Canadian Crossing

NHL the week in preview October 19, 2018

Editor's note: The schedule has changed where Rogers Sportsnet will carry the Hometown Hockey game.

NBCSN has another first with carrying a complete game involving 2 Canadian teams in an indoor game. The U.S. channel will travel to Winnipeg for only the second time ever in the regular season as the Jets host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The game is also Wednesday Night Hockey for Rogers Sportsnet One.

The NHL Network showcases the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada with the St. Louis Blues north of the border with the CBC feed. The channel also follows the Blues to Winnipeg Monday night.

CBC has the Maple Leafs early on Saturday with Edmonton hosting P.K. Subban and the yellow-covered Predators in the late game.

City TV carries a rare doubleheader starting with the Habs in the nation's capital. The channels will draw Vancouver hosting Boston in the nightcap.

Rogers Sportsnet jumps back in to carry the 100th episode of Hometown Hockey from London, ON as Calgary goes to the Big Apple.

Besides Wednesday Night Hockey, Rogers Sportsnet One helps out Edmonton with a pair of home games against Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Washington on Thursday.

Rogers Sportsnet 360 helps out with Calgary hosting Nashville on Friday and Vancouver landing in the bright lights of the desert late on Wednesday.

NBCSN

Wednesday
Toronto @ Winnipeg, 7p

NHL Network

Saturday
St. Louis @ Toronto, 7p
Monday
St. Louis @ Winnipeg, 8p

Tape delayed
Friday Boston @ Edmonton, 1p
Vancouver @ Winnipeg, 2p
Pittsburgh @ Toronto, 3p
Sunday Montréal @ Ottawa, 1p
Monday Calgary @ NY Rangers, 1p
Tuesday Washington @ Vancouver, 1p
St. Louis @ Winnipeg, 2p (2-hour)
Wednesday Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 3p
Thursday Toronto @ Winnipeg, 2p (2-hour)

ESPN+

Saturday
Nashville @ Edmonton, 10p
Sunday
Calgary @ NY Rangers, 7p
Tuesday
Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 9p
Wednesday
Vancouver @ Las Vegas, 10p
Thursday
Washington @ Edmonton, 9p

CBC

Saturday
St. Louis @ Toronto, 7p
Nashville @ Edmonton, 10p

City

Saturday
Montréal @ Ottawa, 7p
Boston @ Vancouver, 10p

Rogers Sportsnet

Sunday
Calgary @ NY Rangers, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Tuesday
Pittsburgh @ Edmonton, 9p
Wednesday
Toronto @ Winnipeg, 7p
Thursday
Washington @ Edmonton, 9p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Friday
Nashville @ Calgary, 9p
Wednesday
Vancouver @ Las Vegas, 10p

"We're north of the 49th in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies as we welcome you to Calgary."

Chris Cuthbert used that intro to welcome the NBCSN audience to a place where the network has never been in the regular season: the Scotiabank Saddledome. This was only the second time NBCSN had been in Calgary in the regular season and the first since the 2011 Heritage Classic on February 20.

NBCSN did get the national audience out to Calgary without missing a beat. The U.S. TV deal forced a delay in the Calgary start since there is only a single outlet.

Cuthbert worked with Pierre McGuire, who draws the late game when NBCSN has a doubleheader this season. McGuire didn't yell in a rude fashion at the Canadian team, unlike last season with Edmonton. When McGuire doesn't yell, NBCSN sets his voice so low, you can't always follow what he is saying.

Cuthbert mentioned the Calgary Stampede just before the start of the 2nd period.

The NBCSN studio crew continues to do a crappy job. The Flames had 3 goals in the 1st period but the analysis was centered around Boston's top line without acknowledging Calgary's offensive firepower.

Gord Miller did his part for NBCSN this week in St. Paul with McGuire on Tuesday and in Dallas tonight with the Inside-the-Glass debut of AJ Mleczko.

NBCSN will send its #1 doubleheader crew to Winnipeg on Wednesday: Doc Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Brian Boucher. Emrick might have called a Winnipeg Jets game on Fox in the mid-1990s or more likely with ESPN in the late 1980s. Olczyk has history in Winnipeg as a member of the Jets 1.0. Boucher will be massively confused since his motivation is to root against the Canadian team. Watch for Boucher to be biased toward the Maple Leafs.

