I guess there are a lot of reasons to be a proud Canadian. Food comes to mind, which keeps getting better as people from different cultures immigrate here and bring their culinary magic with them.
Our manners, hospitality and other social graces are said by many to be top notch as well.
People say our pop culture isn’t the best, however, but if you look deep you realize some of the best pop culture out there is still either in-part produced, written or performed by Canadians or Canadian ex-pats.
Many of our people who “make it” tend to move to the United States shortly after any success and get confused with the rest in the Yankee melting pot, but some do stick to their guns and keep their roots firmly planted in Canadian soil.
Then there are fun examples of how we’re portrayed by other countries, but I was explicitly told not to mention Terrance and Philip from South Park as a Canadian point of pride, so we’ll just gloss over to the next paragraph.
I will be writing a bit about comedy, though, because I love it and Canada has a rich selection of comedians to gush about, a few of whom I’ve interviewed in my short journalism career.
Norm Macdonald, unfortunately one I’ve never had the pleasure of talking to, ranks among the top of the heap in my opinion and after a run on Saturday Night Live, three seasons of his own show and a list of movies, he’s still putting out good material.
He recently released a stand-up comedy special on Netflix that I thoroughly enjoyed and he also voices one of the main characters, Pigeon, on the most awesomely killer cartoon Mike Tyson Mysteries.
Those of us approaching middle age, and some on the other side of that hill, might also remember Kids in the Hall. The Canadian comedy troupe had their own show for a while and many of the members went on to have decent, if not earth shattering careers.
Bruce McColloch was one of these knuckleheads who’d gone on to write a television show about his early life in Calgary called Young Drunk Punk, which he turned into a live theatrical piece he now takes on the road.
I’d interviewed him last year before he brought the show to Lloydminster; he called the Source office from the airport, and seemingly without an off-switch, really annoyed our receptionist with his random antics when he was asking for me.
I thought it was hilarious; she did not.
We’ve also produced a good cross-section of musicians up north with the likes of Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, K-OS, Moist, Leonard Cohen and Sebastian friggin’ Bach.
I’d probably be remiss if I didn’t name drop Gordon Downie and the Tragically Hip, but again, Sebastian friggin’ Bach, eh.
Speaking of Bach then reminds me of one of the country’s crowning pop culture achievements: The Trailer Park Boys.
Many will think I’m being facetious by calling them one of our greatest achievements, but with roughly 11 seasons, several movies, and a few spinoffs, airing in nearly 20 countries, I can’t really think of a more successful or influential Canadian television series.
A bad influence, maybe, but still influential.
They’ve featured cameos by Alex Lifeson from Rush, the above mentioned Bach and Downie, Rita MacNeil and Brian Vollmer of Helix among others — so if Trailer Park Boys isn’t a significant part of Canadian culture than I’m not sure what it takes to make the grade.
I know this whole column probably reads like I’m not taking my patriotism seriously, going on about people who make jokes or sing songs for a living, when I could be writing about all our personal freedoms, great healthcare, progressive diversity and multiculturalism.
I do care about the serious stuff too and when you add the freedoms and progressive socio-politics to the humour and entertainment — then sprinkle liberally (or conservatively, whichever you prefer) with hockey and poutine — you really start to see that maybe we are the best country on the planet and the 150 years leading up to this point is definitely a milestone worth celebrating.
