Canada is home to immigrants from around the world — people with a range of different backgrounds, cultures and viewpoints.

Hockey in general, and Wayne Gretzky in particular, appear on the top 20 lists of both the general public and newcomers to Canada. (Canadian Press)

But when it comes to expressing what defines this country, newcomers have a similar outlook to Canada's general public, a new poll finds.

Immigrants and the general public see the maple leaf and hockey as the top two Canadian icons, according to the survey, which was conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the Dominion Institute and Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

And while the groups placed slightly different weights on various topics, most things — from the Canadian flag and the beaver to Wayne Gretzky and Confederation — were found on both lists of what defines Canada.

"One of the most interesting findings of the survey is that the elements that define Canada are common to Canadians born both inside and outside the country," says Marc Chalifoux, executive director of the Dominion Institute.

"In fact, there is a lot more we share in common, particularly with regards to our understanding of the country, than would be normally expected."

There were some differences between the two groups. For example, peacekeeping, Pierre Trudeau, Niagara Falls, multiculturalism and the Mounties all appear three to five places higher on the newcomers' list.

On the other hand, the Canadian flag, the beaver, the Canadarm, Canada Day and Parliament Hill are slightly higher on the general public's list.

The Dominion Institute's website, www.101things.ca, has the full lists, as well as a discussion forum and the ability to vote for a Canadian icon you think might be missing.

Banting's discovery, Quebec City strike a chord

In conjunction with the poll, a sample of members of the Order of Canada was surveyed about what defines Canada in a separate online interview. That produced some strikingly different results.

This group of distinguished Canadians, hailing from a wide variety of backgrounds and careers, gave more weight to some historical events and items. The 1759 battle of the Plains of Abraham and the Canadian Constitution and Charter of Rights were two examples.

"You see historical factors are far more emphasized than pop culture elements," Chalifoux explains. "You see Fredrick Banting and Quebec City arriving higher than, say, hockey."

Indeed, Banting and the discovery of insulin topped the list as the thing that best defines Canada for the members. Quebec City, which plays a key role in Canadian history and celebrates its 400th anniversary this year was second, 16 places above the general public's list.

"It's a great historical achievement," Chalifoux says of Banting. "The Nobel Prize, the discovery of insulin, the importance of it not just in Canada but around the world — it's a very surprising and very interesting result."

The Order of Canada also list puts Charlottetown, called the "cradle of Confederation" by some for its role in the country's founding, a whopping 61 places higher than the general public.

The general public, on the other hand, put a higher emphasis on the Canadarm and peacekeeping.

A third group sampled was educators who teach social sciences, history, geography, civics, music, art or culture. This group also put a higher emphasis on historical items (Vimy Ridge, Confederation, Terry Fox) and accomplishments (peacekeeping, health care, multiculturalism).

How the poll was conducted

Respondents were asked five open-ended questions: What is Canada's defining person, event, place, symbol and accomplishment?

All of the results were gathered and presented back to the respondent in a random order. From that new list, they were asked to pick the top 10 items and rank these from most to least important.

The most important item was assigned a point total of 10, the second-most was a nine and points declined to one for the least important item.

The poll sampled 3,114 adult Canadians between March 31 and April 22, 2008. Nationally, it is considered accurate to within 1.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Of this group, 721 were immigrants, mirroring the representation of newcomers in the general population.

In addition, separate surveys were done of a sample of 522 educators, as well as 274 Order of Canada members in an online interview.