We usually ignore the NBCSN pregame for very good reasons. This year, NBCSN is experimenting with an on-the-road pregame show and will be in Winnipeg Wednesday night. NBCSN rarely shows the anthems in games but maybe the channel can make an exception for O Canada at Bell MTS Place.

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Bryan Mudryk is the new TV voice on Habs games on TSN2 but that won't stop Mudryk from filling in on Senators telecasts on TSN5. Chris Cuthbert and Gord Miller had Saturday CFL games so Mudryk handled the Senators home game on Saturday.

CKVU Channel 10, the City station in Vancouver, carried the Vancouver game Saturday night along with Rogers Sportsnet One. We aren't sure how the station also carried the Montréal game, assigned to City coast-to-coast. Hopefully, Vancouver NHL fans got a choice.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

In the second week of the season, the CBC promos were presented in a highly haphazard fashion, falling a promo short of the 6 required promos. We got 1 promo in the 1st period and 0 promos in the 3rd period.

They ran a CBC promo for Anne with an E just before the start of the 2nd period, an ineffective time since viewers are often away from their sets, some tuning out Don Cherry in Coach's Corner. We didn't get the late game to compare notes so the NHL Network might have covered a promo but not likely.

Mystery Mondays promotes the 2 Monday shows Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries.

Early game: The Fifth Estate (1st); Anne with an E; Mystery Mondays; Dragons' Den; Still Standing (2nd); no promos (3rd)

photo credit: NBCSN

2018 CFL Week 19 preview

Friday Night Football has a rare doubleheader. The first game features the first of 2 straight with the top teams in the East with Ottawa as the initial host. Edmonton travels to Vancouver in the nightcap in the ongoing battle for playoff positioning.

A rare Montréal-Toronto matchup with absolutely no playoff implications starts off the Saturday doubleheader. The Roughriders go to Calgary for an early evening start in southern Alberta.

Winnipeg gets a refresher in the bye week.

TSN

Friday
Hamilton @ Ottawa, 7p
Edmonton @ BC, 10p
Saturday
Montréal @ Toronto, 4p
Saskatchewan @ Calgary, 7p

Bye week: Winnipeg

The Hamilton-Toronto and Saskatchewan-Winnipeg rivalries got an extra game this season. The Tiger-Cats stepped up to sweep their rivals. The Roughriders never could get going suffering a rare CFL shutout.

Saskatchewan will have to wait to clinch that home playoff game. The Roughriders watched as each of the West bubble teams were victorious last week.

The BC Lions were hungry enough for that playoff spot, handing Calgary its first home loss of the season. The Stampeders will help decide the West playoff spots with a home date with Saskatchewan and road trips to Winnipeg and Vancouver.

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Luke Tasker's first 3 catches went for touchdowns for Hamilton in Toronto. Tasker ended up with 4 catches on the night and those 3 TDs.

James Franklin had a decent game as the starter for Toronto. The Argonauts are the first Grey Cup champs to miss the playoffs the next season since Edmonton in 2005 and 10th champion to miss the playoffs in the following season since 1958.

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Tyrell Sutton showed why the games late in the season belong to the running backs. The BC Lions benefited from Sutton's first game in orange and black after being acquired from Montréal. The Alouettes traded a few players to contenders in the last few weeks, including fullback extraordinaire Patrick Lavoie to Saskatchewan.

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Premium receivers have been dropping off healthy status on CFL rosters. I had mentioned Bakari Grant, a 1000-yard receiver from last season released by Saskatchewan, for weeks. Calgary signed Grant this week to the practice roster. Grant played for the Stampeders in 2016 and 2011-2015 with Hamilton, another team in desperate need for big-time receivers. If the Tiger-Cats had Duron Carter and Bakari Grant, Hamilton might have been able to book that trip to the Grey Cup. 

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Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, and Edmonton have 2 games left while Calgary and BC have 3 games remaining. Winnipeg draws the first of these byes followed by Edmonton and finally Saskatchewan. Despite the Roughriders huge loss, Saskatchewan holds the tiebreaker with Winnipeg. The Blue Bombers have the tiebreaker with the BC Lions. The Edmonton and BC winner will get that tiebreaker.

