Canadian Crossing

Happy Victoria Day 2013

Victoria Day wraps up the unofficial start to the 2013 summer in Canada. Relaxation should be the word, but for news (and sports) junkies, relax means reading a lot about fun and juicy stories.

Of course, having the Ottawa Senators at home in its 2nd round is a pleasant distraction. Those can stay up later on Sunday night to watch Game 3 because most of them can sleep in Monday morning.

Yes, Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver all fell in the 1st round, and Canadians west of Toronto (outside Vancouver) didn't have an obvious rooting connection in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Ottawa is the last Canadian team, but not every Canadian is behind the Senators' efforts.

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If I am posting a story on a Sunday on a Canadian holiday weekend, you know there is a lot going on. So for those who missed the Sunday political notebook, you can read that here.

The Rob Ford story is obviously the biggest headline, but Rob Ford has a long list of questionable behavior judgments since he took office. What is behind some of the other stories is far more fascinating.

When I've toured several provincial legislatures in my travels, I've heard several variations of why those provinces got rid of their senates. The federal Canadian government has a Canadian Senate. And as much as I've studied Canadian politics, what the Senate does is still somewhat of a mystery.

The federal Senate seems to be full of people stuffed into the Senate as a "reward" to sort of advise, but mostly draw a salary. Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy are former journalists, so the impression is that based on the journalism they did, they get to be in the Senate. And they feel slimy and wrong, regardless of party.

And Patrick Brazeau would likely have to leave the Senate if he were a U.S. Senator, but gets to hang around in the Canadian Senate.

When I was studying Canadian politics a long time ago, the impression was that the East liked the Senate as is: unelected and advisory. The West wanted an elected Senate so they would have more respresntation. In those days, a Liberal prime minister could wrap up enough votes by winning in Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes.

Stephen Harper was supposed to lead the way to reforming the Senate to make the Senate more accountable. Conservatives now dominate the Senate, yet the Senate is just as unaccountable as when the Liberals were in charge. And these scandals seem worse than anything we heard from the Senate in the recent past.

Even without these scandals, Canada needs to decide as a country what kind of Senate it should have. Somewhere between the U.S. Senate and Britain's House of Lords is a logical place to start, but the longer the country takes, the more likely these types of scandals will continue without a whole lot of accountability.

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Christy Clark kept the streak alive of female Canadian premiers, but she needs to win a seat to be allowed into British Columbia's Parliament. Her Liberals thwarted the pundits in their thoughts that the NDP would be in charge. The voter turnout was pretty bad, especially by B.C. standards, and on some level, a number of voters voted against Adrian Dix more than for Christy Clark.

For those who followed the British Columbia election, you might have found a parallel universe with his neighbor province Alberta. In B.C., the Liberals and NDP were the only two parties in play for running the province. In the last election in Alberta, the Progressive Conservatives and the Wild Rose Party were the only parties in play.

This is about the best person to lead the province, not the gender of the premier. But the voters are picking the premier based on a number of concerns. The B.C. voters picked Clark for a number of reasons, but the fact that a female premier kept her job under less than ideal circumstances points out to the idea that gender has very little to do with why Clark kept her job. And that is truly progress.

Canadian politics notebook: Rob Ford's alleged crack use

Rob Ford: crack pipe.

Of all the things I would believe about the Toronto mayor, this isn't one of them. Then again, this doesn't appear to be a random accusation.

Initially, a lot of the objection to Ford was based purely on political philosophy, as most criticism of politicians should be. Lately, most of the objection rest on what should be described as "cries for help." You can almost miss the battles over whether new public transportation should be subway vs. light-rail trains.

Journalists from the Gawker and the Toronto Star saw a 90-second clip. The man in the clip appears to be Rob Ford smoking a crack pipe and making several gay (using the f-word gay slur to refer to Justin Trudeau) and racially inflammatory slurs.

Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, especially when involved with a crack pipe. And anyone who tries to personally profit from a video or similar information is automatically treated with suspicion.

The question is whether the allegations fit a pattern or similar pattern to behavior already exhibited. By that standard, Ford would be guilty in a heartbeat of everything but the crack smoking. But the crack pipe itself seems to be the one element that feels out of place.

Councillor Doug Ford, the mayor's brother, said on a radio show that "I have never seen my brother involved with anything like coke." Not as vociferous as other denials to previous allegations, and not much of a denial to what the person in the video said.

