Canadian Crossing

2021 CFL Week 7 preview

Editor's note: Toronto-Saskatchewan is on ESPNews.

The revenge games transition to regular play with 3 East-West contests this week. The Calgary Stampeders make their first trip to the east with a stop in Hamilton on Friday night.

The Argos, unlike the NHL Maple Leafs, play in a late game on national TV with a trip to play Saskatchewan.

BC Lions have the team's longest possible road trip with its annual trip to Montréal to start the Saturday night doubleheader.

Winnipeg goes back on the road to Edmonton in the Saturday nightcap.

Ottawa seems to have a cushy week to relax but the team hosts Hamilton next Wednesday.

This week has a deliberate scheduling nightmare where the late games start at 9:45 pm, short of the usual 3 hours allotted for the early game. This sadly reminds us on NBCSN's insistence on doing the same poor NHL scheduling.

This is particularly bad in the Friday night scenario. Does TSN4 finish the Hamilton game or start the Toronto game?

Somehow a 7:45 pm local start (Regina, Edmonton) looks better than 8 pm. This causes unnecessary anxiety. A good week for the CFL not to be on an ESPN channel. Much less anxiety when you watch on ESPN+.

ESPNews

Friday
Toronto @ Saskatchewan, 9:45p

TSN

Friday
Calgary @ Hamilton, 7p
Toronto @ Saskatchewan, 9:45p
Saturday
BC @ Montréal, 7p
Winnipeg @ Edmonton, 9:45p

Bye week: Ottawa

119 yards?

Only made possible with the three-down game: ⤵️#RiseWithUs pic.twitter.com/lFPJzveZnC

— CFL (@CFL) September 14, 2021

The CFL on TSN panel had some fun with the idea of talking about kickers. Michael Domagala missed an extra point that cost Hamilton a tie in Toronto. Marc Liegghio missed the first 2 extra point attempts for Winnipeg but did hit the final 3 attempts.

Lewis Ward had a rare field goal miss for Ottawa that Lucky Whitehead of the BC Lions ran back for a 119-yard touchdown run.

Winnipeg's regular kicker Tyler Crapigna is on the six-game injured list. BC fired its first kicker Takeru Yamasaki.

The extra ways to score in the CFL is usually connected to the kickers and punters. They matter. We don't know Justin Medlock's reasons for not playing in 2021. He would be really valuable.

2021 CFL Week 6 preview

Montréal coach Khari Jones tested positive for COVID-19. Jones had received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the past months. André Bolduc, assistant head coach and running backs coach, will be in charge on Saturday. Montréal had the week off.

2021 CFL Week 5 preview

The CFL hasn't played an overtime game since Montréal beat Calgary 40-34 in 2OT in Calgary on August 17, 2019. We thought Toronto and Hamilton were headed to overtime on Friday. Then, Hamilton kicker Michael Domagala’s extra point attempt hit the right upright.

The Argonauts got their revenge win after losing badly in Hamilton on Labour Day.

In the western revenge games, Saskatchewan is still the second best CFL team despite Winnipeg sweeping them over the course of 7 days. The teams won't play each other for the rest of the season. The Blue Bombers will have the tiebreaker and home field advantage.

The rivalry has intensity from the field to the fans. The fight near the end of the first half was really bad. The consensus from the announcers and the panel was that Winnipeg got off lightly by not having players ejected. Saskatchewan's 2 ejected players deserved their fate.

Edmonton's first forced turnout was a Pick 6, accounting for the Elks only major. Calgary got its revenge and a bit of topping. Calgary might have been seen as piling on by scoring a late touchdown with the game out of reach. Trying to score late doesn't mean you will succeed. The late Calgary touchdown gave the Stampeders a 52-48 point total against the Elks.

The teams don't play each other for the rest of the regular season, so Calgary has the tiebreaker against Edmonton.

Winnipeg-Saskatchewan also don't play each other again. The Blue Bombers have the advantage at 2-0.

While the west rivalries are done, Hamilton and Toronto still have a home-and-home with the Tiger-Cats hosting on Canadian Thanksgiving and the Argos hosting on November 12. The teams split their rivalry games, each winning at home.

We do obsess a bit about tiebreakers. In a shortened 14-game season, this could be the difference between home field or maybe getting a playoff spot.

2021 CFL Week 4 preview

Dane Evans got hurt late for the Tiger-Cats so David Watford finished the game at quarterback. Original starting QB Jeremiah Masoli may be available against Calgary. Evans will be out for 4-6 weeks.

Trevor Harris will be out for awhile as the Edmonton Elks placed their quarterback on the 6-game injured list with a neck injury. Elks fans are hoping Taylor Cornelius will be like Jake Maier. 

Ottawa has 2 presumably healthy quarterbacks in Dominique Davis and Matt Nichols. The RedBlacks have generated very little offence and get a week to figure out its game plan.

The team has a stretch of 3 weekday games coming up, the first 2 at home. The RedBlacks need to figure out ways to be more interesting: the defence back to its form in Week 1, the offence gets better, or both.

2021 CFL Week 3 preview

We noted the logjam last week of 2-2 teams where 56% of the CFL teams had that record. Toronto and BC went in a positive direction to 3-2; Hamilton and Edmonton went in a negative direction to 2-3. Montréal stayed at 2-2 with a bye week.

Saskatchewan joined the 3-2 gathering after losing 2 straight to Winnipeg.

2021 CFL Week 2 preview

The BC Lions did something in the first 3:05 that neither Calgary or Edmonton could do in the first half: score a touchdown. The Lions did something in the first 17 minutes that Calgary and Edmonton couldn't do on Saturdays: score 4 touchdowns.

2021 CFL Week 1 preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Chris Jones is returning to the CFL, this time as a defensive coach for the Toronto Argonauts. The irony of being in Regina for his first game back may not feel that ironic to Roughriders fans. They watched Jones resign from being the Roughriders head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations in January 2019, only a week after he signed a contract extension.

Jones spent 2 seasons as a head coach in Edmonton where they won a Grey Cup in 2015. He coached Saskatchewan for 3 seasons before leaving to be a defensive assistant with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL in 2019.

Previously, Jones won Grey Cups served as a defensive line coach for Montréal (2002); defensive coordinator for Calgary (2008) and later assistant coach; and defensive coordinator in Toronto (2012).

Glen Young (defensive coordinator) and Joshua Bell (defensive backs coach) are on leave from the Toronto Argonauts until further notice.

Short-term solutions for TSN to replace Chris Cuthbert on CFL telecasts

Rod Smith and Duane Forde spent time in Toronto on Friday night. This gave Smith a CFL weekend where he didn't have to travel.

Dustin Nielson and Glen Suitor worked the Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg. This was a great reward for Nielson. Smith will call the big games out west in the playoffs as well as the Grey Cup. Nielson will get an opportunity to call big games out west in the regular season. This could mean Nielson will call a Thanksgiving game.

Rod Black and Forde, known for covering the east, called the Battle of Alberta, Part II.

