What are the 4 major Canadian cities?

Around the world, or at least in North America, most people know of cities like Los Angeles and New York — so much so they could be carved onto the Mount Rushmore of cities. American cities like Detroit and Dallas have been frequently debated to take the top spot, but only a few can symbolize a country. 

While the debate down south still continues, it does make someone in the great north wonder which cities best symbolize Canada.

Honestly, Vancouver and Toronto already make up two of the “Fantastic Four” Canadian cities. Why else do music tours, production crews, and esports competitions seem to think these are the only notable locations in Canada?

Being the only cities to have teams in major sports leagues also gives both some brownie points. The Toronto Raptors and late Grizzlies in the NBA, the Whitecaps and Toronto FC in Major League Soccer, and the Leafs and Canucks in the NHL — both Vancouver and Toronto are a gateway to sports culture in Canada. 

While Toronto has the only Canadian team in Major League Baseball with the Blue Jays, Vancouver is also one of the few Canadian cities to host the Olympics. 

I could go on forever about how much more lies within Vancouver and Toronto, but at this point, there isn’t much of an argument for considering these two as top contenders. 

Thankfully, I already have a few other cities in mind which hold some historical significance.

For those unaware about sports history, the two other Canadian cities to host an Olympics are Montreal and Calgary. Montreal hosted the 1976 summer games and Calgary got their turn to host in the winter games of 1988. 

However, this doesn’t make a solid case for either city to be considered a major competitor in the top four. There are some notable events both cities host that might make them worthy of the spot. 

Calgary hosts the yearly Calgary Stampede event, celebrating the culture and history of Western Canada. However, outside of those, there isn’t much to separate Calgary from other cities in the Prairies for me. They all sort of blend together whenever I think about provinces in the middle of Canada. 

That being said, Montreal is considered iconic. It goes beyond sports history this time. While not exactly the same as in France, there’s a lot of history within Quebec that’s difficult to overlook. It wouldn’t feel right if a city from the province wasn’t included on this list.

Even if Quebec and its cities feel like they are in their own bubble sometimes, I would argue they stand out more in Canada. 

As for the fourth and final city, this will sound like an insane idea for some people, but Iqaluit in Nunavut. I would argue it is a fitting city to represent Canada. As far as I’ve experienced, some parts of the world joke about how Canada is a snow-filled and ice-cold land. Having a city from the most northern and coldest part of Canada is fitting to represent part of the country. 

Now go figure out a Canadian version of Mount Rushmore to represent Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Iqaluit.