Ottawa and Hamilton are focused on each other for the next 2 games while Toronto and Montréal battle for the #1 draft pick. If the top teams split in the next 2 weeks, Ottawa has 2 advantages. The RedBlacks would own the tiebreaker with Hamilton and Ottawa hosts Toronto, the only CFL team still winless on the road.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Those hoping for Gord Miller to work with Matt Dunigan were disappointed Saturday. Once again, Miller was matched with Glen Suitor while Chris Cuthbert and Matt Dunigan were reunited in Edmonton. Rod Black and Duane Forde rarely get to call BC or Calgary and had a long flight from Toronto-Calgary for back-to-back nights.

Opening Day for legal recreational marijuana in Canada

Canadians can now add marijuana to their legal shopping lists as of today. October 17 marks the opening day of being able to legally buy marijuana in Canada.

Recent news stories indicate that supplies may not keep up with demand in the first year, and that is without edibles being legal. You might have heard about the possibility of drinkables but those won't be allowed right away either.

Canadians will be allowed to carry up to 30 grams on domestic flights only, as noted in the video (above). On rare occasions, Canadian domestic flights are diverted to the United States.

Bloomberg ran an update last month on where you can purchase recreational marijuana in provinces and territories. CBC News has a guide to how you can access marijuana in the provinces and territories.

As a reminder, people in Canada can possess up to 30 grams. An ounce is 28 grams. The video (above) gives you an idea of what 30 grams looks like. The minimum age is 19 except for Quebec and Alberta, where the age is 18.

October 17 also marks the start of monitoring border crossings. Seeds were planted in Politico about banning Canadians who work in the marijuana industry and/or people who invest in pot companies.

If you are a Canadian with a credit card and that data is stored in the United States, the border patrol could monitor credit card history to see whether you have bought marijuana.

Some of this samples could be real or paranoia; some new ones can easily come along. The rules won't be clear until you find yourself crossing into the United States and they may be randomly observed.

You can get waivers for a lifetime ban but they are costly in terms of money and time and involve a lot of hassle. We wish our Canadian friends a lot of luck in border crossings over the next few weeks.

Marijuana tourists to Ontario will have to wait awhile

Our guide to legal marijuana in Canada

One adjustment for our friends in Ontario: You will be able to smoke pot in areas where tobacco smoking is allowed. Premier Doug Ford contradicted his own policy by saying you couldn't smoke in playgrounds because of children but could smoke in parks, even though children might be in parks. You still won't be able to buy marijuana in a store until at least April 2019. If you are an American pursuing marijuana tourism, you have better options than Ontario.

One adjustment for our friends in Quebec: Premier-designate François Legault campaigned on a promise to increase the legal age for marijuana to 21 if the CAQ came to power. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is concerned about the potential increase in the minimum age leading to an increase in the black market. Those in Quebec between 18-20 and visitors to La Belle Province will likely have a limited window to indulge legally.

Canada passes marijuana legalization legislation

4 of the 9 states with legal recreational marijuana border Canada: Alaska (Yukon); Maine (New Brunswick, Quebec); Vermont (Quebec); and Washington (British Columbia). We will know on November 6 as to whether Michigan (Ontario) and North Dakota (Manitoba) will be on that list.

The states will vote on Election Day whether to have legal recreational marijuana.

Legal recreational marijuana in Canada is an experiment in progress. Respect the process as this unfolds. As Sergeant Phil Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) would say on Hill Street Blues, "let's be careful out there."

video credit: CBC News
photo credit: me

2018 Toronto Raptors NBA preview

No Dwane Casey. No DeMar DeRozan. No Air Canada Centre. And no LeBron James in the Eastern Conference.

The 2018-2019 Toronto Raptors still have Kyle Lowry along with the new guy, Kawhi Leonard. As you may have heard all summer, Leonard is a free agent at the end of the season.

Last year's Raptors squad set team marks for best record in the regular season. Another 2nd round finish, especially with a sweep, was a sad sight. Changes were made.

The Raptors open the season at home tomorrow night. Toronto has opened at home in 9 of the last 10 seasons. Cleveland will be the opponent, a team still learning to play without the king.

DeMar DeRozan makes his return to Toronto on February 22 with the San Antonio Spurs in Canada. LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers are in Toronto on March 14. Casey moved onto Detroit and will return with the Pistons on November 14.

