A guide to Canadian etiquette for President Bush and his staff:
When U.S. President George W. Bush visited Canada in 2004, members of his delegation were provided with a “protocol guide” to help them understand the language and customs of the foreigners. Among the advice: How to decipher what Canadians mean when they put “eh?” at the end of a sentence. “Eh,” the guide helpfully explained, is pronounced “ay.” “Used mostly in rural areas,” it states, the word roughly translates as “You know?” or “Isn’t it?” The guide, prepared by the U.S. office of the chief of protocol, also notes that “Canadians, for the most part, place importance on education, skill, modesty and politeness.” In a section on “social customs and courtesies,” designed to prevent members of the delegation from accidentally giving offence, the report advises that: “On being introduced, the customary greetings are: firm handshake, customary ‘Hello,’ or ‘Bonjour’ in Quebec.”
Say hello and shake hands when greeting another person? What a novel idea! Something tells me the U.S. delegation might have been better prepared by watching episodes of South Park.