When Farhan Lalji was listed on the CFL on TSN play-by-play roster, your humble narrator circled last Saturday's game for Lalji to call. Lalji worked with Matt Dunigan in 2019 and 2021. We don't know how much time Lalji had to prepare in 2019 but get the impression he knew this day was coming.

Lalji sounded a lot better Saturday night in Vancouver. He might only do games late in tripleheaders with Matt Dunigan in Vancouver but he could provide a good call in an emergency. The drawback is that since Lalji is normally the sideline reporter (SLR), TSN doesn't give them a reporter when Lalji is in the booth.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @CFL

Canada election 2021: Helping Canadian content creators on where their vote should go

The status of Bill C-10 rests on this Canadian federal election. How should those that produce Canadian content — television, film, and a lot more — show their political power in this election?

Canadian content creators now have I Am Canadian Content, an outlet to figure out where the parties stand on issued relevant to those Canadians. You can compare the parties based on key issues. If you need to dig further, you can download each of the major party platforms.

The French language version is Notre Culture | Our Culture.

Friends of Canadian Broadcasting authorised the Web site. In their own words, the organisation "is an independent, non-partisan citizens' movement working to advance Canada’s rich culture and the healthy democracy it sustains. A strong CBC, fearless journalism, and our shared story make us who we are. That peaceful, civil engagement keeps our democracy alive. FRIENDS is a citizens’ group, not an industry group, and we are not affiliated with or funded by CBC/Radio-Canada or any other media outlet."

Platforms are plans and promises. The Liberals, who have been in charge in the last 2 governments, do have a track record, including Bill C-10.

The case for Bill C-10 now goes before the Canadian Senate

Bill C-10 was the bill designed to improve the funding for Canadian content. The bill to update the Broadcasting Act had issues over whether regular people who make some money off of YouTube, for example, would pay into the process.

A status quo or a Liberal majority would eventually push Bill C-10 through the process. A Conservative minority would mean a restart if the policy would be touched at all.

Just Ask is a way for Canadian content creators to talk to politicians

Canadians will feel loss of satirists such as Rick Mercer in the 2019 Canadian election

We showed ways in the 2019 election for Canadian content creators to get more involved in the political process. We know that Canadian content creators are often too busy to deal with lots of political research. This is the advantage of sites such as I Am Canadian Content.

Erin O'Toole wants to do significant damage to CBC Television and CBC News Network

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

We did find this Toronto Star op-ed about the potential impact on CBC Radio, depending on which way the election will go. The Liberal Party speaks to modernizing CBC and Radio-Canada.

Editor's note: This section is repeated from our Canada election notebook from Sunday.

This story is about a year old but the details have not changed. Only one major party wants to take knives to the budget of CBC television in English and CBC News.

We've seen CBC News cave to the Conservatives over these perceptions. Vassy Kapelos of Power & Politics definitely has a bias. The Party Lines podcast has been extremely gracious to the Conservatives in this election.

We have talked extensively about the right-wing bias of Canadian journalism from the Postmedia newspapers (majority of the money from U.S. hedge funds) to the private TV networks. CBC News may not be your cup of tea but one of the few tides trying to be remotely neutral.

You could argue that Erin O'Toole and the Conservatives throw this out to satisfy the base. The problem is two fold: a) the actual history of deep CBC cuts under Stephen Harper and b) the impact on CBC News from constant complaining and the reaction to try and appease them as a sacrifice to Canadian journalism.

The Conservatives go out of their way to say no cuts to French-language programming or news.

Canada election 2021: The debate over the impact of debates

2021 Canada election preview

2021 Canadian politics preview

Canadian politics coverage on CanadianCrossing.com

Perhaps you voted early and this information comes too late. There is the concern with most of the Canadian TV and film world being congregated in a few Toronto area ridings. The reality is that Canadian content is being created all over Canada. This Hour Has 22 Minutes shoots in Halifax. Heartland, as we note in the above video, shoots out in Alberta. Hudson & Rex shoot in St. John's.

photo credit: I Am Canadian Content
video credit: This Hour Has 22 Minutes/CBC

Norm Macdonald was a truly funny comedian not just because he was Canadian

A profoundly funny man. https://t.co/Iot5EqZF3u

— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) September 14, 2021

Famed comedian Norm Macdonald has died at the age of 61. Macdonald reportedly had a 9-year battle with cancer. His brother Neil said he died Tuesday from leukemia.

We could talk about Saturday Night Live, The Norm Show, his offbeat approach to being a talk show guest. All of that and more was amazing.

Macdonald went down a comedy path that comedians respected. A comedian's comedian often isn't as successful. Even when Macdonald had success, such as his Saturday Night Live stint, he lost his job because Don Ohlmeyer, president of NBC’s West Coast division and friend of O.J. Simpson, was upset because Macdonald made O.J. Simpson jokes.

Those O.J. Simpson jokes were funny.

Macdonald's Late Night with Conan O'Brien 1997 appearance with Courtney Thorne-Smith. His 2006 appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart where he talks about the recent death of Steve Irwin aka the Crocodile Hunter and makes a joke about Canadian conservative politician Peter Mackay. His final appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman where he told one of Letterman's old jokes. Macdonald was the final stand-up comedian on the show. His true, raw emotion was beautiful.

The Daily Show segment had Stewart, who doesn't want to laugh but laughs because Norm Macdonald is being who he is.

You always loved watching Macdonald on a talk show because he never did what you were supposed to do on a talk show.

Lots of Canadians become famous with humour but few of them are anglophones from Quebec City.

Macdonald played a hockey player who performs social work after being caught gambling and on tax evasion for The Norm Show. The fact that Laurie Metcalf and Ian Gomez were on that show speaks volumes about Macdonald's ability to make comedians laugh. He might have named Norm but he wasn't the norm.

Macdonald mentioned numerous times on those talk shows that he was from Canada.

We've mentioned a few times on the blog that Neil Macdonald, former parliamentary and foreign correspondent for CBC News, was Norm's brother. The journalist use to write these intriguing takes on what was happening in Canada. Very different approach than his brother but humour in his own way.

Dan Levy joins the list of Canadians who have hosted Saturday Night Live

By our count, Macdonald was one of 8 Canadians (9 if you count the one day Catherine O'Hara spent as a cast member) to be a Saturday Night Live regular. The others were Dan Aykroyd, Peter Aykroyd, Phil Hartman, Mark McKinney, Mike Myers, Paul Shaffer, and Martin Short. Dan Aykroyd, Hartman, Macdonald, Myers, O'Hara, Shaffer, and Short all hosted the show.

Macdonald was on the show from 1993-1998.

Room, Schitt's Creek dominate 2016 Canadian Screen Awards

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Deadline had a specific story on comedians' reaction to Macdonald's death. His brother's former employer (CBC News) had a touching tribute to the comedian.

