Canadian Crossing

Canadian film notebook: Not always 100% Canadian content

Two recent Canadian films to come through my part of the United States illustrate the extremes in determining Canadian content in a film.

"Eddie the Sleepwalking Cannibal" is a Canada-Denmark production, but the film feels very Canadian. The only obvious Denmark element stems from the lead actor, who is an outsider in the plot of an artist who comes to a remote Canadian town to teach art.

The Danish artist is put in charge of Eddie, who is a bit slow. His "hobby" is that he goes out in his underwear in the middle of the night and eats people.

The pace and humour feels Canadian. The Danish element fits in well with the necessary outsider, aided by the fact that remote and cold play well in both countries.

"Slaughter Nick for President" is a documentary about a Canadian actor Rob Stewart but the film is mostly about his experience in Serbia. If you miss the first 10 minutes of the film, you'll miss Canada entirely. About half of the film's time in Canada is spent at Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

Stewart starred as Nick Slaughter in "Tropical Heat" (aka Sweating Bullets) from 1991-1993. The show was one of several Canadian productions that aired on CBS late night throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Ironically, the show was produced with the cooperation of Mexico and Israel, so in no way was the program 100% Canadian (especially with the tropics involved).

Stewart finds out accidentally that his character and the show were popular in Serbia in the 1990s. So Stewart gets a filmmaker friend, the friend's sister, and the three of them go to Serbia.

So the film is a Canadian film even if the focus and location is not about Canada.

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"Stories We Tell" is currently playing in a limited release in U.S. markets (yes, this includes Chicago). Sarah Polley's latest film is self-reflective, well, her family reflective of discovering that the man Polley thought was her father isn't her biological father.

As regular readers know, I saw "Stories We Tell" in November in Windsor and saw the film last night in Chicago.

The peeling of the onion that naturally falls from the initial questioning would be incredible if an outside filmmaker had made this film. The fact that Polley is the epicenter of this story and approaches it from within the onion is brave, bold, and imaginative.

My only criticism of the film, and I felt this in my original review, is that the film doesn't know how to end. Then again, the story from the film is still ongoing.

This film, while likely limited to major cities, got a better U.S. deal that what happened to "Take This Waltz." Hopefully, any good results from this film will guide more people to see what an amazing filmmaker Polley is.

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.

Regina, Saskatchewan used as target in latest Avengers comic book

Saskatchewan doesn't get a lot of the love usually dished out to Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. So those that live in Regina would have been excited that their city was featured in the Avengers comic book.

Well, some probably aren't thrilled that the Queen City suffers extensive damage following the impact of a "evolution bomb."

Destroyed buildings and mutating people isn't quite the image Regina was hoping for, but the comic book writers could have picked another non-Canadian city for its target.

Marvel Comics released a statement pointing out that "In the city of Regina, we got to further flesh out the incredible Canadian landscape into the Marvel universe and expose our readers to a hidden gem from our northern neighbours."

Regina isn't the only Canada element that suffers in the story. An all-Canadian superhero team called Omega Flight can't stop what is going on. Of course, this leads to the appearance of the Avengers.

In the comic book realm, this is pretty cool. Regina, considered the Jewel of the Prairies, gets some well-deserved publicity. The publicity might help drive people to see what Regina looks like, minus any bombs.

photo credit: Marvel Comics

Canada sports notebook: Bad timing for Tim Tebow to the CFL

Tim Tebow is now looking for work, but his timing is bad if he wants a career in the CFL.

The Montréal Alouettes have their QBs ready for camp that is not far away. Quentin Porter looks to be the backup for Anthony Calvillo.

The Alouettes own Tebow's rights. Montréal GM Jim Popp says Tebow could be a backup QB for his team.

Previous coverage:

If Tim Tebow wants to play QB, he should try the CFL

Tim Tebow made the right choice choosing the NFL over the CFL

Tebow might not have to adapt for long if he did make the move north. When Tebow came out of Florida, we pointed out that the CFL would be a great destination for his talents. When it seemed like Tebow would have success in the NFL, we admitted that as well.

Going for the money made sense, but if this is Tim Tebow being a long-term quarterback, the CFL is his best option. Think about Doug Flutie, who went to the NFL before he became a CFL legend.

If Tebow makes the trip up north and goes to the Alouettes camp, he could get enough exposure to get his rights traded to another CFL team. That won't happen until CFL executives see Tebow playing Canadian football.

Tebow has a better sense of the world more than other pro athletes in his position, so adapting to Canada wouldn't be that significant.

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NBC Sports Network did go to Montréal on Saturday, but not with hockey in mind.

The Montréal Impact had a home date with the Chicago Fire at Stade Saputo on Saturday on the NBC Sports Network.

Play-by-play announcer Arlo White had many nice things to say about the stadium and the city. White, being English, pronounced it "Stad" instead of the French "Sta-de." Stade is French from stadium.

While I have seen a few Impact games, this was my first look at Stade Saputo. You can see Olympic Stadium nearby in the background. From another angle, you can see downtown Montréal in the distance.

Stade Saputo is right near Olympic Stadium; I must have literally just missed it on my trip to Montréal last spring.