The Raptors have 27 U.S. TV games this season, more than twice as many from 12 last season. The breakdown is 12 on NBA TV, 8 on ESPN, and 7 on TNT.

2018 NBA Toronto Raptors preseason schedule

Toronto stories from a resilient city

Toronto Raptors went gentle into that good night versus Cleveland in 2018 NBA playoffs

CanadianCrossing.com NBA coverage

Nick Nurse had been a Dwane Casey assistant since 2013 and was in charge of the offence. Nurse's time with the Raptors is his only NBA exposure. Nurse was hired as the Raptors coach to replace Casey in the off-season.

Jeremy Castleberry is one of the new assistants under Nurse. Castleberry worked with Leonard while with the Spurs. They also played together in high school and at San Diego State. Leonard only played 9 games last season. The Raptors want to make things as smooth as can be in Toronto.

photo credit: Toronto Raptors/NBA

Video review: Love and Human Remains

As we noted in our Stardom review, Denys Arcand directed 2 English-language films in between Jesus of Montréal and The Barbarian Invasions, Love and Human Remains was the first of those films.

Thomas Gibson, who also was in Stardom, plays David, a famous child actor who returns to Edmonton. The audience gathers things are bad when he says he makes more money as a waiter.

David, who is gay, and Candy (Ruth Marshall), David's heterosexual female roommate, are looking for love while a serial killer strikes their hometown of Edmonton. Candy debates about switching teams with Jerri (Joanne Vannicola) while David gets a much younger admirer Kane (Matthew Ferguson).

This film marked the cinematic debut of Mia Kirshner, who plays a dominatrix even though the actress was just 18. Her character Benita seems of a counsellor in the context of sex who seems wise beyond her years.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

There are a few Edmonton references thrown into the film, including Rose Bowl Pizza, gay bar Flashbacks, and the city's CFL team on TV within the film.

David acted on The Beavertons on the CBC. That should be a real show instead of a funny joke.

The love/sex/need for affection angles are much more enriching to the audience than the serial killer subplot. The subplot doesn't really add anything to the plot throughout most of the film. The reveal of the murderer is the element you will least likely remember a week after watching the film.

Video review: Stardom

Those looking for a typical Denys Arcand experience will struggle with the idea since Arcand didn't write this film: Brad Fraser wrote the screenplay based off his stage play Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love. No disrespect to Fraser, but films where Arcand writes and directs have more of his signatures within the film.

Still the characters are interesting and well-written. Arcand does well with the material at hand. For those fans of Arcand's French-Canadian work, seeing Stardom as well as Love and Human Remains adds missing chapters in a more thorough fashion than say Denis Villeneuve's recent English language titles.

video credit: YouTube/Films du Québec
photo credit: Love and Human Remains

NHL the week in preview October 12, 2018

NBCSN will need directions to the Scotiabank Saddledome since the U.S. channel has never been to downtown Calgary. NBCSN will carry the Flames game against Boston Wednesday night. The game runs in Canada on Rogers Sportsnet 360.

The NHL Network picks up its first CBC simulcast of the season with the Maple Leafs in the U.S. capital. The U.S. channel will also carry Hometown Hockey with Winnipeg hosting Carolina.

CBC starts Saturday with the Maple Leafs at Washington. Calgary goes to the Mile High City in the nightcap.

City TV once again has Pittsburgh and Montréal but this time from La Belle Province.

Rogers Sportsnet One takes the lion's share from Rogers Sportsnet with the MLB playoffs. The channel follows the Canucks to Roberto Luongo's current team for Hockey Night in Canada. Hometown Hockey with the Jets is set at Parry Sound, ON. Rogers Sportsnet One helps out during the week with Vancouver going east to Pittsburgh on Tuesday; Wednesday Night Hockey has the Blues in Montréal; and the Edmonton Oilers hosting Boston on Thursday.

