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The Canadian Glossary is composed of typically Canadian terms – names, slang, and short form that newcomers may not be familiar with.

24 Sussex Drive: The official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada in Ottawa.

49th Parallel: The 49th parallel of North latitude forms a large part of the border between Canada and the United States.

The 905: The suburbs to the west, north and east of Toronto, covered by the 905/289 telephone area code. This includes Halton, Peel, York and Durham regions but does not include Hamilton or the Niagara Region, even though they are part of the same area code.

ABM/ATM, bank machine: A common term for an automated bank machine. Most day-to-day banking functions may be performed at these machines.

Atlantic Canada: Regional term for the provinces of Canada on the Atlantic Ocean. Includes Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Bachelor Apartment: Small apartments usually consisting of one large room that is the living, dining and bedroom combined. Also called a studio, or bed-sit apartment.

Beaver: The Canadian national animal, it is a semi-aquatic rodent known for building dams. The beaver is pictured on the Canadian 5 cent coin (known as a nickel).

Bytown: The original name of the city of Ottawa. Often still used as a nickname for the city. Named after Colonel John By who is credited with founding the settlement that would become Ottawa.

Calgary Stampede: Annual event in Calgary, Alberta, the Stampede consists of a large festival and rodeo that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors every year in mid-July.

Canada Goose: These large (approx. 100 cm in length) birds are considered a Canadian national symbol. These geese migrate South to the United States during winter.

CanCon: Short for Canadian Content, in reference to the requirement in Canada that Canadian radio and television broadcasters must air a certain percentage of Canadian content.

Canuck: A slang term for"Canadian" in the U.S. and Canada.

CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation): The Canadian national television and radio broadcaster, is a national crown corporation. As the longest running broadcaster in Canada, and the first national network, CBC is an important source of news and entertainment for Canadians in both English and French.

Central Canada: Regional term referring generally to the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Charter, or Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:Part of the Canadian constitution, the Charter protects the rights of Canadians.

Chesterfield: A Canadian term for a sofa or couch. Though once quite common, this term is less used by the younger generations.

Chinook: A warm, dry wind experienced along the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. Most common in winter and spring, a chinook wind can result in a rise in temperature of as much as 20 C° (36 F°) in a quarter of an hour.

Chretien, Jean: The Right Honourable Jean Chretien served as the 20th Prime Minister of Canada from November 1993 to December 2003. Chrétien sat in the House of Commons for a total of 41 years, representing the Quebec riding of Saint-Maurice.

Commonwealth: Canada remains closely tied to Britain through the Commonwealth of Nations, an organization of states that were once part of the British Empire.

Confederation: In 1867 the territories of Upper Canada (Ontario), Lower Canada (Quebec), New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were joined together to become provinces in the new independent Dominion of Canada. This event marks the birth of Canada as an independent nation.

Cowtown: A nickname for the city of Calgary. Refers to its roots as a hub of ranching, livestock trade.

Curling: A popular Canadian team sport that was invented in Scotland in medieval times. Played on an ice surface, players slide a "rock" along the ice aiming at a target area. Teams receive points for landing their rocks closest to the target. Canada is host to several well-respected international tournaments and has produced many successful competitors in the sport.

Diefenbaker, John: The Right Honourable John Diefenbaker served as the 13th Prime Minister of Canada from 1957-1963.

Double-double: A cup of coffee with two creams and two sugars.

Eaves Troughs: Grooves or channels that attach to the underside of the roof of a house to collect rainwater. Known in most other places as gutters.

First Nations: This term is used to refer collectively to the group of indigenous nations located in what is now Canada. They are organized together in a national representative body known as the Assembly of First Nations.

Fox, Terry: A Canadian humanitarian, athlete and cancer activist, Terry Fox became famous for his remarkable Marathon of Hope campaign. Having lost his right leg to cancer at the age of 18, Terry Fox began a campaign to run coast to coast across Canada to raise money for cancer research when he was 21. Terry Fox ran the equivalent of a marathon a day for 143 days before the spread of his cancer forced him to stop. As other volunteers took over the campaign, over $400 million has been raised in his name to date.

Garburator: A garbage disposal unit located beneath the drain of a kitchen sink.

Gastown: The name for the old part of the city of Vancouver. The name comes from a contraction of a contraction of "Gassy's town" after steamboat captain "Gassy" Jack Deighton.

Governor-General: Traditionally the King/Queen of England's representative to Canada, the Governor-General is Canada's head of state. In practice however, the position carries only ceremonial powers.