Toronto has enough problems for a mayor who is focused and is striving to help solve those problems. Rob Ford hasn't been that person for a long time. In many ways, that is more important to himself and the city of Toronto rather than whether he held a crack pipe and used it.

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The major thing Canadians and a select few Americans know about Canada's Senate is that its senators aren't elected. They are appointed by prime ministers. For a long time, the Senate was dominated by Liberals since Liberals had been mostly in power. Now Conservatives dominate in the Canadian Senate, but Canada's Senate is more advisory than the U.S. Senate, the place where U.S. bills are diminished or go to die.

Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy, in separate incidents, recently resigned from the Conservative caucus. Patrick Brazeau was kicked out of the Conservative caucus for a separate incident. Yet all three remain senators.

Wallin, Duffy, and Brazeau will all vote Conservative when votes come along, so the idea of them being an Independent senator is rather insulting to true independents. The U.S. Senate currently has two independent senators: Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is to the left of the Dems and Angus King (I-ME) rests pretty much in the middle of Dems and GOP lands.

Wallin voluntarily left the Conservative caucus, but is under investigation for claiming $321,000 in travel expenses since September 2010. Duffy was also under investigation for $90,000 in fraudulent travel expenses, and claimed to have repaid the money. Turns out, Nigel Wright — Stephen Harper's chief of staff — wrote a personal check for the money while Duffy maintained in public that he personally paid back the money. Wright was forced to resign over the check.

Brazeau is currently in trouble for claiming $35,000 in travel expenses, but was removed from the Conservative caucus in February following a domestic dispute arrest.

The media has to refer to each of these senators as "former Conservative senator." Of course to the ear, this could mean "former senator who is Conservative" or "former Conservative who is a senator." Getting to remove the party label from a disgraced politician is something you would think Americans would have invented.

Removing a party identity shouldn't be that easy. Duffy actually said out loud that he was looking forward to once again being a Conservative senator. There goes subtlety.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been talking about Senate reform, though this isn't what he had in mind. Electing Canadian senators might be a start because clearly accountability is missing from these senators.

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We've seen cases where a party in Canada loses and its leader loses the seat. Think the federal Liberals and Michael Ignatieff and the Bloc Quebecois and Gilles Duceppe, both in 2011. Kim Campbell was prime minister and her party lost power and she lost her seat in 1993.

The Christy Clark saga in British Columbia on Tuesday produced an unusual scenario where the Liberals retained power, but Clark lost her seat.

What usually happens in these cases is that a fellow Liberal (in this case) steps aside in a riding, and allows Clark to run in that riding in a by-election. The opposition parties usually don't run someone in that by-election. Usually.

Clark reportedly didn't live in her riding, the one she represented and where she did little campaigning. U.S. laws don't require representatives to live in their district, but politics usually makes that a necessity. Canadians don't seem as concerned. After all, the late Jack Layton and his wife, Olivia Chow, represented different ridings in Toronto.

Every major political pundit had the NDP taking over in British Columbia. To Clark's credit, she needed to focus on keeping her party in power. Now, she can worry how to get back to being a MLA.

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photo credit: Toronto Star

RCMP foils alleged Via Rail terrorism plot

The RCMP stopped an alleged terrorism attack involving a Via Rail train from Toronto to New York City before it happened. The officers had been tracking their movements for many months. Canada is very thankful for their actions. The United States is also thankful because Americans would have potentially been involved.

Unfortunately, the fear is that terrorism and Canada will now be more greatly associated with each other. Of course, this would have been worse if the RCMP hadn't caught the alleged terrorists.

In the United States and Canada, we've seen quite a few terrorism cases prevented in the last decade thanks to intelligence and good police work. We saw in the Boston Marathon bombings that not every plot gets thwarted. But most of them do get noticed and prevented.

While Canada and the RCMP get some much deserved love for their actions, the fear is that Canada will get unfairly painted by a terrorism brush. Even though we know the suspects aren't Canadian citizens, that detail is lost south of the border. Then again, those south of the border don't know that a few Canadians were allegedly involved in a bombing in Algeria.

Thanks to this news, Americans think the RCMP and Canada can stop terrorists, and deservedly seen as heroes on both sides of the border.