NBCSN

Wednesday
Boston @ Calgary, 9:30p

NHL Network

Saturday
Toronto @ Washington, 7p
Sunday
Carolina @ Winnipeg, 7p

Tape delayed
Friday Winnipeg @ Nashville, 2p
Tuesday Los Angeles @ Toronto, 1a (2-hour), 3p
Wednesday Edmonton @ Winnipeg, 1p
Vancouver @ Pittsburgh, 2p
Thursday Boston @ Calgary, 1p

ESPN+

Saturday
Edmonton @ NY Rangers, 1p
Monday
Los Angeles @ Toronto, 7:30p
Thursday
Pittsburgh @ Toronto, 7p

CBC

Saturday
Toronto @ Washington, 7p
Calgary @ Colorado, 10p

City

Saturday
Pittsburgh @ Montréal, 7p

Rogers Sportsnet One

Saturday
Vancouver @ Florida, 7p
Sunday
Carolina @ Winnipeg, 7p
Tuesday
Vancouver @ Pittsburgh, 7p
Wednesday
St. Louis @ Montréal, 7p
Thursday
Boston @ Edmonton, 9p

Rogers Sportsnet 360

Wednesday
Boston @ Calgary, 9:30p

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Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane made the initial Hometown Hockey game rather exciting. Sadly, I was blacked out from the national telecast but got to watch the game with the local feed.

You can mark March 13 for the return date, a national telecast in both countries with no local feeds.

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When people ask me what I want when Canadian teams play each other, I say I want a 3-point game and no injuries. Calgary defenseman Travis Hamonic is out week-to-week with a broken jaw after being the underdog in a fight with Vancouver's Erik Gudbranson. Hamonic was defending Calgary newcomer Dillon Dube after being hit by Gudbranson.

Brian Burke said Calgary should have had someone in the lineup for those moments. Turns out there was no fight in Calgary on Saturday. I know all the hockey rationale but I don't have to like it.

Burke has a segment called To the Point that ran in the first intermission of the late game. Since the late game won't be available to most Americans most weeks, hopefully those will be available on online video. If something ever happens to Don Cherry, Burke is my first and only pick to replace him.

CanadianCrossing.com NHL coverage

The NHL Network went with the less than exciting MSG+ feed for the Oilers game from Gothenburg, Sweden. Sportsnet had a national feed and a surprise visit by Drew Remenda.

ESPN+ may be taking home feeds short of a national telecast, but the patterns haven't been established. We peeked in on the Thanksgiving Monday Ottawa Senators game with the dreaded NESN feed.

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Fretting over the highly limited NHL Center Ice free preview might feel like something from the dinosaur age. NHL.TV gives you a better product for the games with more versatility. I do enjoy the Canadian commercials.

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The CBC promos are back. Each game is supposed to have 6 promos, usually 2 per period. Anne with an E is now the title of the CBC version, matching the Netflix version. Mystery Mondays promotes the 2 Monday shows Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries. The Dragons' Den promo was for a special episode. The CBC promos also include an invitation to stream the shows.

Early game: Anne with an E; Mystery Mondays (1st); Still Standing; The Great Canadian Baking Show (2nd); Dragons' Den; The Detectives (3rd)

Late game: Anne with an E; Mystery Mondays (1st); Still Standing (2nd); The Great Canadian Baking Show; Dragons' Den; The Detectives (3rd)

2018 CFL Week 18 preview

The Battle of southern Ontario is featured on Friday Night Football. The Tiger-Cats took the first 2 contests with the Labour Day Classic and the revenge game.

Speaking of revenge, the Saturday tripleheader starts with the prairie teams. The Roughriders go for the season sweep over their top rival in the Manitoba capital. The RedBlacks travel to Edmonton in the middle game. Calgary welcomes the BC Lions in the nightcap.

The Montréal Alouettes get a welcome break.

TSN

Friday
Hamilton @ Toronto, 7:30p
Saturday
Saskatchewan @ Winnipeg, 2p
Ottawa @ Edmonton, 5p
BC @ Calgary, 8p

Bye week: Montréal

Ottawa won't get any points as a result of that 15-point comeback to force the 2nd overtime CFL game this season. The RedBlacks might get a moral victory for that effort. The fake FG attempt near the end of the first half likely cost the RedBlacks 3 points and gave 3 more points to Winnipeg.

Lewis Ward is the new recordholder for most consecutive field goals in CFL history. Ward now has 40 FG in a row, surpassing the 39 mark held by Calgary's Rene Paredes. The mark is especially significant since Ward is a rookie.

The game in the nation's capital also featured the league's best running backs. In the head-to-head matchup, Andrew Harris (Winnipeg) has 132 yards on 20 carries and William Powell (Ottawa) had 95 yards on 14 carries.