We are extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Norm Macdonald, Canadian comedy legend, and host of the 2016 #CdnScreenAwards. Our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/q6TFSEkq16

— The Canadian Academy (@TheCdnAcademy) September 14, 2021

"Never has there been so much Canadian talent in one place that hasn't had to be zambonied first." Norm MacDonald gave back to Canada. Macdonald hosted the 4th annual Canadian Screen Awards on March 13, 2016. Macdonald was the one who suggested the awards be called the Candys after John Candy. Let's get that done in honour of John Candy and Norm Macdonald.

He also played a talking manhole on Sunnyside on Citytv.

Norm Macdonald’s appearance at the Roast of Bob Saget was unlike anything ever seen before. Watch this legendary clip with additional footage. pic.twitter.com/nb6JECXn4H

— comedycentral (@ComedyCentral) September 14, 2021

This Norm Macdonald routine at the Comedy Central roast of Bob Saget doesn't get many laughs until the people realize what Macdonald is doing; mocking the idea of roasting by doing tame jokes from a book called Jokes From Retirement Parties. Very few comedians would be brave enough to do such a set. RIP indeed.

Twitter captures: @GMillerTSN; @TheCdnAcademy; @ComedyCentral
photo credit: Late Show with David Letterman/Worldwide Pants/CBS

Canadian film review: Tia and Piujuq

Tia is a Syrian refugee in Montréal who misses her grandmother, who is back in Syria, and has trouble making friends in her new world. She receives a book on life in the far north.

Soon, Tia discovers a portal in a building in the alley behind her uncle's grocery store. The portal takes her to Igloolik, Nunavut.

Tia meets Piujuq, a girl camping with her grandmother for the summer. Though Tia speaks Arabic and French and Piujuq speaks Inuktitut, the girls bond quickly in English.

Tia learns a lot about Piujuq's culture full of magic and myths. She then travels back to her world in Montréal. Her mother is very pregnant with her soon-to-be brother. The adults keep Tia sheltered from what is happening back home in Syria. The portal trips are an escape for Tia.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Lucy Tulugarjuk (director, co-writer) tells the story on the level of the girls. Tia Bshara (Tia) and Nuvvija Tulugarjuk (Piujuq) have a comfort and simplicity that makes you root for them easily. And yes, Tulugarjuk is the director's daughter.

The film tells the story from the kids point of view without talking down to them or making the story sugary sweet. The joy of the story is how the girls see the world, with openness and willingness to learn about each other. Though Tia learns a lot about Piujuq's world, not so much about the other way around.

Tia and Piujuq is a good family film though parents should definitely watch with the kids to explain the Indigenous spirits and the talk of war in Syria. The idea of children learning about a world different from their own is a beautiful theme. Perhaps southern Canadians would appreciate the people of the north if they could understand their world on this level.

video credit: YouTube/IsumaTV
photo credit: Tia and Piujuq film

Leylah Fernandez didn't capture the U.S. Open title but did capture a lot of hearts

The secret to all the 🇨🇦 tennis success?

Maple. Syrup. 🤣@leylahfernandez | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/Dgab5En4Cz

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 7, 2021

"It's the maple syrup."

From a tennis standpoint, Toronto-born, English tennis player Emma Raducanu defeated Leylah Fernandez in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 to win the women's singles title at the 2021 U.S. Open. Fernandez made a strong impression on the crowds at Flushing Meadows throughout the tournament.

We saw the T-shirts about the maple syrup. When asked about what they were feeding her in Canada that produced this success, Fernandez said, "“I would say it’s the maple syrup. Canadian maple syrup is very good.”

Down 0-3 in the set as well. This is amazing stuff. https://t.co/DQc0bhmeuB

— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) September 10, 2021

Fernandez got noticed when she upset the #3 seed and 2020 singles title winner Naomi Osaka 5-7, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 in the third round. She defeated the #2 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-4. She became the third female in the Open Era to beat 3 of the top 5 seeds.

Fernandez, who has been 19 now for a week, was ranked 73 before the U.S. Open. She won her first round match in the 2020 tournament and had never been past the 3rd round of a major tournament before this one.

Fernandez, from Montréal, has risen up the ranks to 28.

Bianca Andreescu makes Canadian history with singles title at 2019 U.S. Open

Bianca Andreescu, the Canadian who won the 2019 U.S. Open title, lasted until the fourth round of the 2021 tournament. Maria Sakkari (Greece) defeated Andreescu 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.

Fernandez wasn't the only Canadian tennis player to have a great tournament. Felix Auger-Aliassime lost in the semifinals 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 to the eventual champion: Daniil Medvedev of Russia. Auger-Aliassime, 21, also from Montréal, became the first Canadian to reach the U.S. Open men's semifinals.

Auger-Aliassime did win the sportsmanship award. Winners most personify the spirit of the game over the course of the series.

In women's doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa) and Luisa Stefani (Brazil) had to withdraw from their semifinal match to the American duo of Coco Gauff and Catherine McNally after Stefani suffered an injury.

Milos Raonic advances to Wimbledon final (2016)

Canadian sports notebook: Bouchard falls short at Wimbledon (2014)

Genie's Army gets set for Bouchard Wimbledon final

Bouchard, Raonic in Wimbledon quarterfinals

Eugenie Bouchard opening eyes to Canadian tennis

Always believe in yourself.@leylahfernandez | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/zPHWWALHIO

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 4, 2021

Eugenie Bouchard to Bianca Andreescu to Leylah Fernandez. Each of them were good and popular (remember Genie's Army). As Andreescu has shown us, tennis has a lot of ups and downs.

Chrissie Evert on ESPN (and TSN) felt Fernandez will be someone to look out for in the next few years. Hopefully, that will happen.

Twitter captures: @usopen; @GMillerTSN; @usopen
photo credit: U.S. Open/ESPN

Canada election 2021: The debate over the impact of debates

.@ShachiKurl asked party leaders not to interrupt each other. She then interrupts @JustinTrudeau. Off to a great start. #elxn44

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) September 10, 2021

Shachi Kurl can rest comfortably knowing she isn't the worst moderator we've ever seen at a Canadian debate. Paul Wells has set a low bar.

We noted that "On the English side, a pollster as the moderator is an odd choice." Kurl did interrupt more people than the Liberal leader. She didn't have control and the party leaders took advantage.

The TVA debate and the French language consortium debate had repeat moderators from 2019. By contrast, the English language consortium debate has had a haphazard history in terms of moderators. The 2019 version split the moderator duties about the reporters: Rosemary Barton, Susan Delacourt, Dawna Friesen, Lisa LaFlamme, and Althia Raj. The 2015 version didn't happen due to then Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Steve Paikin, then with TVOntario (TVO) was the moderator for the federal leaders debates in 2006, 2008, and 2011.

Pierre Bruneau (French language debate) ran another good debate. Bruneau let politicians battle but pulled in the reins once they made their point. He had a firm control on the debate. Paul Wells could learn a lot from Bruneau on running a debate but Wells' arrogance levels are rather high.