CBC, TSN salivating at prospect of Leafs, all-Canadian matchup in Stanley Cup playoffs

After the worst showing by Canadian-based teams in the postseason last spring, we could see the best allotment of Canadian teams in the NHL postseason since the previous lockout. The last time there were as many as 5 teams, you have to go back to 2004.

Montréal has already clinched a playoff spot in the East, and will likely be either the #2 seed or #4 seed, depending on the Canadiens battle with Boston. Toronto and Ottawa are looking like playoff teams.

The CBC was salivating last Saturday over the prospect of a Habs-Leafs matchup, the first since 1979. The teams almost met in the Stanley Cup final in 1993 before the Los Angeles Kings beat the Maple Leafs in Game 7.

Then again, you can't blame the CBC or TSN for wanting more Canadian-based teams in the playoffs. TSN last had a Canadian team in the playoffs with Montréal-Washington in 2010.

The CBC is in even worse shape since it had to end a number of regular prime-time programs around the traditional time. The network couldn't adjust the schedule because fewer episodes is a common theme based to budget cuts from the Harper government. Without the hockey playoffs, the CBC would have no spring schedule.

Vancouver is virtually certain to be in the playoffs once again. The Canucks are resting in the #3 seed with only Minnesota that could change that fate. How sad is the Northwest Division? Edmonton is in 3rd and nowhere near the contenders for the #8 seed in the Western Conference.

Calgary has been out for some time, made worse by the trade deadline dump. Then again, Dallas is playing better after getting rid of its veterans.

What about the Winnipeg Jets? The Jets were the #3 seed before the Washington Capitals woke up. With the worst travel schedule, Winnipeg is playing well given that pace, but hasn't done well of late. Like the Northwest Division, the Southeast Division might only have 1 playoff team. The Jets have a game remaining with Washington: a regulation win will help a little. Winnipeg's best route might be a New York Rangers collapse.

The last time two Canadian teams met in the first round was 2004. That year, Toronto-Ottawa and Vancouver-Calgary were on the 1st round schedule. The CBC hype would lead to a Montréal-Toronto, more likely a 4-5 matchup. If Winnipeg can get the #3 seed, you could get two all-Canadian matchups with Ottawa at #6. The joy of an all-Canadian first round matchup is that you get at least one Canadian team into the 2nd round. As we saw last year, a guarantee is better than nothing at all.

The CBC gets to pick the first two matchups, but will likely take Vancouver to balance out early and late games. TSN could walk away with the Habs or the Leafs, but probably not both.

The new playoff format will encourage more all-Canadian matchups. Won't take as much for a first round with two of the three of Toronto, Montréal, and Ottawa.

As much as the CBC and TSN want more teams to win, they want the money they can charge. As we saw from the 2011 Stanley Cup run by Vancouver, the audience will show up to watch.

As for CanadianCrossing.com, more teams mean being busier, especially in the first round, but we will gladly take on that responsibility.

Canada notebook: Justin Trudeau leads Liberals, R.A. Dickey on '60 Minutes'

 

We now have our 5 participants for the 2015 Canadian federal election race. Stephen Harper, Thomas Mulcair, Elizabeth May, and Daniel Paillé now have their Liberal equivalent: Justin Trudeau.

Trudeau won the Liberal leadership race on Sunday, replacing interim leader Bob Rae.

The NDP had its convention over the weekend, trying its best to steal Trudeau's thunder. Thomas Mulcair was endorsed by 92.3% of the NDP delegates.

The Liberals have 2½ years to convince Canadians to put them back on top, and somehow gain back the anti-Conservative vote from the NDP.

Previous coverage:

Will Justin Trudeau be the Liberal Party savior?

Trudeau has the name recognition, based on his father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and he is from Quebec, the province that may have the most votes up for grabs in 2015. Trudeau has to win over the 905 Toronto suburbs and B.C. without too much vote-splitting with the NDP in key ridings.

A lot of those borderline ridings have Conservative representation where the incumbent got well under 50% of the vote.

Mulcair and the NDP are also trying to change its image. The new NDP constitution is more centrist, and Mulcair is trying to seem "less angry," though that is more of an accusation from the Harper government than based in reality.