Powell has 3 more yards than Harris: 1236 to 1233. Powell has 10 more carries at 222 to 212.

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James Franklin engineered 13 late points for the Argonauts. McLeod Bethel-Thompson had 4 interceptions before being replaced. Duron Carter finally caught a TD pass. Tiger-Cats fans are still wishing Carter had signed with Hamilton. Carter might wish that too.

Must be hard for Argos fans to see Shawn Lemon and DeVier Posey in orange and black. The Argos loss eliminated the defending Grey Cup champs from playoff contention.

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The turkey isn't why you fall asleep on Thanksgiving Monday. Neither game had a first-half touchdown. Calgary had the early game's only major. Saskatchewan's Willie Jefferson scored the only TD in the nightcap with a defensive Pick 6 with under 2 minutes left in the game.

Bo Levi Mitchell seemingly has won everywhere but the Thanksgiving Monday game was his first win in Montréal. The Stampeders hadn't won in La Belle Province since 2013

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

The crossover is official. We've known this for weeks unofficially. This will be the 3rd straight season where the CFL has had a crossover playoff team and the 14th season where there has been a crossover. 

Ottawa and Hamilton are in the playoffs; the only question is where the teams will finish. Ottawa is the only team in the East above .500 at 8-6. The Tiger-Cats are now 1 game behind the RedBlacks. Outside of Ottawa's game in Edmonton on Saturday, all the East teams will play each other for the rest of the season.

Toronto and Montréal won't make the playoffs. But they will have some control over which of their fellow East teams finishes first.

In the West, Calgary gets a home playoff date.

Edmonton and Saskatchewan played a very tough series this season. The teams split, each winning at home by 7 points. The 3rd tiebreaker is division record. The Roughriders have the edge so far but Edmonton would overcome that if the teams were tied.

NAFTA 2.0, er, USMCA is a nightmarish trade deal for Canada

American media, especially business media, does a terrible job of covering trade issues. During the extensive negotiations, very little was written or said about issues such as tariffs, softwood lumber, patents on drugs, sunset clause, trade dispute resolution, de minimis levels, supply management, and culture protections.

Listening, reading, and watching Canadian media gives an insight into the issues and concerns that Canada and the United States had in renegotiating NAFTA.

The American media reaction was very pro-Trump without a consideration for how the deal was put together or the consequences of aggravating the U.S. largest trading partner.

The name itself is meant to be part of the aggravation. The beauty of the NAFTA name was the unification of the 3 countries under the North America banner. USMCA separates out the countries and is supposed to be a reminder that Canada was the last country to enter the agreement. The initials come too close to USMC, which is known in the United States for the United States Marine Corps.

Despite childish threats by Donald Trump, Canada should hold out for a good NAFTA deal

G7 summit in Charlevoix, Quebec comes on heels on tariffs from Donald Trump

U.S. trying to force sunset clause on NAFTA; Canada can't accept that demand

In the spirit of fair play, we offer up a few advantages to the new deal. This won’t take long.

The obvious advantage is the elevation of Mexican wages for auto production. The Canadian auto industry is excited about this resolution. What isn’t clear is whether this will reduce the number of auto jobs leaving Canada for Mexico or that some jobs might leave Mexico for Canada.

The de minimis limit aka duty-free shopping was going to go up regardless of how the negotiations went. Canada has kept this at an artificially low figure of $20. The de minimis amount will now be at $150. Mexico raised its de minimis limit from $50 to $100.

The sales tax threshold will go up from $20 to $40. The sales tax would easily be higher than the duties, depending on the product. The goal for a low de minimis amount was protecting Canadian retailers from the lower prices from the United States.

Canada's existing cultural exemption is preserved under the new deal. This is in place to protect Canada’s cultural institutions from being bought out by U.S. business interests. Though as we’ve seen, U.S.-based hedge funds dominate control over Postmedia, the largest private newspaper company in Canada, with a reported 98% ownership level by U.S.-based hedge funds.

Trade battles have opened eyes to pros and cons of Canada supply management

Donald Trump does not understand that the American economy benefits from Canadians shopping in the U.S.

Where in the world is Kelly Knight Craft?