Grizzly Bear: A powerful yellowish-brown bear native to Western Canada. The grizzly, due to its large and intimidating stature, is a very well-known animal in Canada.

GST: The Goods and Services Tax, a 6% charge on nearly all goods and services sold in Canada as a tax to the federal government. The tax was reduced from 7% to 6% in July 2006.

GTA: An acronym for the Greater Toronto Area, which includes Toronto, its surrounding suburbs, and some nearby cities. The GTA has a population of over 5.9 million people, making it the 7th largest metropolitan area in North America.

Habitants: A name used to refer to the French settlers of North America. With the short form habs, it is also a nickname for the Montreal Canadiens hockey club of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Haligonian: A name for residents of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Harper, Stephen: The Right Honourable Stephen Harper is currently serving as the 22nd Prime Minister of Canada. Born in Ontario, Harper represents Calgary in the House of Commons. He took over as Prime Minister in January of 2006.

Hockey: Canada's national pastime, ice hockey is a favourite of Canadians to play and to watch (particularly the National Hockey League). Ice hockey is played on ice with a three inch diameter rubber disc called a puck between two teams of skaters consisting of a goaltender, two defence players and three forwards.

Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC): A popular broadcast of Saturday night National Hockey League games on CBC. The program is one of the highest-rated Canadian-produced regular television programs.

Hogtown: A nickname for the city of Toronto.

Homo Milk: Homogenized milk, particularly with a fat content greater than 2%, usually 3.25%. Referred to in the U.S. as whole milk.

Hollywood North: A reference to Toronto and Vancouver as major centers for Canadian film production.

Hoodie: A slang term for a hooded sweatshirt.

House of Commons: Canada's lower house of parliament is known as the House of Commons. Canada's government has a bicameral legislature, with the elected House of Commons, in which the Prime Minister sits, and the appointed Senate.

Hudson's Bay Company: Often referred to as The Bay, the Hudson's Bay Company is currently a department store chain but also played a formative role in the settlement of Canada. HBC controlled the fur trade in British North America for several centuries, and controlled much of the territory which would become a part of Canada at Confederation.

Humidex: A measurement used by meteorologists to reflect the combined effect of heat and humidity.

Hydro: Commonly used as a synonym for electrical service. Many Canadian provincial electric companies generate power from hydroelectricity, and incorporate the term "Hydro" in their names.

The Interior: Term used by residents of British Columbia to refer to the area of the province away from the coast. Generally refers to most of the province outside of the Greater Vancouver area and Vancouver Island.

Inuit: A general term for the group of culturally similar indigenous groups that occupy the Arctic. Most of Canada's Inuit peoples live in the newly created Canadian territory of Nunavut.

Kraft Dinner: A popular brand of macaroni and cheese, sold in the U.S. as Kraft Mac and Cheese.

Lacrosse: Canada's official national summer sport, lacrosse is a team sport similar to hockey. Lacrosse played by ten players, each of whom uses a netted stick (the crosse) in order to pass and catch a very hard rubber ball with the aim of scoring by propelling the ball into the opponent's goal.

Laurier, Wilfrid: A formative leader in Canadian history, the Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier served as the 7th Prime Minister of Canada between July 1896-October 1911. His 15 year tenure remains the longest unbroken term of office for a Canadian Prime Minister.

Loon: The common loon, an aquatic bird the size of a large duck, is the national bird of Canada. Generally coloured black and white, loons are excellent swimmers, and display a great deal of stamina when migrating south for winter.

Loonie: Canadian one dollar coin. The name comes from the loon that appears on one side of the coin.

Lower Canada: The original British Colonial name for the Province of Quebec.

Loyalists: At the time of the American Revolution, this group of Americans loyal to Britain left the newly-independent United States for Canada. Settling mostly in Atlantic Canada, many Canadians can trace their ancestry to this group.

Lumber Jacket: A thick flannel jacket either red and black or green and black plaid favoured by blue collar workers and at one time, teenagers.

MacDonald, John, A.: The Right Honourable Sir John Alexander MacDonald was the first Prime Minister of the newly independent Dominion of Canada. He held this post from 1867-1973, and again from 1878-1891. Born in Scotland, MacDonald was knighted by Queen Victoria for his contribution to bringing about Canadian Confederation.

Maple Leaf: The national flag of Canada, the Maple Leaf was adopted in 1965, and was designed by George S. Stanley. Prior to its adoption Canada had used variants of the British Red Ensign. The flag features the leaf of the red maple tree.

