Although
Canadians come from all over the world, our society looks very much
like the one in England. Why is that?
Canada
became a country on 1 July 1867. Before it became a country, Canada
was an English colony. That meant that England controlled Canada
's money and government. Even today, although Canada is an independent
country, we honour the Queen of England as our head of state. Because
of this history, Canada is similar to England in many ways.
One
of the most important ideas in Canadian life is that that people
are allowed to have different ideas and beliefs. This is important
in a country like Canada . Canada has so many different groups that
it would be impossible to get them all to agree. As long as what
you believe is not illegal or hateful, you are allowed to have your
own opinion. This is called tolerance. Canada is known as a tolerant
country.
Tolerance
is especially important when it comes to religion. Look at the English
and the French for example. French people usually go to the Catholic
church, while English people usually go to a Protestant church,
but English and French live side by side in Canada . Besides these
two large groups, there are many smaller groups that have different
beliefs. Also, Canada 's Aboriginals have their own spiritual beliefs,
and they are different from both the Catholic and the Protestant
churches.
In
Canada, people can belong to whatever church they want. This is
called religious tolerance.
Even
though people in Canada have a lot of freedom, the influence from
England remained strong for a long time, especially during
times of war.
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