Harper and his cronies will try their best to blow away the Liberal leader with negative ads, just as they did with Stephane Dion and Michael Ignatieff. Trudeau will need to fight back against the negative tide, being the third Liberal leader in the last 3 federal elections. Since Trudeau has experience in the boxing ring, he'll have that edge. But the fight will be a long one, and may likely extend well beyond the next 30 months.

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R.A. Dickey has a story made for "60 Minutes." Horrible tales of sexual abuse suffered as a child. Struggling major and minor league career. Cheated on his wife. The knuckleball helped change a lot of that around, and proceeded to win the Cy Young Award last season.

The Toronto element of that chapter was more of an afterthought, except to say that Dickey is off to a rough start as a Blue Jay. Dickey won his first game as a Toronto Blue Jay on Saturday. Cynics might point out that this is the first game on the road, away from the domed Rogers Centre. When Dickey gets his knuckleball going indoors, the Blue Jays will breathe easier.

With Jose Reyes out until at least the All-Star break, the Blue Jays will have to work much harder just to keep up in the American League East Division.

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Porter Airlines is known as the small airline flying out of the Billy Bishop lakefront airport in Toronto. Porter flies to places Ontario-East along with U.S. destinations such as New York, Washington, Boston, and Chicago.

Porter wants to redefine its role to serve "Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, California, Florida and the Caribbean" starting in 2016. And the airline wants to do so with Canadian-made Bombardier CS100 jets.

For those who have flown Porter (present company included), these new jets are considerably bigger than the jets Porter has flown. In order to fly the new jets at Billy Bishop, runways will have to be expanded. This means expanding the airport further into Lake Ontario.

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Speaking of travel between Canada and the United States …

The U.S. presidential permit is set, so the new Detroit-Windsor bridge can start construction. Right?

Land acquisition is the next step in the long and winding road (bridge) on this journey. Construction is expected to start in 2015, perhaps 2016. The bridge should be done by 2020 (great vision), assuming no other hindrances from Matty Moroun or anyone else.

This bridge was needed 10-15 years ago. NAFTA is 20 years old this year.

In the meantime, you can check out our coverage of the Daily Show's take on the new bridge project.

New U.S. ambassador to Canada should know Canada before taking job

With President Barack Obama now in his second term as U.S. president, Canada is getting a new U.S. ambassador. Like current Ambassador David Jacobson, Bruce Heyman's chief qualification to represent the United States in Canada is being a heavy contributor to Obama's campaign.

Heyman's obvious drawback, since he has to be approved by the Senate, is that he is a partner at Goldman Sachs and has been there since 1980.

Getting someone who has a background with Canada hasn't been a priority in selecting an ambassador. Jacobson had little experience contact with Canada; Heyman has done some business in Canada. Jacobson didn't have much of a background about Canada.

Contrast this with Gary Doer, Canada's Ambassador to the United States. Doer is the former premier of Manitoba, and has plenty of interaction with the United States as premier from border security to trade.

Frank McKenna, former premier of New Brunswick, served as Canada's ambassador two ambassadors ago.

The United States has employed former governors in recent times in that role. Paul Cellucci, who was governor of Massachusetts, served from 2001-2005 and James Blanchard, former governor of Michigan, served from 1993-1996. Gordon Giffin, who served as President Bill Clinton's second ambassador, grew up in Canada. Though born in the United States, Giffin's family moved to Canada before his 1st birthday. He grew up in Montréal and Toronto.

This isn't about politics either. Cellucci is a Republican; Blanchard is a Democratic politician. Doer is NDP serving under a Conservative prime minister.

If Heyman is looking for advice, and let's hope he is, do a better job than David Wilkins, who served from 2005-2009. Wilkins never seemed comfortable in Canada and didn't seem to embrace the experience he was given.

Chicago journalist Carol Felsenthal, in writing about Heyman's nomination, gave us some background on Wilkins.

"(Wilkins)… argued that Ottawa is a tough posting: that the U.S. and Canada have "the largest trading relationship the world has ever known," and that Canada is "the number one supplier of hard energy to the U.S." A former speaker of the South Carolina legislature who ran Bush's presidential campaigns in the state, Wilkins told me that when he took the appointment he'd been to Canada only once—on a trip to Niagara Falls soon after his marriage. He was never able to learn French, he volunteered, but did learn "a few phrases, " such as "Merry Christmas" and "It's very cold."

