Why We Act Like Canadians

by Pierre Berton

In this challenging book, written as a series of open letters to an American friend, Pierre Berton reaches into his profound knowledge of the country’s history and geography to dissect, praise, explain and occasionally criticize the national character. He does so, not with abstract opinions but with apt and colourful examples taken from the past and the Sam Steele’s gold rush censorship of the Turkish Whirlwind Danseuse; Ontario’s grudging acceptance of beer in three Toronto ballparks; New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade; Lorne Greene’s rueful return to Toronto; William Van Horne’s tirade against winter carnivals; the role of Kentucky in the War of 1812; W.A.C. Bennett’s surprising takeover of the B.C. Electric Company on the day of its president’s funeral. All these apparently disconnected incidents are woven into a carefully thought-out dissection of the national character, a distillation of more than thirty years of Berton research.

Genres: Canada, History, Nonfiction, Politics, Canadian Literature, Anthropology, Travel

132 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

From narrative histories and popular culture, to picture and coffee table books to anthologies, to stories for children to readable, historical works for youth, many of his books are now Canadian classics.

Born in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, Pierre Berton worked in Klondike mining camps during his university years. He spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain/instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily. He wrote columns for and was editor of Maclean's magazine, appeared on CBC's public affairs program "Close-Up" and was a permanent fixture on "Front Page Challenge" for 39 years. He was a columnist and editor for the Toronto Star, and a writer and host of a series of CBC programs.

Pierre Berton has received over 30 literary awards including the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour, and the Gabrielle Leger National Heritage Award. He received two Nellies for his work in broadcasting, two National Newspaper awards, and the National History Society's first award for "distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history." For his immense contribution to Canadian literature and history, he has been awarded more than a dozen honourary degrees, is a member of the Newsman's Hall of Fame and a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

A personal explanation of our national character!

In a series of open letters to an American friend named Sam, (or to be more precise, "Uncle Sam" as a metaphorical representation of all of our friends south of our Canadian border), Pierre Berton uses colourful examples from our history, our climate, and our geography to explain the vagaries of our national character. In short, he explains to his befuddled American buddy not only what it is to be a Canadian but "why we act like Canadians"!

If there were a position corresponding to "poet laureate" for historians or journalists, it's an odds on bet that Pierre Berton would be the man for Canada. His writing is easy going and emminently readable but at the same time it is scrupulously well researched and complete.

Recommended reading for any Canadian who would like a deeper understanding of the fundamental reasons for our typical behaviours and, in the spirit of fostering a higher degree of friendship and mutual understanding, it ought to be mandatory reading for all students in the USA.

Paul Weiss

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun exploration of Canadian identity by one of the foremost people qualified to write on such a topic, beloved historian Pierre Berton. Written as a series of letters to his American friend "Sam" (presumably a certain symbolic uncle), Berton attempts to explain how Canadians are different from Americans and why. It's the "why" that I found fascinating - I've read and heard a lot of comparisons about how we differ from our Southern neighbours, but I don't think I've ever come across a serious attempt to trace those differences to their roots.

Berton's writing style is light and humourous, belying some serious historical research that must have gone into this. Much of it deals with the Yukon gold rush and the War of 1812, which he has previously written about, so maybe he was drawing on what he had already learned. Either way, he makes convincing conclusions, and a lot of his articulation of the Canadian psyche was spot-on.

If I had any complaint to make, it would be a minor one - the book was written in 1982 and feels a bit dated in some of its contemporary references.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this to anyone who wants to learn what makes us Canadians tick.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the books I read during high school English classes. It was alright, but one of the statements he makes really rubbed me the wrong way and lowered my enjoyment of the book. He ends up making a comment about "transient little mining communities along the Canadian shield". The context and the way he said it ticked me off since I happen to live in one of those transient little mining communities along the Canadian shield - which, by the way, isn't so little and isn't so transient as one of our mines has been in continuous operation for over 100 years.

If it wasn't for that one statement, I probably would have given this book 4 stars.

[Intoxicatedcake · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a series of letters that look at the "why" of our national stereotypes. I don't think the author is trying to convert with his theories, so much as encouraging readers to examine the roots of our national identity. It is an opinion piece, but heavy with historical reference to explain the origin of his theories, allowing his readers to interrogate not just the thesis, but the full argument.
It's also an interesting introduction to various pieces of Canadian history, individually interesting, but made a great deal more by the links the author sketches between them.

[Darren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting commentary on the intrinsic differences between Americans and Canadians. Berton shares his deep knowledge of the history of the founding of Canada and how it has shaped our national identiy. Written in the 80s, it lacks the immigrant narrative, which, in itself, posseses its own history. Berton does explain how the our history led to the formation of national institutions that differ greatly from the privatised evolution of the US. An easy and interesting read, but keep in mind it was written over 30 years ago.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt a bit like reading the 1930s edition of How to Win Friends and Influence People. The framework explaining how and/or why Canadians are different from Americans was compelling but some of the language and the blasé discussion of race and indigenous people concerned me as a 2025 reader. I’ve been told by my Canadian family that Pierre Berton was THE guy for Canadian history, but I also would’ve appreciated any supporting sources throughout the book lol. Still, an interesting glimpse into the 1980s Canadian perspective on free trade and “51st state” rhetoric.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this interesting expose, Pierre Berton explores the Canadian mentality. From why we say "about" to how the geography has influenced us, the author delves into what it means to be Canadian. I really like how Berton uses historical examples to illustrate his points. Unfortunately, several times the author does use some crass and indecent language. Overall, the book was really helpful in understanding the fascinating differences between Canadians and Americans.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather dated now but still gives some ideas to chew on - basically trying to pin down why and how Canadians are not like Americans. Some aspects (to my mind, stuff about Americans) are coming into sharper focus now,, forty years later, and some are less true. Americans are getting more American and Canadians less Canadian, maybe? Maybe most useful as a short and selective look at some fundamental events of Canadian history and their longish tails.

[Deodand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm slowly working my way through Berton's massive list of works. Why did I read this one earlier? It's nearing its 40th birthday, and it's as fresh as when it was new.

I recommend this book to immigrants or anyone who's trying to figure out the Canadian national character. Berton has laid it out succinctly in this short book in beautiful prose and he doesn't pull any punches.

[Bejohnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

he had great arguments for his opinion and I agreed with a lot of it knows his country well

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't the Berton book I read, but it'll do; I read a long out of print interview book called "Voices of the '60s" that Berton compiled during 1964-1966 when he had a television program in Toronto that occasionally went on the road. He interviewed people like Ray Bradbury, Lenny Bruce, (his last TV interview) Mort Sahl, (who speculates on the Kennedy Assassination and Joe McCarthy) an English "pagan" witch that was a heck of a lot less familiar in 1966 than it is now, and the first black American TV executive, with NBC, who speculated on the first black president and predicted that "Governor Romney would beat a Democratic incumbent in the next election"; this of course was Mitt Romney's father George, then governor of Michigan, over President Johnson. Berton's interviewing style is thoughtful and informative, and occasionally jabby; he prods Malcom X on his "chickens coming home to roost" statement after JFK went down and whether or not the Nation of Islam was as bad as the KKK. A forgotten book from a somewhat forgotten show, but it was damned interesting.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

written in 1982 so a bit dated

[Zeta T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and answers a ton of questions!

[giselayvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much about Canada: geography, climate, a little history. Very interesting; read with phone nearby to look up things like Akpotak Island, muskox, and Great Bear Lake.

[Steven W Oatway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short explanation of exactly what the title says, and the ways that we are different from Americans and British people.

[Nancy Kerin]

Glad to learn why we act the way we do.