Canadian dairy was going to be upset regardless of how the negotiations went. The supply management system provides a rather good safety net. If the U.S. had stayed in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the U.S. would be in on market access to 3.25%. The new deal puts the U.S. access at 3.6%-3.9%. While that increase is not significant, Canada could have justify holding at 3.25%.

The U.S. also significantly subsidizes dairy production. The U.S. outcry about Canadian dairy access is more about the U.S. system encourages overproduction of milk. Yet Canada didn’t get any new access to the U.S. market.

One key stumbling block with American milk in the Canadian market is that Canada does not allow the artificial growth hormone Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) to be used on cows. The Monsanto co-developed growth hormone is allowed in American milk.

Country of origin labeling has been a tricky subject between the NAFTA countries, so Canadian consumers will have to be extra careful in reading labels. The cost differential may outweigh the fear of the artificial hormone as Americans will be allowed to dump their subsidized milk in Canada.

The new deal also eliminates Class 7 that reduced the price on Canadian-produced milk ingredients. That deal also significantly kicks up access to Canada’s egg, chicken, and turkey markets, again not in exchange for anything.

Canada wanted to modernize the list of professions for temporary work visas known as TN (Trade National) visas so more Canadians could work in the United States. Some professions such as nurse practitioners didn’t exist in the early 1990s. The U.S. said no.

Canada wanted to compete on behalf of so Canadian businesses for U.S. government contracts under Buy America. The U.S. said no.

We can’t ignore 2 of what is probably multiple examples of pettiness and being mean-spirited against Canada.

This most brilliant Neil Macdonald column explores Clause 32, which deals with any attempt by Canada to negotiate with a “non-market country” (i.e., China) and how Canada would have to keep the United States up to date in obnoxious detail.

Canadians can watch Super Bowl LI ads but not without U.S. pressure

Super Bowl XLIX preview: CRTC to allow Super Bowl ads in 2017

"Canada shall rescind Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2016-334 and Broadcasting Order CRTC 2016-335."

Canada may be doing this but only as a result of extortion. This refers to the CRTC decision to allow the U.S. outlet for the Super Bowl to air American ads on cable and satellite. Trump took the NFL’s side along with Bell Media to keep the simsub for the Super Bowl. Bell Media has lost money on the decision, which the company could have moved to collect from the NFL.

You may disagree with the CRTC decision and still be upset at the loss of sovereignty.

CanadianCrossing.com trade coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

CanadianCrossing.com Donald Trump coverage

The good news is that the USMCA only becomes law if that legislation is passed by the 3 countries. Mexico has the most to lose but regardless of whether the current or new government reviews the legislation, there may not be another option. If Liberals in Canada were allowed to vote their conscience, the new trade deal wouldn’t pass unless every Conservative passed it along with a few Liberals.

There isn’t a likelihood that the Dems in the U.S. will take over the House or the Senate. A change in either chamber would make a difference. If both chambers stay GOP-dominated, the relationships the Trudeau Government have worked hard on establishing might help, but a GOP-dominated Congress would need to know why to vote against the trade deal in the context of how the trade deal would negatively affect Americans.

Chrystia Freeland and Justin Trudeau did as good a job as they could do under a really horrible situation. But they did have momentum: The U.S. wanted a deal before the more liberal new government in Mexico started December 1 and before the U.S. midterms. Congress was not going to approve a bilateral deal with the U.S. and Mexico. Ultimately, Canada couldn’t bear the weight of auto production tariffs on top of steel, aluminum, airplane, and softwood lumber tariffs. The terms extortion and “gun to your head” are not exaggerations.

Canada fought hard not to have a sunset clause. This new deal is so bad that a sunset clause would be a welcome invitation. The fear was that if NAFTA went away, the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement of 1989 would still be in effect. NAFTA was very imperfect, but the USMCA is a disaster. If this new trade deal is approved, Canada won’t have the power to renegotiate.

photos credit: Twitter @realdonaldtrump; act.leadnow.ca

Wrapping up the 2018 Toronto Blue Jays season

Blue Jays game time on July 8 returns to 1:07 PM. pic.twitter.com/osL4y7ufTz

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 5, 2018

Chris Berman joked in the now infamous codeine video that you always have to get at least 1 Toronto Blue Jays game a year. ESPN carried 0 Toronto Blue Jays games in 2018, even though MLB requires that every team get at least a single telecast.