Ottawa should have been an easy posting. No new language to learn, no hot button issues, and you get to stay in the same time zone (Wilkins was from South Carolina). While a little French goes a long way, Wilkins took that literally.

From Andrew Cohen of the Ottawa Citizen:

While Wilkins was an able envoy — representing an unpopular president, tending the commercial relationship and playing the innocent ("bonjour, y'all!") — he never seemed to get Canada. The best diplomats read, ask, and try to understand the place. Wilkins, like his boss, was incurious.

By contrast, Jacobson did seem curious about Canada. To be fair, we know this because Jacobson started a blog in his role as ambassador. Though we wish he would have updated the blog more often, Jacobson came across as someone who was earnest in his desire to learn more about Canada.

This entry came on his third anniversary as ambassador:

Since I arrived I have traveled far and wide in Canada. I have literally dipped my toes into three oceans. I have seen cities and towns. Farms and prairies. Lakes and mountains.

I have had the privilege of meeting with so many of the Canadian people from every walk of life. Government officials and business leaders. Generals and head of NGO's. Shop keepers and small business owners. Factory workers and farmers.

I've had Christmas dinner with soldiers in Afghanistan. Walked with wounded warriors. I have learned to cross country ski and curl. I have rooted for your sports teams – unless they are playing ours. I have eaten your food and drunk your wine. I've come to love Tim Bits.

While I always hesitate to say I have been everywhere and have met everyone, I can say that I have covered a lot of ground and met a lot of people. I do it to try to better understand Canada and the Canadian people. Because understanding your country and your people is – in my view – the most important thing I can do to make the most of my opportunity as United States Ambassador.

Caroline Kennedy's name was being tossed around for ambassador. So was former governors Granholm and Christine Gregoire (Washington state). Granholm and Gregoire would have been better selections than Kennedy, and probably would be better than Heyman.

Canada shouldn't be treated like other obscure countries where an ambassadorship is a reward for giving a lot of money. Canada is the largest trading partner and the primary source of oil to the United States. A former governor isn't a cure-all for handling a close and vital relationship. But the people in that role don't need much of a learning curve and their curiosity continues.

I know that because I gave nothing to Obama's campaign (journalists aren't supposed to contribute to anyone's campaign) that I had no shot at being the next U.S. ambassador to Canada. But I am from Chicago, speak better French than David Wilkins, and have a strong knowledge of Canada. More importantly, my curiosity about Canada stretches farther than Canada's reach into the Arctic Circle. Hopefully, Heyman, if approved, will have 1% of the curiosity level I have about Canada.

Canada notebook: Toronto surpasses Chicago; Lululemon's see through yoga pants

Toronto leapfrogged to #4 in the list of largest cities in N. America, surpassing Chicago. This would have come to a surprise if you didn't know Toronto was in the Top 5. New York City, Los Angeles, and Mexico City will always have more people than either Toronto or Chicago.

Toronto and Chicago have a lot of similarities: major cities on a Great Lake. But having Toronto beat out Chicago proves that Toronto is a major city. People know Chicago is a major city, but knowing that Toronto is a bigger city shows that Toronto is a major city, too.

Canadians know Toronto is a major city, after all, making fun of T.O. is a national sport. Now those outside Canada know it too.

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Lululemon being a Canadian company is normally a source of pride. But when the company had to recall 17% of its yoga pants because they were see-through, that Canadian pride went out the window.

The pants are overly expensive, which makes the see-through part even funnier.

Yoga doesn't get better with special yoga pants, and hopefully your fellow yoga people aren't concerned about whether they can see your panties, thong, or whether you go commando.

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Some cable channels are ironically named, so the Discovery Channel's airing of "America's Northern Border" wasn't very discover-like. The issues with the U.S.-Canada border centered on the Detroit-Windsor crossing, yet the documentary tried to scare you in the beginning by mentioning the Millennium Bomber and the Underwear Bomber.

Well, the Millennium Bomber crossed from British Columbia to Washington state, and the Underwear Bomber landed from Amsterdam at Detroit Metro airport, which is nowhere near the Canadian border.

While we kept hearing about terrorists and weapons of mass destruction, the documentary took us into following people who were doing strange things, but not necessarily illegal. And we saw a marijuana bust on the U.S. side with no specific tie to Canada.

