Hot dog! It's Canada Day!

NEWS RELEASE

MASTERCARD CANADA

************************* Hot dogs, maple syrup and Barenaked Ladies: Making Canada Day priceless

TORONTO, ON - When Canadians celebrate Canada Day this weekend, they are more likely to eat hot dogs and hamburgers than steak, listen to the Barenaked Ladies and walk off those extra calories – especially if they have had some maple syrup, their most Priceless Canadian food; this according to the second wave of results from MasterCard Canada’s 2007 Priceless Index, a barometer of Canadian patriotism.

“The 2007 Priceless Index tells us how Canadians will be celebrating the people and things that are most Priceless to us,” says Julie Wilson, director, public affairs, MasterCard Canada. “As a country, we have so much to be proud of, from gastronomic delights, to world-class musical talent.”

A Canada Day feast

Our Canada Day celebrations will no doubt be filled with all sorts of mouth-watering foods.

But hot dogs and hamburgers stood above the rest as Canadians chose them as the number one food that will make their Canada Day celebrations most Priceless.

- Atlantic Canada (40%), Manitoba and Saskatchewan (34%), Alberta (40%) and British Columbia (33%) all chose steak as their party food.

- Meanwhile, Quebeckers (44%) and Ontarians (32%) prefer to chow down on hamburgers and hot dogs.

Take a walk

After a feast of hot dogs and hamburgers, Canadians are planning to work off those extra calories by walking (43%). Cycling (20%) and swimming are also popular choices (18%).

Rock-on Canada!

Canada is legendary for its musical talent, and the 2007 Priceless Index ranked the Barenaked Ladies number one, with one in five Canadians (21%) choosing them as the most Priceless Canadian band. The Guess Who came in second (17%), followed closely by Nickelback (15%). The Tragically Hip were not far behind with 13 per cent of the vote.

- Atantic Canadians could not decide between The Guess Who (21%) and The Hip (21%).

- Alberta (18%) and B.C. (14%) say bring on the ladies; both provinces ranked the Barenaked Ladies as their most Priceless band.

Quintessential Canadian cuisine

We Canadians sure are lucky to have so many distinctly Canadian foods to choose from.

But across Canada, maple syrup was chosen as the most Priceless Canadian food (31%). From coast-to-coast, we are extremely proud of what grows in our own backyard, as the most Priceless foods differed in each region of the country.

- Atlantic Canadians love the sea and what it brings – 52 per cent chose lobster as the most Priceless Canadian food.

- Ontarians love maple syrup (31%), which is no surprise as Ontario is right next door to Quebec, the world’s largest maple syrup producer.

- More than half of Quebeckers (53%) say maple syrup is the most Priceless.

- Where’s the beef? Manitoba and Saskatchewan prefer Alberta beef (34%). And in Alberta, a whopping 60 per cent chose it as their number one food.

- British Columbians love seafood too, but the source of their pride is salmon (39%).

Hittin’ those summer roads from West to East

When Canadians were asked the best place for a road trip, six in ten Canadians (59%) chose the Rocky Mountains, followed by the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island (14%).

- We sure are proud of our own regions of the country – a whopping 81 per cent of Albertans chose the Rocky Mountains as the best part of Canada to drive through.

- British Columbians and those from Manitoba/Saskatchewan also ranked the Rocky Mountains first at 79 per cent and 73 per cent, respectively.

If you had to choose just one, Vancouver named top city for tourists

Nearly one in five (19%) of respondents agreed Vancouver is the number one Canadian city that tourists should not miss.

But Quebec City is not far behind, with 18 per cent of respondents choosing it as the must-see city, followed by Montreal (14%), Toronto (13%) and Ottawa (8%).

- Atlantic Canadians love Toronto, with 15 per cent ranking Toronto first, followed by Quebec City, Ottawa and Montreal (all at 11%).

- Home is where the heart is – 26 per cent of Ontarians chose Toronto over Vancouver (14%), Ottawa (14%) and Quebec City (13%).

- Residents of Manitoba/Saskatchewan also ranked Vancouver (21%) top on their list, followed by Montreal (13%), Ottawa (10%) and Toronto (8%).

- It is no surprise that Albertans and British Columbians ranked Vancouver first, but both provinces also ranked Montreal second.

- Quebeckers sure love home! Quebec City is the city of choice (43%), followed by Montreal (30%).

And since you are here, may we suggest

When asked which one of the following Canadian events or attractions would be the most Priceless for a tourist, 37 per cent of Canadians chose the Calgary Stampede. Most interestingly, all regions surveyed ranked the Calgary Stampede as the number one do-not-miss event.

However, while we all agreed on what is number one, there was not as much consensus with what is number two:

- Atlantic Canadians ranked whale watching as number two (29%).

- Ontarians recommended tourists lace up their skates on Ottawa’s Rideau Canal (18%).

- British Columbians and those in Manitoba and Saskatchewan also ranked whale watching as number two on their list (29% and 11% respectively).

It's the good old hockey game

Canada is famous for its team sports, and basketball, rugby and curling are often top of mind, but make no mistake, Canada is a country full of hockey lovers.

A staggering 86 per cent say hockey is the team sport that best symbolizes Canada.

“We Canadians are proud of our accomplishments, both regionally and nationally,” says Wilson. “But no matter how you put it, we know what makes us world famous, and this Canada Day, we will be sure to celebrate all this country has to offer.”

About the survey

The Priceless Index is a national survey carried out regularly by MasterCard Canada.

This national survey of 2,006 Canadians 18 years of age and over was carried out by telephone between May 24 and May 31, 2007 by Environics Research Group on behalf of MasterCard Canada.

Results to a survey of this size can be considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

About MasterCard Worldwide

MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide.

As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 16 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants.

Through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories.

For more information go to http://www.mastercard.com

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