Delacourt would have been a great option. The English language debate section of the Leaders Debate Commission should concentrate on a consensus to get a strong moderator, ideally a journalist.

Kurl does receive credit for bringing up Quebec's provincial bills: Bill 21 and Bill 96. Blanchet used the question to deny that Quebecers are racist. Trudeau and O'Toole criticised (after the debate) about the question being brought up in the debate.

Bill 21 prohibits any visible religious symbols worn by people in certain key positions. The law has not made it to the Canadian Supreme Court.

The arguments about whether "Quebecers are racist" aren't as much of a concern: Bill 21 discriminates against people of some non-Christian religions and limits their ability to chose a career, especially one they already had before Bill 21 became law in Quebec. The province used the notwithstanding clause to allow that discrimination.

The debate gets little attention in the English language world of Canada. People in Quebec consider themselves a nation but Quebecers are a part of Canada.

Erin O'Toole spoke a lot about partnerships. O'Toole certainly spoke of partnerships (translated) in the French language debates but hearing the word over and over in English made more of an impact. Every federal government has partnerships with the provinces and groups of concern. Better partnerships might be what O'Toole is saying but he acts like there are no partnerships currently. This may seem symbolic but words mean a lot in the political landscape. When conservatives (and their followers) speak of the country being divisive, they mean Liberals against them.

Annamie Paul hammered home the phrase "with the greatest of respect" as a way of jumping into the conversation. While Paul did fairly well in the French language debate (she was not invited to the TVA debate), she really shined on the English language side. She name dropped, mostly targeting Justin Trudeau with mentions of Jody Wilson-Raybould.

The debates have been an opportunity for the Green Party to have a voice. Other than traveling for the debates, Paul hadn't been outside of the Toronto Centre riding. They aren't running ads. They didn't even have the platform out until just before the debates. Some in her party think Paul is the problem. The overall problem is a party that isn't focused on this election.

Yves-Francois Blanchet (Bloc Quebecois) was a rare politician who underused the time allotted. Blanchet knew that most of the party's supporters weren't watching this debate. He took time for a different question to challenge O'Toole to say in English that no pipeline would run through Quebec, as the Conservative leader had sent in French.

During the section on Indigenous questions, Blanchet hammered the analogy of nation to mean Quebec as opposed to the Indigenous people. He was playing chess in a checkers match, knowing what will make headlines in the French language coverage.

One nice note: a couple of times, Blanchet couldn't figure out how to translate a phrase into English, such as "social housing." Several voices, most notably Paul and Trudeau, helped Blanchet with a translation. Yes, they are debating each other but kindness in the moment is something worth noting.

Jagmeet Singh (NDP) used a lot of personal examples from people he met through the campaign. Singh is the only major party leader using this tactic.

The format of the English language debate worked against Trudeau because responding to the charges thrown at him wasn't a part of the format. Don't remember previous English language debates being this slanted. The French language debates didn't have this issue. The 2019 English language consortium debate was a lot better.

Leaders Debates Commission English language debate

Leaders Debates Commission French language debate (English translation)

The Justin Trudeau boxing story with Patrick Brazeau in 2012 was a highlight in Trudeau's 2015 run and even picked up in the United States. Trudeau brought back that boxing spirit with Yves-Francois Blanchet about always being a Quebecer during the French language debate.

Trudeau had gone after Blanchet in the TVA debate though with lighter punches. Some had argued that Trudeau might have had this in his back pocket to use during the debate. That is often what politicians do in debates.

The O'Toole translator hit a precise tone with the emphasis that O'Toole has a plan. Having a plan is the minimum but O'Toole played up the existence of the plan as being enough to take on the Liberals.

To no one's surprise, Annamie Paul was treated as an afterthought on most questions. Paul pointed out the fact that she should speak on daycare since she was the only mother on stage. No one expected Paul to be on the level of Elizabeth May: no potential Green Party leader could be. May's ability to call out the other leaders was desperately missed in both debates. Paul needed to be stronger, more forceful in style because she hasn't had much coverage, isn't running commercials (of which we are aware) and wasn't invited to the TVA debate.

Patrice Roy of Radio-Canada did a reasonably good job as a moderator. Roy's choice for an opening question was disappointing. The premise of a prime minister or potential prime minister promising in a debate for a minority government to stay around for 4 years is an asinine question. Most of the leaders took that as an opportunity for an unofficial opening statement. Erin O'Toole said he would, which is a terrible answer and showed the only value in asking the question was getting someone to bite.

Noémi Mercier (Noovo Info) served as the transition for audience questions. The questions were asked remotely. The most charming was an 11-year-old boy asking about the climate crisis. The format had the other journalists to pop out and ask a bunch of random questions and then to disappear.

Hélène Buzzetti (Les coops de l'information) stood out but in a poor way. Buzzetti's asked normal questions in a normal tone to Trudeau, O'Toole, and Blanchet. Her questions to Singh and Paul were more condescending from a financial perspective. Somehow the deficit would stop a guaranteed income (Paul) and Jeff Bezos living in the United States (Singh). Amazon operates around the world and can be taxed, regardless of where the CEO lives. The deficit and debt are notable but financial priorities can be shifted. Be condescending to all or none.

The other reporters who asked questions were Guillaume Bourgault-Côté (L'actualité), Paul Journet (La Presse), and Marie Vastel (Le Devoir).

.@CPC_HQ $60B #healthcare promise amounts to just $3.6B in first five years: PBO. No specific $ for #mentalhealth. All talk. #elxn44 #cdnpoli https://t.co/4NO6V4Id1O

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) September 8, 2021

"Unlike the Liberals, who are promising to allocate funds specifically for mental health under a proposed new Mental Health Transfer, the Conservatives say they would encourage the provinces to fund improved mental health services using the extra money in the Canada Health Transfer."

We had high praise for Erin O'Toole on his take on mental health. O'Toole pounded home the point in the French language debate that he had a plan. Now we know that the mental health plan is "take some of this money with no strings attached and please spend some of that money on improving mental health services." Whatever you might think of the Liberals plan, they have a more viable plan than the Conservatives have.

We don't doubt for a second that O'Toole has a sincere concern over mental health. The problem is that O'Toole is in charge of a party that won't back up what he says on the campaign trail on a lot of issues.

Andrew Scheer didn't come across as sincere in 2019 and that was before the controversies over not being an insurance broker and a surprise dual citizen with the United States. You can imagine a focus group determining that the problem is the sincerity of the party leader as opposed to improving policies.

No one would have blinked if the Conservatives had ignored mental health in the campaign. Having a hollow promise knowing you would never follow up on that promise is far more cynical than not caring about a topic, especially one so ignored as mental health.

We all agree, vaccines save lives and will be key to defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you haven’t already, get the shot!#VaccinesSaveLives pic.twitter.com/v42MghNHn9

— Annamie Paul (@AnnamiePaul) September 10, 2021

In the ongoing saga of something you wouldn't see in the United States, here is a video of the party leaders agreeing on one essential issue: get vaccinated. The Canadian numbers for those fully vaccinated and those with one shot are much better as compared to the United States.