We heard about 800 miles of water crossings yet the best place for them to cross was the Ambassador Bridge or by boat across the Detroit River. You would think criminals would pick less busy crossings to not draw attention. They don't mention the tunnel, only the bridge.

Detroit-Windsor is a major crossing mostly because of trade. The increased scrutiny, based on scare tactics, has slowed down trade but hasn't produced the perceived terrorists because they weren't there in the first place.

For those who might remember ABC's "Homeland Security," that program had the intensity and mindlessness of the documentary, but also showed the lighter side of what happens at border crossings. Watching the Discovery Channel documentary made me appreciate the TV show. The TV show had issues, but had a better tone, not saying much.

2013 Oscars notebook: Thank you, Canada

"Thank you, Canada."

Canada certainly had its share of thanks at the 2013 Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night.

Ben Affleck thanked Canada in accepting the Oscar for Best Picture for "Argo." Chris Terrio for Best Adapted Screenplay for "Argo" thanked Canada and Ken Taylor. Ang Lee thanked Canada via Yann Martel and the Canadian crew in accepting the Oscar for Best Director for "Life of Pi."

"I want to dedicate this to him (Tony Mendez) and the (Ken) Taylors and the (John) Sheardowns and the people all over the world in the U.S. and Canada and Iran that use creativity and intelligence to solve problems non violently," said Terrio.

John Sheardown was the First Secretary at the Canadian embassy. Argo makes no mention of Sheardown and his efforts. Sheardown took the first call from the American diplomats and agreed to take in the Americans.

Mychael Danna gave a thoughtful and beautiful speech after he won for Original Score for "Life of Pi."

Christopher Plummer brought grace to the stage, despite a ill-conceived Sound of Music joke, to introduce and give away the Best Supporting Actress award. Plummer won the Best Supporting Actor last year for "Beginners."

William Shatner made a cameo as James T. Kirk to tell host Seth MacFarlane how bad the Oscars were. The comedy sketch set up moments that would have wrecked MacFarlane's stint. MacFarlane's nerdish tendencies, especially in pop culture terms, must have been salivating with the Star Trek reference.

Shatner did a good job; why not make him a future Oscars host? Shatner hosted the Junos in 2012 and the Genies in 2011, so he does have award ceremony hosting experience. And older academy people have heard of him, unlike MacFarlane.

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Canada nominees for Best Foreign Language Film
Film	Year**
War Witch	2012
Monsieur Lazhar	2011
Incendies	2010
Water	2006
Barbarian Invasions*	2003
Jesus of Montréal	1989
The Decline of the American Empire	1986
* Oscar winner **Year of the film, not the ceremony.

"Rebelle" or "War Witch" lost out to "Amour" for Best Foreign Language Film. "Amour" had the momentum on its side, also being nominated for Best Picture. "Rebelle" wasn't the easy film to watch, but was quite good.

Canada has had an incredible 3-year streak of making the top 5 cut for Best Foreign Language Film, with "Rebelle," "Monsieur Lazhar," and "Incendies."

"Barbarian Invasions" remains the only Canadian film to have won this award.

"Rebelle" was also nominated for Best International Film at the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards, but lost out to "Amour" for that award as well.

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There were 5 nominees for live action short with Canadian connections. Yet "Curfew" beat out "Buzkashi Boys" (Ariel Nasr) and "Henry" (Yan England). "Mirror Mirror" was shot in Montréal; Eiko Ishioka, who died in January 2012, lost for costume design.

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"Life of Pi" won 3 Oscars overall, including best cinematography and visual effects. David Magee was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for the Yann Martel book, but lost to Argo's Terrio.

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Daniel Radcliffe and Ellen Page introduced the nominees for Best International Film at the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards. Radcliffe and Page were very appropriate people to introduce an international film segment since Radcliffe is British and Page is Canadian.

Long-time readers might remember two years ago when the IFC ceremony tried to pass off Sandra Oh as an American in introducing the Best Foreign Film.

They didn't call out Page as a Canadian, but at least they didn't make her into an American.

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Previous coverage:

Will 'War Witch' and 'Life of Pi' bring Canada Oscars in 2013?

Canadian films should tell more stories about Canada

Likelihood of seeing the Canadian film class of 2012

Reviewing the WIFF 2012 Canadian films

photo credit: Oscars/ABC

Chicago Tribune editorial sings praises of Canada

Okay, so this is a little bit weird. The Chicago Tribune, in the city where I live, praises Canada in an editorial.

