"We don't come to Canada for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves"
About this Quote
The subtext is more strategic. Philip positions himself as the human barometer of the Commonwealth: he can joke about Canada precisely because the relationship is assumed to be stable. The humor relies on shared knowledge that Canadians are already in on the stereotype - bracing winters, rugged landscapes, a national identity that treats endurance as a virtue. He’s not praising Canada directly; he’s teasing it, which is often a shortcut to intimacy. Teasing implies belonging.
Context matters: Philip was famous for off-the-cuff remarks that flirted with impropriety, and this quote belongs to that tradition of royal banter where frankness is staged as spontaneity. It also reflects a mid-to-late 20th century imperial afterglow, when royal visits were meant to reaffirm ties while acknowledging, quietly, that deference had limits. The joke works because it reframes duty as reluctant pleasure: the crown shows up, grimaces theatrically, then stays anyway. That’s the whole arrangement in miniature.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Philip, Prince. (2026, January 16). We don't come to Canada for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-dont-come-to-canada-for-our-health-we-can-115452/
Chicago Style
Philip, Prince. "We don't come to Canada for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-dont-come-to-canada-for-our-health-we-can-115452/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"We don't come to Canada for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-dont-come-to-canada-for-our-health-we-can-115452/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