Here is the Trudeau vs. Rebel exchange at the scrum: #debatdeschefs pic.twitter.com/wMFJTsU1AD

— Ben Parsons (@Ben_Parsons__) September 9, 2021

When we talk about the highly conservative nature of Canadian journalism, Rebel Media doesn't even enter the conversation for a few reasons. There is enough to focus on from outlets that try to maintain that they are doing journalism and have more visibility. As bad as we think they are, Rebel Media is further down the path.

Trudeau limited his remarks to the misinformation on science and the pandemic, but he could have gone further on Rebel Media.

Canadian party leaders take questions after the debates, something that would be shocking if U.S. leaders would do so. This is a nice tradition for Americans to steal from Canada, like outdoor NHL games and Kraft Hockeyville.

Canada election 2021: What we learned from the first leaders debate

Canada election 2021: How manipulated media entered the political lexicon

Canada election 2021: Conservative Willy Wonka ad is the opposite of a good start

2021 Canada election preview

"First, he (Erin O'Toole) said during an unofficial French debate on TVA, the Quebec-based broadcaster, that he would 'maintain a ban on assault weapons.' While he didn’t make it immediately clear, he didn’t mean Mr. Trudeau’s ban. Instead, Mr. O’Toole was referring to a ban that dates to the 1970s on weapons like fully automatic rifles."

"But eventually Mr. O’Toole said that he would keep Mr. Trudeau’s assault weapon ban in place if the Conservatives take power. But that came with a significant qualifier: Mr. O’Toole also promised that a group that will include gun makers will review firearms laws and regulations."

We saw this pattern when O'Toole was talking about matching the climate crisis numbers from Paris, referring to older numbers that won't produce as significant a change as the numbers everyone else is using.

Since a lot of Canadian journalism is on the surface where numbers aren't checked, the words, the promises mean even less than what a politician usually says. One thing to break a promise; another thing to try and trick people about what you are actually promising.

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

We ran a notebook item in our CFL coverage on Friday on Canadian athletes who crossed over into politics. The CFL games on TSN are filled with Canadian election ads. Still trying to figure out how Howie Meeker served in Parliament while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Canada election 2019: The impact of Tout le monde en parle

We noted this week that This Hour Has 22 Minutes will have a single new episode before Election Day. That episode airs in about 60 hours. The single episode is 1 more than what Tout le monde en parle will air. Season 18 of Tout le monde en parle won't premiere until September 26 on Radio-Canada.

The French language debates are a good way for party leaders to connect with Quebecers. Doing well on Tout le monde en parle can do what the debates don't show: a more human side to a party leader.

Justin Trudeau (Liberal) feels at home. Jagmeet Singh (NDP) has done quite well. Even Andrew Scheer (Conservative) did well on the program in 2019.

Stephen Harper was famous for refusing to go on the show. Host Guy A. Lepage did interview Erin O'Toole back in December 2020 though not in front of the usual studio audience. The Conservatives could have used a performance, a good performance from O'Toole.

Tout le monde en parle normally airs Sunday nights on Radio-Canada, the CBC French-language channel: CBFT, Channel 2 in Montréal.

Erin O'Toole wants to do significant damage to CBC Television and CBC News Network

CanadianCrossing.com journalism coverage

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

This story is about a year old but the details have not changed. Only one major party wants to take knives to the budget of CBC television in English and CBC News.

We've seen CBC News cave to the Conservatives over these perceptions. Vassy Kapelos of Power & Politics definitely has a bias. The Party Lines podcast has been extremely gracious to the Conservatives in this election.

We have talked extensively about the right-wing bias of Canadian journalism from the Postmedia newspapers (majority of the money from U.S. hedge funds) to the private TV networks. CBC News may not be your cup of tea but one of the few tides trying to be remotely neutral.

You could argue that Erin O'Toole and the Conservatives throw this out to satisfy the base. The problem is two fold: a) the actual history of deep CBC cuts under Stephen Harper and b) the impact on CBC News from constant complaining and the reaction to try and appease them as a sacrifice to Canadian journalism.

The Conservatives go out of their way to say no cuts to French-language programming or news.

2021 Canadian politics preview

What did we learn from pandemic elections in Canada?

Canadian politics coverage on CanadianCrossing.com

Federal party leaders health care promises are limited since provinces control how health care is distributed. This proved intriguing since in the TVA debate, the talk of giving money to Quebec without strings, especially by Erin O'Toole. Money for health care should go to health care.

The Backbench podcast, which we referenced in our election preview, has an excellent episode on the difference between health and health care. Federal parties are limited in what they can do about health care. Also, the magic hiring of doctors and nurses need additional steps besides wishing for them to appear.

Canada election 2019: Diary of an 'insurance broker'

Canada Votes: Face to Face was the most compelling new use of television in the 2019 election. Rosemary Barton moderated while 4 undecided voters got to ask questions one-on-one with a federal party leader. The segment returns starting tonight and runs through Wednesday at 8 pm Eastern on CBC News Network and the CBC digital platforms. The segment is repeated on CBC television at 11:30 pm local time.

We were a bit critical in 2019 where Jagmeet Singh and Elizabeth May got much tougher questions than Andrew Scheer had. Otherwise, we got more human answers from party leaders. The 2019 version had 5 undecided voters while the 2021 version has 4 undecided voters.

Your humble narrator recalls watching the episodes on YouTube in 2019. Canadians are getting a free preview of CBC News Network all this month. Canadians can stream the news channel on CBC Gem, the CBC News app, or through the provided link.

The order for 2021 is Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, Green Party. The order for 2019 was Liberals, Conservatives, Green Party, and NDP.

photo credit: CBC News
Twitter captures: @canadian_xing x2; @AnnamiePaul; @Ben_Parsons__

2021 CFL Week 6 preview

The revenge games get underway this weekend as we see the first tripleheader of the season.

Thursday night football disappears after Labour Day and 2021 is no different.

Hoping for a good crowd at BMO Field Friday night as Hamilton visits Toronto. Some (a lot?) of that crowd will be Tiger-Cats fans wearing black and gold.

The Banjo Bowl starts the tripleheader on Saturday in Winnipeg. This is Saskatchewan's first road game of the year; the Roughriders did have a bye 2 weeks ago.

The Battle of Alberta Part II is the middle game in Edmonton.

Ottawa in Vancouver is at the end of Saturday evening without a rivalry element. Someday, we might get the Atlantic Schooners in Vancouver at this time of the year.

U.S. viewers will have to rely on ESPN+ for virtually the rest of the season. The next TV game in the States isn't until September 24.

TSN

Friday
Hamilton @ Toronto, 7:30p
Saturday
Saskatchewan @ Winnipeg, 4p
Calgary @ Edmonton, 7p
Ottawa @ BC, 10p

Bye week: Montréal

The Saskatchewan Roughriders had won 14 of the last 15 Labour Day games. The Roughriders had a slim 1-point lead at the half but couldn't score in the second half. The previous Winnipeg win in the streak was in 2016.

