Canadian English is known for its unique vocabulary and expressions, known as

canadisms. A Canadianism is a word or expression that is used only in Canada.

When a Canadianism is used in a specific region of Canada, it is called a
regionalism.
The use of Canadianisms can be traced back to the early settlement of Canada by
British and French colonists. Over time, these settlers developed their own distinct
way of speaking, influenced by their cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Today, Canadianisms are still used in everyday conversation and writing in
Canada. They reflect the country's history, culture, and geography.
Examples of Canadianisms
 Toque — a knitted hat worn in winter, especially in Quebec.
 Washroom — a public toilet or bathroom.
 Double-double — a coffee with two creams and two sugars.
 Two-four — a case of 24 beer bottles.
 Loonie — a nickname for the Canadian one-dollar coin, which features a
picture of a loon, a type of bird.
 Toonie — a nickname for the two-dollar coin.
 Pop — a term for soft drink, especially in Atlantic Canada.
 Chesterfield — a couch or sofa.
 Runners — athletic shoes.
 Saskatchewan — a province in Canada, often used as a synonym for the
countryside.

Examples of Canadian Idioms

 To break the ice — to start a conversation or interaction.
 A white elephant — something that is expensive and useless.
 As Canadian as possible — a phrase used to describe something that is
quintessentially Canadian.
 From sea to sea — a phrase used to describe Canada's vast size.
 Two-four — a case of 24 beer bottles.

These examples illustrate the variety and richness of Canadian English. They
reflect the unique history and culture of Canada, and are an important part of the
country's linguistic identity.
L. G. Popova's linguistic works deal with true canadisms. True canadisms, in their
turn, "represent either lexical units that fully, in the totality of expressed meanings,
belong to the English language in Canada - full canadisms, or words and stable
word combinations that are part of the Canadian variant of English in one of the
meanings - partial canadisms"
As full canadisms the author cites such nouns as: Grit - liberal (in Canada);
Mountie - mounted policeman;
Longlinerman - fisherman; muskeg - swamp, mire; Bluenose - Canadian fishing
schooner; sault - waterfall.
Partial canadisms include words such as band, a group of Indians smaller than a
tribe; candle, ice in the form of prisms; jackknife, to pull a ship.
Isaac Cowie, a Canadian politician of the 1980s and 1990s, in his book "The
Company of Adventurers" describes the following situation: Most of the ice in
Hudson Straits was rapidly decomposing, smashing in "candles" on contact with
the ship. He further emphasizes that the use of the word combination candle ice is
characteristic exclusively for Canada, because at the time of its territorial
development by the British (1796-1989). They encountered its harsh climate. Thus,
the prism-shaped form of ice crystals, not previously encountered by the British,
received its name candle.
As a result of long territorial and cultural contacts with Great Britain, the USA and
France, Canadisms are supplemented with a significant number of loanwords
naming popular objects and phenomena that were unfamiliar to the inhabitants of
Europe or had certain differences from already known words or word
combinations.
One such source of borrowings was the French language, thanks to which the
lexicon of Canadians includes such words as brule - burnt wood, sagamite - broth
or soup, with meat or fish.
Canada has long relied on a large influx of immigrants, which has left a noticeable
imprint on the lexical composition of the language. For example, words such as
sastrugi - deep snow drifts (ridges of hard snow stretched in the wind), baidarka -
a narrow leather boat with two or three compartments - have come from Russian.