Better late than never!
Here you have a Canadian answering, by the way thanks for the complements. I am very happy to see that non-Canadians consider us to be
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Sabrina, you are right Canada is a freezing country, that is why I am now living in Spain. As the ref. Says, the term Canuck is not offensive, at least for the Canadians I know (including myself).
The term was coined in the 19th century, although its etymology is unclear. Possibilities include:
· kanata[1] "village"
· Canada + -uc (Algonquian noun suffix)
· Connaught, an obscure term for Irish-French-Canadians.
Canadians use "Canuck" as an affectionate description of nationality and the word carries no particular patriotic overtones. A few Americans misinterpret "Canuck" as an offensive noun but would be hard pressed to find a Canadian, French or English, insulted by the word - the opposite being most likely. It is similar in use to "Yankee" for an American.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canuck#cite_note-0