Zach Collaros is now 5-0 on Labour Day games with 3 different teams. Collaros went 3-0 for Hamilton over Toronto and 1-0 for Saskatchewan against Winnipeg.

Edmonton got its first Labour Day win since 2011. The Elks offence looked more like we thought the offence would go.

Montréal now has a 3-2 advantage over Ottawa in the Highway 417 rivalry. The Alouettes offence was quite impressive as Vernon Adams Jr. showed flashes of previous brilliance. Dominique Davis replaced Matt Nichols for the RedBlacks and had some success.

The Alouettes won in 2014 and 2018 while the RedBlacks won in 2016 and 2017. The teams didn't play each other on the holiday weekend in 2015 and 2019. CFL officials: schedule these teams to play each other on every Labour Day weekend.

Hamilton showed the Tiger-Cats were missing some home cooking. The Tiger-Cats have won the last 7 Labour Day game over the Toronto Argonauts. The Argos can get revenge tonight against Hamilton while the RedBlacks have to wait until Canadian Thanksgiving to travel to Montréal.

The other 2 revenge games are on Saturday. A sweep for last weekend's winners will make a huge impact in a shortened 14-game season.

We talk parity about the CFL. Well, through the Labour Day weekend games, 5 of the 9 CFL teams are 2-2. Edmonton, BC, Hamilton, Montréal, and Toronto have split their first 4 games. Winnipeg and Saskatchewan are the only teams above .500 while Calgary and Ottawa are the only below .500 teams.

.@CFL game well into 2nd quarter. @espn @ESPNPR asleep at the wheel. App isn't working. @RedSox let in the tying run so the game won't be on TV anytime soon. Would be able to watch if U.S. had @TSN_Sports.

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) September 6, 2021

ESPN had a MLB doubleheader. ESPN2 had U.S. Open tennis coverage. ESPNews was scheduled to have the Battle of Alberta on Labour Day. The early MLB game in Boston ran really slow. There was an umpire injury in that game but the game itself ran very behind. The second MLB game in Denver switched to ESPNews. We could argue that ESPN overbooked the MLB doubleheader and could have moved the beginning of the game in Denver to MLB Network.

So the CFL game was theoretically available on the ESPN app. Except … the app told viewers that the game "hadn't started yet." The game had started but the app was not working.

The game wasn't available in any form until 4:40 remaining in the 2nd quarter. U.S. viewers missed the first 23 points of the game. A Stampeders extra point was the first point of the stream. The game finally ended up on ESPNews 100 minutes into the coverage in the middle of halftime coverage.

If you had a life and didn't realise the game wasn't on TV, that is a single level of frustration. For those who were around a computer AND couldn't watch the game, the levels of anger resembled a baklava. Check out our Twitter feed for samples.

We would argue for the lack of TV coverage, ESPN owes us an apology AND an extra TV game. That would be especially true over the streaming snafu. ESPN has had similar issues with games on TV and has never given a makeup broadcast. Don't hold your breath.

2021 CFL Week 5 preview

CanadianCrossing.com CFL coverage

Robert C. Wetenhall, who owned the Montréal Alouettes during a crucial time from 1997 to 2019, passed away on September 3.

Wetenhall, an American businessman, bought the Alouettes a year after the team came back into the league. The Baltimore Stallions from the U.S. expansion sort of became the Alouettes.

Under Wetenhall's ownership, Montréal had a streak of 8 Grey Cup appearances in 10 years with 3 championship wins.

He sold the team to the CFL in 2019 after being unable to find a buyer. Sid Spiegel and Gary Stern purchased the franchise; Spiegel passed away in late July of this year.

Canadian politics coverage on CanadianCrossing.com

Our American readers who watch the CFL on ESPN+ may notice that the last part of the last ad in a break sometimes shows up in the feed during CFL games. These days, some of those ads are political ads. I've seen the trailing part of ads for the Liberals, Conservatives, and the NDP this season.

Most Americans don't have a clue that there is a federal election. Sports fans generally don't like to mix politics and sports. The parties know there are potential voters and CFL games draw well in Canada.

Occasionally, an athlete becomes a politician. Ken Dryden was a legendary goalie for Les Habs and later represented the Liberals in the York Centre riding (Toronto) from 2004-2011. Jacques Demers served as a senator from 2009-2019; a Conservative senator until 2015 and then an Independent senator until his retirement. Demers was a legendary coach and also a former broadcaster.

Normie Kwong was a stellar running back for Calgary and Edmonton as well as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 2005-2010.

Larry Smith was a running back for the Montreal Alouettes, president of that team, CFL commissioner, and current Conservative senator. Smith has served as a senator since 2010, though he took a brief hiatus in 2011 to run for a seat in the House of Commons. Smith finished third in that race and was brought back into the Senate. He served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 2017-2019.

Gene Makowsky kept it all in Saskatchewan, playing 17 seasons in the CFL for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The 2011 CFL season ended on November 4, 2011, a rare year when the Roughriders were not going to the playoffs. 3 days after the end of that season, Makowsky won a seat in the provincial parliament and has represented the Saskatchewan Party in the Regina Gardiner Park (previously Regina Dewdney) riding since his CFL retirement.

A couple of old time Toronto Maple Leafs played their position on and off the ice. Howie Meeker played right wing for the Leafs and spent two years as a Progressive Conservative MP (1951-1953) while an active player for Toronto. Frank Mahovlich ("The Big M") played left wing and won 6 Stanley Cups. Mahovlich served as a Liberal in the Senate from 1998-2013.

Short-term solutions for TSN to replace Chris Cuthbert on CFL telecasts

Good morning from Regina! First game of what's truly a broadcast bucket list weekend for me!

Bombers in town to battle the Riders! Sask has won 14 of the last 15 Labour Day Classics. WPG won ‘19 West Final at Mosaic.

I’ll be calling the ACTION with @GlenSuitor & @saraorlesky pic.twitter.com/MZvgpmy03f

— Dustin Nielson (@nielsonTSN1260) September 5, 2021

Matt Dunigan and Milt Stegall are on Canadian soil. They were working from home aka the United States on the CFL on TSN panel to start the season. We figured Dunigan would need to be in Canada for the tripleheader this weekend.

Rod Smith worked with Dunigan Friday night in Ottawa. As we noted last week, Dustin Nielson took the Chris Cuthbert role and called both western games with Glen Suitor. Nielson was really excited to be calling both games last weekend.

Rod Black and Duane Forde reunited for the first time since 2019 in Hamilton on Labour Day.

Suitor kept up his 2:1 ratio of games vs. Duane Forde: now at 12-6 with 1 for Dunigan.