Maple Syrup: Made from the sap of the Maple tree, this sweet viscous substance is most often enjoyed with pancakes or waffles. Canada is responsible for 80% of the world's maple syrup production.

Maritimes: The region term for the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Newfoundland is not included in this group due to climatic and geographic differences.

Martin, Paul Jr.: The Right Honourable Paul Edward Philippe Martin served as the 21st Prime Minister of Canada from 2003-2006. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, Martin had a long tenure as Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Métis: The Métis Nation are one of three recognized Aboriginal peoples in Canada, along with the Inuit and the First Nations. The nation consists of descendants of marriages of Woodland Cree, Ojibway, Saulteaux, and Menominee aboriginals to French Canadian and/or British/Celtic settlers. Their history dates to the mid-seventeenth century. The majority of the metis in Canada live in the province of Manitoba.

Moose: The largest member of the deer family, the moose make their homes in the boreal and mixed deciduous forests of Canada and the United States. The moose appears on the Canadian 25 cent coin.

Mountie: Refers to a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's national police force.

Mulroney, Brian: The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney served as the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from 1984-1993.

Multiculturalism: Canada was the first country in the world to adopt an official policy of multiculturalism in 1971. It is the official policy of Canada to support the preservation of the cultures of different ethnic groups. Under this policy Canada aims to be a "cultural mosaic".

Nanaimo Bar: A confection named for the town of Nanaimo, British Columbia and made of egg custard with a Graham-cracker-based bottom and a thin layer of chocolate on top.

Nickel: Canada's 5 cent coin, traditionally made from nickel (though now 95% steel).

Official Languages Act: This law passed in 1969 enshrines both English and French as Canada's official languages.

Oil Town: A nickname for the city of Edmonton, Alberta. Edmonton is home to a large part of Alberta's oil industry.

Parkade: A parking garage, especially used in the West.

Pearson, Lester B. "Mike": The Right Honourable Lester Bowles Pearson served as the 14th Prime Minister of Canada from 1963-1968. Prior to becoming Prime Minister, Pearson received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for his role in defusing the Suez crisis.

Pearson International Airport: In Toronto, Ontario, it is the largest airport in the country, and is named after former Prime Minister Mike Pearson.

the Peg: Nickname for the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Pencil crayon: A coloured pencil.

Polar Bear: The polar bear, also known as the white bear, northern bear, or sea bear, is a large bear native to the Arctic.

Pop: The common name for soft drinks or soda pop.

Poutine: Popular in Quebec, a dish of french fries (or chips) topped with cheese curds and covered with hot gravy.

Puck or Hockey Puck: The object of play in the sport of hockey. Hockey pucks are circular disks made of vulcanized rubber.

Quiet Revolution: A period of change in Quebec society in the 1960's characterized by secularization and modernization.

The Rock: A nickname for Newfoundland.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP): The national police force, often referred to as "mounties".

Runners: Sneakers or running shoes.

Serviette: A napkin. A small square of cloth or paper used while eating.

Snowbirds: The term refers to Canadians, generally retired, who spend long periods of the winter escaping the Canadian cold by living in the Southern United States, particularly Florida.

StanleyCup: The trophy awarded to the champion team in the National Hockey League.

Steeltown: A nickname for the city of Hamilton, Ontario, due to the city's large steel industry.

Stornoway: The official residence in Ottawa for the leader of the official opposition in government (the party with the second most seats).

Studio Apartment: Small apartments usually consisting of one large room that is the living, dining and bedroom combined. Also called bachelor or bed-sit apartments.

Sugar Shack: Also known by the French as "Cabane à sucre", these traditional homes for maple syrup production are popular tourist destinations in Quebec. At the sugar shack one can sample a large variety of items made from maple syrup.

T Dot: A slang term for Toronto, Ontario.

Toonie: Canadian two dollar coin. When Canada switched from a two-dollar bill to a coin in the 1990's, this name emerged after the name "loonie" for the one dollar coin (which features the image of a loon).

The TransCanada: The TransCanada highway, also called Highway 1, travels 7281 km from Victoria, B.C. to St. John's Newfoundland. It is the world's longest national highway.

Trudeau, Pierre: The Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau served as the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from 1968-1979 and from 1980-1984. His most famous act in office was the repatriation of the constitution along with the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Tuque: A knitted winter hat. Tuque is a French word that has been adopted into Canadian English.

Two-Four: Slang for a case of twenty four beers.

Upper Canada: The original British Colonial name for the Province of Ontario.

Western Canada: Regional term referring to the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and sometimes Manitoba.