The Impact, off to a good start in its second MLS season, posted a 2-0 shutout. The second goal came after Chicago got a questionable red card, think permanent power play.

Vachon take on Hostess snack cakes hits U.S. shelves

I can only vouch for one Meijer's location in Michigan City, IN, but I have seen Vachon versions of Hostess classics such as Twinkies, Cup Cakes, and Ding Dongs. And they are comparable to the old Canadian versions of the timeless treats thanks to the fact that they are made from sugar and not glucose-fructose (high-fructose corn syrup).

The U.S. version of the Jos. Louis snack cakes were missing, but my sadness from the loss was outweighed by the joy of seeing these products on the shelves.

The Canadian version of the Twinkies and Cup Cakes we grew to love importing from Canada may never be found again, but these knockoffs are pretty close.

The U.S. market has been looking for a replacement for those iconic Hostess classics available only in Canada, not in the United States. And these are better than the Hostess products currently available in Canada.

For more coverage on these snack cakes, check out this column from out sister blog, BalanceofFood.com.

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.

Winter Classic to get watered down; new Heritage Classic one of 6 NHL games

We were afraid of a second outdoor NHL game taking some of the splendor off of the Winter Classic. But 6 freakin' games?

That's right; the joy of the only outdoor game of the season — the Winter Classic — will now be split 6 different ways, including 3 games in a 5-day period.

The lone consolation is that Canada gets tossed a bone, allowing Ottawa and Vancouver to play a Heritage Classic game March 2 at B.C. Place. That game will be the 6th and final outdoor game of the season, and second of that weekend (Pittsburgh and Chicago at Soldier Field on March 1). Both of those game will happen after the splendor of the 2014 Olympics.

The 2014 Winter Classic with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings at Ann Arbor on New Year's Day will go on as scheduled. But after waiting 2 years for an outdoor game, you'll only have to wait 24 days for another outdoor game.

Dodger Stadium will host Anaheim and Los Angeles on January 25. To tie into the Super Bowl, the New York Rangers will get to play 2 outdoor games in 4 days: New Jersey Devils on January 26 and the Islanders on January 29.

Watered down also applies to the Dodger Stadium scenario; ice in Southern California in January — that will be something. New York deserves an outdoor game, but not 2 in 4 days. And Pittsburgh and Chicago serves no major purpose in that both teams have already played outdoors.

NBC and CBC will carry the Winter Classic. CBC will also carry the Heritage Classic. As for TV for the rest of the games, NBC and CBC would need different crews to cover the LA/NY weekend. That assumes the CBC would break out their own crews away from its own Hockey Night in Canada coverage.

TSN might carry the LA/NY games. NBC Sports Network would likely handle the other games, though they would need two crews twice, unless the network carried the CBC feed of the Heritage Classic (something they refused to do in Calgary).

These deals are subject to contracts being signed, but that hasn't stopped Gary Bettman. In fact, this deal look like a hybrid of Bettman and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig (that is frightening) in terms of greed and cluelessness.

The Heritage Classic might have some luster in that it's the first of the year. By the time you get to March 2 (6 games in less than 65 days), you might even get tired of outdoor games, even if that game is the first all-Canadian outdoor game since the Heritage Classic in Calgary in 2011.

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.

Montreal has more than a supporting role in '42'

For those who suffered through the well-intentioned "The Jackie Robinson Story" from 1950 where Jackie Robinson plays himself, the idea of a modern adaptation of this story hitting the big screen in 2013 brings excitement. But will this modern version tell the story of Jackie Robinson and his crucial time in Montréal?

We've seen still shots of Robinson wearing a Montréal Royals uniform from his time in 1946, so that is an encouraging sign.

Today is Jackie Robinson Day, the anniversary of Robinson's 1947 debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. But the film should give Montréal and the Royals its due. After all, Montréal proved to be a vital buffer as Robinson started his pro career.

The Robinson family appreciated how warm and inviting Montréal was for them. The way Montréal treated them is truly part of why Robinson was able to succeed at the Major League level. If Robinson had to go to Atlanta or another Southerm city for minor-league ball, this story could have had some awkward turns.

As a Royal, Robinson helped lead his team to winning the Little World Series. Ken Burns' documentary "Baseball" recounted the story of excited fans chasing Robinson to the train when he left Montréal.

"… the narrator quotes Sam Maltin, a stringer for the Pittsburgh Courier: 'It was probably the only day in history that a black man ran from a white mob with love instead of lynching on its mind.'"

While telling all of Robinson's story is really important, reminding people of the Montréal legacy is also crucial because the story brings the perception of Montréal as a baseball city closer to reality.

Previous coverage:

Jackie Robinson's Montréal apartment honored by Canada and United States

Like most expansion cities, Montréal had its start as a minor-league franchise, a farm team with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The team existed from 1897–1917 and from 1928–1960.

Legendary managers Sparky Anderson, Gene Mauch, and Tommy Lasorda all played there. Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente also started out in Montréal. Any Brooklyn star of the 1940s and 1950s came through Montréal; Duke Snider was a player and later a broadcaster of Les Expos.

If you travel to Montréal, you can see the Jules Lasalle statue of Jackie Robinson outside Olympic Stadium.

photo credit: "42"/Warner Brothers

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.