TSN has some flexibility with the tripleheaders where a play by play person doesn't have to call games on back-to-back days. One of the colour analysts will have to do double duty unless there is another prospect.

logo credit: CFL
Twitter capture: @canadian_xing; @nielsonTSN1260

2021 TIFF preview

Festival staff, audience members and visitors entering #TIFF21 venues from September 9–18 will be required to show either proof they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or proof that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within 48 hours prior to entering any TIFF venue. pic.twitter.com/UbnaYxzuzS

— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) August 23, 2021

Americans and non-Americans outside Canada can attend the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, provided they met the incoming criteria. Those rules don't apply to streaming the films, though you will have to be on Canadian soil.

For those attending in person: TIFF Festival venues include: TIFF Bell Lightbox and marquee venues the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre and Roy Thomson Hall, Scotiabank Theatre Toronto, and the Cinesphere IMAX Theatre at Ontario Place, plus outdoor screening venues at Ontario PlaceFestival Village, including the Visa Skyline Drive-In, the RBC Lakeside Drive-In, and the West Island Open AirCinema.

If you are into celebrity sightings, TIFF has a list of scheduled guests.

There are also satellite screenings in various Canadian cities of TIFF films (mostly not Canadian) on September 12-13.

When TIFF concentrated on Canadian films for the opening night film

Canadian film review: Run This Town

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah had a Canadian talking about a Canadian film

The opening night film is not Canadian: the honour goes to Dear Evan Hansen featuring Tony winner Ben Platt. You may recall his less-than-stellar performance in Run This Town. Then again, that Canadian film was terrible on multiple levels.

Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band — the 2019 opening night film — was the first Canadian film to get that high honour since 2010.

2020 TIFF wrapup

Best to see a film while you can if you are able to catch a film you want to see at TIFF.

The 2020 winner for Best Canadian Feature Film will likely never be released. What happened to Inconvenient Indian from Michelle Latimer is rather unusual. Feel fortunate if you saw that film in last year's festival.

In 2020, there was no award given for Best Canadian First Feature Film, an award that had been handed out since 1997. We look forward to seeing which film gets that honour in 2021.

2019 TIFF Canadian film wrapup

The fun outside the festival has traditionally been how the city reacts during the festival. That was a non-factor in 2020 and may not have much energy in 2021.

You don't have to have Tom Hanks to make a film festival special, such as what we saw in 2019. Always nice when that happens. May the year 2022 have that spirit for TIFF.

During our 2021 TIFF Canadian film preview, we had a spotlight on Canadian films such as All My Puny Sorrows, Maria Chapdelaine, Scarborough, Wildhood, Ste. Anne, and The Middle Man.

This is not even close to a full list of Canadian films at the festival. We look forward to surprises to come our way.

2021 TIFF Canadian film preview

We are back to having 4 TIFF Rising Stars. Last year, we had 4 total and 1 Canadian instead of the usual 8 overall and 4 Canadian. As TIFF noted, "this year’s TIFF Rising Stars will be lead actors in Official Selection feature films at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival." All of their films are in the Discovery section. All bio information courtesy of TIFF.net.

Arooj Azeem (Quickening) This film is Azeem's debut feature film performance.

Emma Ferreira (Learn To Swim) This film is Ferreira's debut feature film performance. Her background in theatre includes playing Juliet in Measure for Measure and Hero in Much Ado About Nothing in Canadian Stage's Shakespeare in High Park (now called Dream in High Park). Ferreira followed that up with a lead in Jason Sherman's Copy That at Tarragon Theatre.

Phillip Lewitski (Wildhood) is known for his leading role in the Hulu original series Utopia Falls, his guest-starring role in Supernatural on the CW, and his recurring guest-star role in the series finale of History's Vikings.

Thomas Antony Olajide (Learn To Swim) is an screen and stage actor from Vancouver. Olajide starred in Thyrone Tommy's short film Mariner and appeared in the French-language Québécois television series Les Nomades II, for which he was nominated for Best Actor at the 2020 Prix Gémeaux.

TIFF Rising Stars

2011 Sarah Allen, Katie Boland, Sarah Gadon, Keon Mohajeri

2012 Tatiana Maslany, Connor Jessup, Charlotte Sullivan, Charlie Carrick

2013 Megan Park, Johnathan Sousa, Evelyne Brochu, Cara Gee

2014 Shannon Kook, Sophie Desmarais, Alexandre Landry, Julia Sarah Stone

2015 Deragh Campbell, Stephan James, Aliocha Schneider, Karelle Tremblay

2016 Jared Abrahamson, Grace Glowicki, Mylène Mackay, Sophie Nélisse

2017 Daniel Doheny, Mary Galloway, Théodore Pellerin, Ellen Wong

2018 Devery Jacobs, Lamar Johnson, Michaela Kurimsky, Jess Salgueiro

2019 Kacey Rohl, Mikhail Ahooja, Nahéma Ricci, Shamier Anderson

2020 Madeleine Sims-Fewer

2021 Arooj Azeem, Emma Ferreira, Phillip Lewitski, Thomas Antony Olajide

2020 TIFF Rising Stars

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The 2021 Toronto International Film Festival runs today through September 18.

Twitter captures: @tiff_net
photo credit: All My Puny Sorrows film

Larry Walker honours Montreal and the Montreal Expos in Hall of Fame speech

Larry Walker became only the second Canadian player in the Baseball Hall of Fame and the first position player. Walker's speech was delayed thanks to the pandemic. His speech felt very Canadian: humble and appreciative.

Walker called out Ferguson Jenkins, the first Canadian player in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He talked about pulling off a social media moment when trying to get support to get him into the Hall of Fame: #Fergieneedsafriend.

He started his career with the Montréal Expos. Walker spoke of his unconventional way of getting to the major leagues since he didn't play much baseball. He spoke of a story in the minor leagues where he needed to backtrack on the bases. Instead of following the basepaths and touching second base before heading to first base, Walker cut across the diamond and was called out for clearly running outside the baseline.

Most Hall of Fame players have a much clearer path to MLB. Given at the time that Canadians were not allowed to be drafted, the Montréal Expos are literally the reason Walker played in the major leagues.

Walker went into the Hall as a Colorado Rockies player. He was granted free agency after the 1994 season and signed with Colorado. The loss of Walker in early 1995 and Patrick Roy in late 1995 from Montréal to Denver were gigantic blows to the sports world in Montréal.

"I'll always be grateful that the Montréal Expos took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity to play baseball professionally. To all the Expos fans and people of Montréal, it was a great honour to put on the Expos uniform and represent my home country. I enjoyed many years in Montréal, none of them as good as that 1994 team. We all lost out that year from the work stoppage. And nobody knows what would have happened that year but I still imagine what it would have been like to bring a World Series to Quebec. To the fans hoping for their team to return to Montréal, I join you in hoping before long that Major League Baseball returns to your beautiful city."

Walker told the story of getting a $1500 signing bonus, which came out to $2000 Canadian at the time. He felt like at the time that he had won the lottery.

