Did you know…? Some differences between the United States
and Canada
Even though Canada, the setting for my latest book, Deadly Addiction, is often called “the
Northern United States,” American readers may find surprising the many
differences between the two countries. It’s not just all about the accent, eh? Here
are some that I learned while researching this book.
Money
In Canada, the government stopped
making one-dollar and two-dollar bills, and recently killed off the penny as
well. Instead, Canadians use one-dollar coins, called “loonies,” which were
named for the loons (a duck-like bird) on the front. Two-dollar coins, which
have polar bears on them, are called “toonies.”
Law Enforcement
In Québec, there are three levels of policing: the municipal
police, for example, the Montréal Police Service; the provincial
police, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), which is similar in concept to the US state patrol
forces; and the federal police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, aka the
Mounties.
In Québec,
a police officer can NOT carry a weapon, unless they are in uniform, or unless
they have a permit to carry. This permit, which must be requested, is not
automatically granted to police officers.
In Québec, a police officer can NOT carry mace or pepper spray,
unless they are in uniform. There is one exception: anyone can carry bear
repellent if they can prove that there is a viable reason, something hard to
prove if you live in the city!
In Québec,
reserves fall under the jurisdiction of the Sûreté du Québec. However, the
tribe can have their own police service or request that the RCMP provide police
services.
Alyssa, the heroine of Deadly
Addiction, is a sergeant with the provincial police (Sûreté du Québec), and
Rémi, the hero, has worked at the municipal level with the Montréal Police
Services before leaving that job to work on the reserve.
Native Peoples
In Canada, the indigenous people are not called “Native
Americans.” Instead they’re known as “First Nations people,” “natives,” or
“aboriginals.” Likewise, instead of “reservations,” in Canada they’re known as
“reserves.” The term that native people typically use for reserves is “First
Nation”; therefore, in Deadly Addiction,
the reserve is called the “Blackriver First Nation.” Additionally, instead of
“tribe,” the commonly used term is “band.”
In Canada, the Indian
Act (passed in 1876) governs who is officially a native and who is not. Whereas
most native tribes are matrilineal, until recently, the Canadian government
considered only whether the father is native in determining a person’s status.
Therefore, two people who are fifty-percent or more native could have different
statuses depending on their parentage. For example, if a native woman married a
white man, her children would not be considered native,
whereas the children of a native man who married a white woman would be
considered native.
Fortunately, with the introduction of amendments to the
Indian Act (Bill C-31 in 1985 and Bill C-3 in 2011) many women (and their
children) who’d lost their status through marriage to non-natives were able to
regain their status. However, many more are still fighting for recognition of
their status as native people.
Despite the Indian Act, a person’s membership in a
particular band might be determined differently if the band has established its
own membership rules. However, these rules can often be more restrictive, a
problem that Rémi Whitedeer, the hero of Deadly
Addiction, bumps up against. For example, of the bands who have rules, many
of them specify that you must have at least two grandparents who are band
members or full-status natives.
Deadly
Obsession (Deadly Vices,
Book 1) is available for just .99 at Amazon and Smashwords
Deadly Vices Book Two
By Kristine Cayne
A proud people. A nation divided.
Rémi Whitedeer, police officer turned substance-abuse counselor, dreams of restoring order to his tribe. Violence and crime are rampant throughout the unpoliced Iroquois reserve, and a civil war is brewing between the Guardians, a militant traditionalist group, and other tribal factions. As the mixed-race cousin of the Guardians’ leader, Rémi is caught in a no-man’s land—several groups lay claim to him, but all want him to deny his white blood.
A maverick cop on an anti-drug crusade.
When she infiltrated the Vipers to take down the leader of the outlaw biker gang responsible for her brother’s death, police sergeant Alyssa Morgan got her man. But her superiors think she went too far. Her disregard for protocol and her ends-justify-the-means ethics have branded her an unreliable maverick. To salvage her career, she accepts an assignment to set up a squad of native provincial officers on a reserve.
A radical sovereigntist bent on freeing a nation.
Decades of government oppression threaten the existence of the Iroquois Nation. But one man, Chaz Whitedeer, is determined to save his people no matter what the price, even if it means delving into the shadowy world of organized crime. When Rémi and Alyssa uncover the Guardians’ drug-fueled scheme to fund their fight for true autonomy—a scheme involving the Vipers—Rémi must choose between loyalty to family and tribe or his growing love for Alyssa. Can Rémi and Alyssa leave everything behind—even their very identities—for a future together?
About the Author:
Kristine Cayne is fascinated by the mysteries of human psychology—twisted secrets, deep-seated beliefs, out-of-control desires. Add in high-stakes scenarios and real-world villains, and you have a story worth writing, and reading.
The heroes and heroines of her Deadly Vices series, beginning with Deadly Obsession, are pitted against each other by their radically opposing life experiences. By overcoming their differences and finding common ground, they triumph over their enemies and find true happiness in each other’s arms
Today she lives in the Pacific Northwest, thriving on the mix of cultures, languages, religions and ideologies. When she’s not writing, she’s people-watching, imagining entire life stories, and inventing all sorts of danger for the unsuspecting heroes and heroines who cross her path.
website www.kristinecayne.com
Facebook Author Page http://www.facebook.com/KristineCayneAuthor
Twitter: @KristineCayne
16 comments:
Thanks for the awesome giveaway.
My pleasure, Jennifer!
Great post Kristine!! I'd love to go to Canada!!! And, I think I've said it before, your book looks really good!! As soon as I've got some free time I plan on reading it :)
Fayth - Canada is a fabulous place and even though I grew up there, a lot of what I wrote in this post, I learned during my research! LOL I hope you get the chance to read Deadly Addiction because I'm excited to hear what you think of it. Thank you for commenting and good luck with the giveaway!
Loved your post, Kristine! I spent a lot of time in Canada as a kid, and loved it there.
I'm glad you enjoyed the post, Cate! Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting.
Great blog. Canada has some good TV too, Flash Point, Lost Girl!
Thank you, Jenn! One of my favorite shows was The Border. Too bad they cancelled it. Good luck with the giveaway :)
Very interesting post. The book sounds intriguing.
bn100 - thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope you get a chance to read Deadly Addiction!
Thanks for the giveaway. Your book sounds interesting and even if I don't win, I'm putting it on my TBR list!
Lynn - that is a great compliment! I hope you get the chance to read Deadly Obsession (on sale right now for $0.99) or Deadly Addiction. Good luck with the giveaway!
Loved the interview, very informative. Thanks for the great giveaway.
Thank you, Martha! Good luck with the giveaway :)
Thanks for all the interesting tidbits about Canada. One of my favorite shows, Being Erica, was filmed there. Thanks for the giveaway.
Twilightdew - discovering differences like these are what makes research interesting :D Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting. Good luck with the giveaways!
Post a Comment