) must be incredibly ignorant people. It just shows that in any population, there are some people who probably couldn't even give you the name of their grandfather."

Stephen Clarkson, a professor of political economy at the University of Toronto, said the lack of knowledge about Canada south of the border shouldn't surprise people.

"Americans are much more insular," said Clarkson, who has recently written a book entitled Uncle Sam and Us.

"It's not particularly Canada they don't know a lot about. They might have trouble with England …

"The Americans are ignorant about us. We're not important to them. We're not ignorant about the United States because they are important to us."

-snip-

[Gil4]

I'm in the 8% group because I just read this article. Happily returning to the majority in about 5 minutes.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

A better poll would be to ask Canadians and Americans about the leaders of countries such as Japan, China, Mexico and Germany. I hate to admit it, but I couldn't remember what the capital of Canada was...

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

She did what!?

[Caipirabob]

Regarding the prime minister of Canada, I know you can burn off a blood-sucking leach with salt, but it's hardly practical knowledge these days.

[Snowyman]

Wait till you all find out you're getting coloured money..and


,some joke,, and we think it's funny.

[badfreeper]

There was a picture going around that was supposed to be from a night she was clubbing and forgot to wear underwear. The skirts were quite short back then.

[gcruse]

A whopping 86 per cent said they didn't know or refused to answer.

Pollster:  Who is the Prime Minister of Canada?

Respondent:  None of your damned business.

Pollster:   I already know.  I want to know if you know.

Respondent:  I'll never talk, puke.  [Punches pollster]

[badfreeper]

LOL! Now that's funny!

[hinckley buzzard]

He finally got it, after several poor guesses. If Ottawa was as important to world affairs as Washington DC, it would be as well known as Washington DC.

The failure to grasp this self-evident fact immediately is an indication of how self-absorbed and insulated the Canadian pollsters are...how little they comprehend their place in the world of geopolitics.

[goldstategop]

This from a country where most people don't even know John Alexander MacDonald was the architect of the Canadian Confederation and subsequently served as its first Prime Minister.

[twyn1]

...forgot to wear underwear...

Forgot ?? How do you FORGET to wear underwear ??

[babaloo999]

To drink Canada dry would be almost impossible, wouldn't it?

More Made-Up Facts About Canadians

[badfreeper]

Most of them probably don't even know he's on the $10 bills they use every day.

[TRY ONE]

Liberal PM's?

Pull their pants down, have 'em bend over....they all look the same!

[pierrem15]

It's hard for people to remember after the recent name change to "Soviet Canuckistan".

[badfreeper]

"Forgot ?? How do you FORGET to wear underwear ??"

I was being polite. :)

She was pretty hot back then though. pic

[Snowyman]

I'll bet even more think it was water he was drinking while he was giving all those speeches. I'll even give odds.

[badfreeper]

Someone had a great line on here recently. It was something like, "He ruled with an iron fist, with his other hand firmly wrapped around his flask of scotch."

Cheers!