"Thank you Canada for all your support I have received throughout the years from my home country. I share this honour with every Canadian and I hope that all you Canadian kids out there that have dreams of playing in the big leagues that see me here today gives you another reason to go after those dreams."

While the ceremony had been delayed by over a year, Montréal Expos fans couldn't make the trip down from Quebec to be there in person. While Americans under certain circumstances can cross into Canada, the same is not true for Canadians into the United States. They would have been loud and proud.

Adnan Virk (Canadian) of the MLB Network wrote a rather nice essay on the impact of Canada on Larry Walker and the impact of Larry Walker on Canadian baseball. Canadian Joey Votto, who may be the next Canadian in the Baseball Hall of Fame, served as the narrator.

Rogers Sportsnet had a nice interview on the impact in Canada of Walker being in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Larry Walker is now the second Canadian in the Baseball Hall of Fame

Celebrating Montreal Expos legacy in Washington, DC

Toronto Blue Jays help celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Montreal Expos

"(Larry Walker) influenced an entire country and changed the dynamic of which we play baseball up there." That was Canadian MLB pitcher Ryan Dempster on the MLB Network on the day of the original Walker announcement. Dempster talked about Canadians who would be on the fence as to whether to play hockey or baseball.

Seeing Walker succeed made them "believe now that they could play in the major leagues and be successful major leaguers because of him. And to me, that influence he had on an entire country and a generation of baseball players coming from there should put him in the Hall of Fame alone."

Dempster had the second highest win total of any Canadian pitcher in MLB history, a long way behind Ferguson Jenkins.

Walker made a significant impact on Canadian baseball. The Canadian pipeline has included Joey Votto, Justin Morneau, and Russell Martin along with Mike Soroka and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., among many others.

Like his Montréal Expos teammate Tim Raines, Larry Walker reaches the Baseball Hall of Fame on his 10th and final try. Walker was on 76.6% of the ballots, making the Hall by a 6-vote margin.

Tim Raines had to wait even longer to make Baseball Hall of Fame speech

Tim Raines finally makes the Baseball Hall of Fame

CanadianCrossing.com MLB coverage

What a day!! So proud to join the great Fergie Jenkins!! pic.twitter.com/aijornrS17

— Larry Walker (@Cdnmooselips33) September 8, 2021

Since we are talking Canadians and the Baseball Hall of Fame, we wanted to share this National Film Board of Canada (NFB) documentary King of the Hill. The documentary captures bits of Ferguson Jenkins during the 1972-1973 seasons, his final 2 seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

Jenkins started his career with the Philadelphia Phillies but made a name in baseball with the Cubs.

Jenkins became the first Canadian to win the Cy Young Award in 1971, going 24-13 with 30 complete games (in 39 starts) with 37 walks and 263 strikeouts. He was a 20-game winner every year from 1967-1972.

After being traded to the Texas Rangers, Jenkins won 25 games and became the first baseball player to win the Lou Marsh Trophy, an award given each year to Canada’s top athlete, in 1974. Jenkins was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Hall of Fame in 1991.

video credits: Colorado Rockies/MLB; MLB Network; National Film Board of Canada
photo credit: MLB Network
Twitter capture: @Cdnmooselips33

2021 CBC television fall preview

If the CBC fall schedule starts on the opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival, the festival is on time but the TV schedule starts early. This is about a month sooner than the 2020 schedule.

Race Against the Tide, a sand version of Battle of the Blades, kicks off the CBC schedule tomorrow night. Shaun Majumder, formerly of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, wrangles sand sculptors dealing with the dramatic tides on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.

Strays, the Kim's Convenience spinoff starring Nicole Power (aka Shannon), starts Tuesday.

The early start helps out This Hour Has 22 Minutes on Tuesday to have a single episode before the Canadian election on September 20.

Tuesdays will have a very new look as the hour-long dramedy Moonshine runs for the next 8 weeks in the late timeslot on Tuesdays.

Sort Of gets some love at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival but won't hit TV sets and tablets and computers until October 5 on CBC Gem and November 9 on CBC TV. The show will air in the U.S. on HBOMax.

CBC Fall 2021

Monday

Murdoch Mysteries 8p
Victoria 9p

Tuesday

This Hour Has 22 Minutes 8p
Strays 8:30p
Moonshine/Sort of 9p
Sort of 9:30p

Wednesday

War Of The Worlds 8p
Diggstown 9p

Thursday

Race Against the Tide/Dragons' Den 8p
The Fifth Estate 9p

Friday

Marketplace 8p
Travel Man: 48 Hours in... 8:30p
The Passionate Eye/The Nature of Things 9p

Saturday

Hockey Night in Canada 7p

Sunday

Heartland 7p
The Great Canadian Baking Show 8p
A Suitable Boy 9p

bold indicates new series; ital indicates new timeslot

2021 CBC television upfront preview

.@CBC sets fall schedule and unveils 2021-22 programming slate, including over 35 original series from Canadian creators. Read more here: https://t.co/bA2jpSwjix pic.twitter.com/uoYG08PXZ9

— CBC PR (@CBC_Publicity) June 2, 2021

CBC will have a lot of holes to fill in the 2021-2022 television schedule

Kim's Convenience to end after Season 5; Frankie Drake Mysteries ends its CBC run

Could build an all-star Canadian TV lineup out of shows that are leaving

Season 4 of Frankie Drake Mysteries will air this fall on Ovation in the United States. Still feel like the show would be a natural pickup for another Canadian network, cable or over the air. Canadians can watch Season 4 on CBC Gem.

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian TV coverage

CanadianCrossing.com CBC coverage

CanadianCrossing.com television coverage

Hockey Night in Canada runs on Saturday nights but not until October 16. Canadian films will run in the timeslot until the season starts.

Though Season 6 of Workin' Moms won't be until winter 2022, we found out last week that Juno Rinaldi, as real estate agent Frankie Coyne, is leaving the show after 5 seasons. Frankie brought a sweetness (not sugary) to the show as someone always willing to improve her world. The move seems amicable. Frankie Coyne will definitely be missed. 

2021 Canadian TV upfronts highlights

The private networks carry so few Canadian TV shows, especially originals. CTV was scheduled to debut Season 3 of Jann on September 20. Then the Canadian election was scheduled for September 20. CTV pushed the debut back a week to September 27 at 8 pm Eastern. There will be 8 episodes. Seasons 1-2 of the show are available in the United States on Hulu.

We mentioned Family Law earlier this summer, the new series from Global. Family Law stars Jewel Staite and Victor Garber. The debut is September 17 at 9 pm Eastern. There are 10 episodes in the season.

Global also has a true crime show based from a podcast called Crime Beat, debuting on October 1 at 10 pm Eastern. Private Eyes finished its run on Global this summer after 5 seasons. The U.S. only got the first 2 seasons in the very mismatched Ion TV.

Hudson & Rex is back for Season 4 on Citytv. The Season 4 debut is October 21 at 8 pm Eastern.

photos credit: CBC
Twitter capture: @CBC_Publicity