And the press in Canada is loving it.

The impetus of the editorial stems from the hiring of Marc Trestman from the Montreal Alouettes. Some Chicago Bears fans may have discovered that there is a CFL. Marv Levy, who is from Chicago, followed a similar path from the CFL to the NFL.

And it doesn't hurt that in terms of the NHL team "half the team hails from Canada." If you break down the numbers purely by where they were born, the praise is true. Captain Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Brent Searbrook are the most prominent Canadians on the roster. Coach Joel Quenneville, mentioned in the editorial, is from Windsor, just across the border from its biggest rival, Detroit.

The editorial praises Canada's economic situation, stable banks, stable housing market, better health care, source of oil. The editorial desperately wants the Keystone XL pipeline to be approved. The editorial should have pointed out that Canada is already the United States #1 source for oil.

The editorial writers also praise Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper "we know many Americans have never heard of him" for his quest to open up new markets for trade.

Chicago and Illinois already trade quite heavily with Canada, as I can vouch for in dealings with the Canada-U.S. Business Council (formerly the Canadian Club of Chicago), something not mentioned in the editorial.

The take on poutine is rather amusing.

This homely dish, a tradition in Quebec, has become a popular menu item at some of Chicago's trendiest eateries. Take a mess of french fries, sprinkle on cheese curds then ladle brown gravy all over it. Embellishments range from foie gras to kimchi. Reactions range from "Yuck" to "Yum."

Poutine commands attention, like so many imports from the land of moose and maples.

The editorial could have mentioned the sold-out upcoming Poutine Fest in Chicago, but did not.

The key to the editorial is the perception of Canada. The country is vast and complicated, like any other country. Some stereotypes are thrown in, some good and some bad. But some careful research was done that has been overlooked elsewhere in the States (banks and housing markets leap to mind).

Cities closer to Canada see and feel more about the relationship between the two countries. And Chicago can easily access points to Canada, east and west, via multiple forms of transportation.

Let's leave this with the finishing touches from the editorial, and some more love from Canada, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.

Land of the north, Chicago is calling to you. Calling your sesame bagels, smoked meat and Tim Hortons double-doubles. Calling your low rates of gun crime, and universal health care. Calling your oil, especially your oil. We hope some of that Canadian good fortune rubs off on our city.

Starlight is key to opening up eyes to Canadian film

A cable film channel devoted to quirky, independent Canadian films? That would be worth calling my cable or satellite provider to sign up.

In fact, Starlight: The Canadian Movie Channel is one of the channels that the CRTC will consider this spring to be listed in a required carry category, ensuring a chance at great success in Canadian homes.

The channel will show Canadian films in English, French, and other languages on its schedule. The plan is to take about half of the $40 million raised (assuming the channel has required status) and produce 8-12 Canadian films per year, films that would get to debut on the Canadian film channel before appearing in theatres.

Some notable names have lent their names and financial support for the channel: Denys Arcand, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Guy Maddin, Deepa Mehta, Paul Gross, and Denis Villeneuve.

The channel has a sample schedule to give us an idea, including documenaries, of what we might see in the near future.

Even if the channel enjoys success, will this be more opportunity for well-established Canadian directors or will Starlight help talented but unknown Canadian directors get more recognition? Ideally both.

Canadians haven't flocked to theatres to see Canadian films. Then again, theatres aren't rushing to show Canadian films. According to the Motion Picture Theatre Associations of Canada, Canadian movies pulled in less than 3% ($25 million) of the $1.1 billion in movie revenue in 2012. And cable channels, such as Super Channel and HBO Canada, rely on dramatic series to fill CanCon requirements instead of home grown films.

Ironically, Starlight is prepared to offer protection and support grossly missing from the United States' two leading indie movie channels. IFC and the Sundance Channel, both under the same corporate roof, no longer air films without commercial interruptions. U.S. viewers could also use a channel for quirky, independent, uncut films, even if they are Canadian.

Major European countries use broadcast to support its domestic film industry. Much smaller countries than Canada has better success at home and for international audience. And French Canada has had far more success than English Canada.

If Starlight is added, the cost to subscriber bills 45¢/month, or less than $6/year. The CRTC hearing for Starlight and the other channels will be April 23 in Gatineau, Quebec.