We do have information that can't be officially corroborated that says the scheduled Toronto Blue Jays game against the New York Yankees counted as the Blue Jays appearance on ESPN for 2018. George Orwell would have been proud of that logic.

MLB had to approve that move by ESPN so shame on both of them.

You could easily argue that the Toronto Blue Jays were a very bad baseball team in 2018. Then again, the Baltimore Orioles, losers of 115 games, found their way onto the U.S. channel. The Blue Jays finished with a 73-89 record, 35 games out in 4th place in the AL East.

2018 Toronto Blue Jays second half preview

MLB, Rob Manfred, MLB on Fox need to stop disrespecting Canada

Toronto Blue Jays lose Sunday Night Baseball slot in a matter of days

Canadian James Paxton throws no-hitter in Canada against Toronto Blue Jays

2018 Toronto Blue Jays season preview

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

Blue Jays players who did start the season with the club did find their way to the playoffs, including Roberto Osuna (Houston) and Josh Donaldson (Cleveland). Neither player made much of a contribution to the Blue Jays because of a domestic violence allegation (Osuna) or a boatload of injuries (Donaldson). They still played more than Troy Tulowitzki who didn't appear at all.

John Gibbons: Man of the people. pic.twitter.com/gzzU1hIaLE

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 26, 2018

John Gibbons will not be back as the Toronto Blue Jays manager. Gibbons recorded a 793-789 mark in 2 stints as manager. He ranks second to Cito Gaston for managerial wins and games managed in franchise history.

The team handled the Gibbons matter as best as can be expected. They gave the crowd a chance to send Gibbons out in style for the last home game at Rogers Centre.

Gibbons let Russell Martin take over managing duties for the season finale. The long-time catcher also played some 3rd base, shortstop, and even left field.

Twitter captures: @BlueJays

Reflections on Canadian Thanksgiving 2018

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. Or as they say in Canada, "Happy Thanksgiving." We usually take the Thanksgiving Monday to reflect on Canada from a broader perspective.

For the last few years, we have been fortunate to gather together for a Canadian Thanksgiving on U.S. soil. We worked hard over the years to get more people. In the last couple of years, the total has been around 100 people. Unfortunately, the place where we gathered closed in early April and we couldn't find another space that suited the needs of the Thanksgiving dinner.

Gathering with a smaller group is very nice but the camaraderie of a large group was very special.

The CFL football games will also be a part of the day or maybe even an Ottawa Senators matinee game.

CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage

I haven't been able to travel as much to Canada lately. I am sad that this has been happening but thankful the situation will improve soon. I also know where I would love to go.

We have a couple of Canadian films in the Chicago International Film Festival. We should have word on the film lineup for the Windsor International Film Festival this week. If you can't travel, film is a good way to experience the world in a place other than where you are.

Despite childish threats by Donald Trump, Canada should hold out for a good NAFTA deal

U.S. trying to force sunset clause on NAFTA; Canada can't accept that demand

We haven't reflected too much on NAFTA 1.5. aka USMCA. A lot needs to be said about the deal but the large and small details we've seen are depressing. This agreement should not pass as is but some of the scarier parts aren't as scary.

The idea of being thankful for a new trade deal is more about recovering from the shock. And oh yes, all the horrible tariffs are still in place. The words extortion and "gun to the head" have been used a lot without exaggeration. We will in time have more to say.

Quebec turns to Coalition Avenir Québec to run province

New Brunswick will have a minority government

We have seen dramatic elections recently in New Brunswick and Quebec. You might not agree with the outcomes but more representation from outside parties makes democracy a bit more vibrant.

Some parts of Canada (above) got quite a bit of snow. Yes, there can be snow in some parts but early October snow is a bit of a shock. Speaking of snow in Alberta, Calgary is in the top 3 finalists for the 2016 Winter Olympics. Calgary is on the list with Stockholm, Sweden and Milan-Cortina, Italy. Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics. Vancouver hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Our guide to legal marijuana in Canada

If nothing else, Canada legalises recreational marijuana coast to coast to coast next Wednesday.

Enjoy your family and friends and have a really nice Thanksgiving from all of us at CanadianCrossing.com.

photo credit: CityTV