The anthems
Quebec — "Mon pays" (Vigneault, 1964). The strongest of all: "ce n'est pas un pays, c'est l'hiver" — the province's soul in one line (see our Vigneault feature). Alberta — "Alberta Bound" (Lightfoot) — or "Four Strong Winds" (the wind song, see our feature) — either way, the province's leaving-and-returning story in song. BC — "Home for a Rest" (Spirit of the West). Technically about a UK tour; functionally the BC singalong (see our feature). Saskatchewan — "Wheat Kings" (the Hip) — the prairie night sky as the province's portrait (see our feature). Manitoba — "One Great City!" (the Weakerthans) — "I hate Winnipeg," sung with love (see our feature). Ontario — "Bobcaygeon" or "Ontario"? — the Hip again, or "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" for the north — the province's size means it has several (see our features). The Maritimes — "Fare Thee Well Love" (the Rankins) / "Barrett's Privateers" (Rogers) — Cape Breton and Nova Scotia respectively (see our features). Newfoundland — "Rant and Roar" (Great Big Sea) — the kitchen party anthem (see our feature). The territories — "Northwest Passage" (Rogers) — the North itself (see our features).
The pattern
The provincial anthems share (see our craft feature): specificity (real places, real weather), ambivalence (love and complaint in the same breath), and communality (songs that rooms sing, not just artists). The anthem (see our anthem feature) speaks to the country; the unofficial anthem speaks to the neighbourhood — which is why the neighbourhood sings it louder.
Frequently asked questions
What is Quebec’s unofficial anthem?
“Mon pays” — the winter-as-country song, the strongest provincial anthem in the canon.
Does every province have one?
Yes — some have several (Ontario's size guarantees multiple contenders).
What makes a provincial anthem?
Specificity, ambivalence, and communality — the songs that rooms sing together.