Retired usually means you can't do something anymore. Jim Hughson chose to retire when he was still very good at calling hockey. Hughson took over for Bob Cole as the main voice of Hockey Night in Canada in 2008 on CBC and later on Rogers Sportsnet. Hughson started working as the secondary play-by-play announcer in 2005 on CBC.
Hughson, long known for his play-by-play work in baseball and hockey, did cut back last season, only calling Hockey Night in Canada games literally in Vancouver. Hughson got to work with his former colour analyst John Garrett. We didn't know at the time this was the send-off. He shared some of his reasons for retiring on The People’s Show on Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver.
Still a bit odd that we won't hear him at all. Hughson called the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs and final in the bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton. His retirement should have been a bigger deal.
Hughson called the Montréal Expos on TSN from 1987-1989 and the Toronto Blue Jays on TSN from 1990-1994 and CBC from 2007-2008. He also called the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1982-1987 and the Vancouver Canucks from 1979-1982 and 1994-2008.
He also called national games of NHL hockey on TSN, CTV Sportsnet, CBC, and Rogers Sportsnet.
Hughson could have easily had a great career as a baseball announcer. Here is Hughson with Ken Singleton on the Montréal Expos on TSN.
I was lucky enough to start my hockey broadcast career on the same crew as Jim Hughson in 1983. Jim set the bar for me then, and the standard for all 🇨🇦 play by play announcers over the last two decades. The consummate professional. Congratulations Jim, best wishes in retirement. pic.twitter.com/aXBwkF0KBT
The Rogers Sportsnet logic was essentially Chris Cuthbert for Dave Randorf during the pandemic, except they could have used Cuthbert and Randorf. Cuthbert and John Bartlett can handle the east most weeks. Harnarayan Singh with Rick Ball and John Shorthouse will deal with the west most weeks.
RJ Broadhead took a day job as the radio voice of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL. Mark Lee is available, just saying. Rogers got rid of Paul Romanuk mostly because some Maple Leafs fans thought he was too impartial.
Instead of a question about who will call the Stanley Cup playoffs — Hughson or Cuthbert — the answer is Cuthbert. The only question is the depth chart behind Cuthbert at Rogers Sportsnet.
Hughson won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2019, getting into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The award honoured his outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.
Having Hughson do a few regional games, such as the Vancouver Canucks trip to Seattle for the Seattle Kraken home opener on October 23, would be very tempting just to hear him a few more times. Then again, retirement is often stopping, even when you can still do it well. Happy retirement to Jim Hughson.
photo credit: Hockey Night in Canada Twitter captures: @SportsnetPR; @hnicsimmer; @CCpxpSN video credit: YouTube/Phenia Films the MLB archives Original Broadcasts (MLB/TSN)
Hamilton and Montréal couldn't score an offensive touchdown last week. The Tiger-Cats kicked 5 field goals and added a Pick 6 from Simoni Lawrence. The Alouettes kicked 6 field goals and couldn't get a touchdown in any manner.
Calgary could only score 2 touchdowns in Hamilton while BC had 3 touchdowns in Montréal.
The Tiger-Cats crawled out of a rough start to a 3-3 record. The Hamilton schedule is in rather good shape. Hamilton and Toronto are tied at 3-3.
The lowlight in Hamilton was fumbled kick returns by the Stampeders and Tiger-Cats.
The Argos couldn't keep up as Saskatchewan returned to form as long as Winnipeg wasn't the opponent.
Taylor Cornelius struggled with 2 significant turnovers that led to majors in his debut for the Elks, not enough for a win against the top team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Blue Bombers debuted a new kicker, Ali Mourtada, who missed 3 field goal attempts.
Only Montréal, Winnipeg, and Saskatchewan have started the same quarterback through the first 7 weeks of the 2021 season.
U.S. viewers might wonder where @sskroughriders game is. The game is actually on U.S. TV on #ESPNews. That was a genuine surprise. @espn@CFL
We didn't think ESPN would actually make up for the Labour Day fiasco. Then we saw that ESPNews picked up the Toronto-Saskatchewan game on Friday, which took us by surprise.
Turns out ESPN switched out the games, no longer carrying the Hamilton @ Toronto game on November 12 on ESPNews. This means the last U.S. TV game is on October 1, about 8 weeks before the playoffs. ESPN+ will be there to help, most of the time.
Don't want to keep kicking ESPN+ but this error message greeted U.S. based CFL fans at the beginning of both games on Saturday.
The fans in the early game missed the first BC touchdown. The fans in the late game missed the first 3 minutes before the Blue Bombers scored the initial touchdown.
There were some technical difficulties during telecasts from the TSN end.
We wanted to check if the awkward CFL starting times — the 2:45 windows — meant overlapping the end of one game and the start of another game. Couldn't figure that out because the Friday night game was on TV and the technical difficulties at the start of the Saturday game.
The BC Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders will be wearing orange spatting as part of their uniforms in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The federal statutory holiday on September 30 was recently established. The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative orange t-shirt. We wrote about the orange shirts that honour the residential school survivors.
Last week, we rushed the news on Chris Jones being back in Canada as a defensive consultant for the Toronto Argonauts. His first game won't be in Regina. Otherwise, everything else is relevant. Carry on.
Rod Smith and Duane Forde stayed in the east Friday in Hamilton and Saturday in Montréal. Rod Black went out west to hang out with Glen Suitor in Regina on Friday. Dustin Nielson joined Suitor in Edmonton on Saturday night.
Smith reportedly doesn't like to travel too much. Doing more east games would send Black out west at times. We have noted that Black and Suitor were better suited while Chris Cuthbert and Forde made a good combo.
No announcer will have to do back-to-back games this week. Will be curious who will draw those mid-week games in the east.
logo credit: CFL Twitter capture: @canadian_xing photo credit: ESPN+
For the 5th time in the last 7 Canadian federal elections, Canadians voted for a minority government. Justin Trudeau and the Liberals go back to Parliament in Ottawa with a strong minority government, similar in seat total to what happened before the election started.
The Liberals (Paul Martin) in 2004. The Conservatives (Stephen Harper) in 2006 and 2008. The Liberals (Justin Trudeau) in 2019 and 2021.
The Conservatives did better in Atlantic Canada. The NDP did better in Quebec. The Conservatives did worse in Ontario and Alberta. The Greens stayed the same in Atlantic Canada, better in Ontario and maybe worse in British Columbia.
Justin Trudeau wanted a majority government but didn't really ask for one. If the prime minister had asked me before the election, "should we do this?" my answer would have been "no."
Many asked whether this was a wasted election. No election is wasted. We know where Canada stands. We also saw how long Canadians stand, based on hours-long lines to vote, especially in Toronto and Vancouver. The footage almost looked like it came from the United States.
The power of the minority government is that more can get done if the political parties cooperate.
The mail-in ballots will be counted starting today so the actual counts can change.
Mike Morrice (Kitchener Centre) won a federal seat for the Green Party for the first time in Ontario. Morrice finished second in 2019 but took advantage of the fact that the incumbent Raj Saini (Liberal) dropped out of the race.
Ruth Ellen Brosseau (NDP) was the MP in Berthier-Maskinongé (Quebec) from 2011-2019. Brosseau was winning over the incumbent MP Yves Perron (Bloc Quebecois). Alexandre Boulerice (NDP) was re-elected in Quebec.
Paul Manly (Green) was elected to represent the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding (British Columbia). Manly looks like he will finish second to the Conservatives.
Annamie Paul (Green) finished 4th in the Toronto Centre riding. Difficult to represent a party when you are not a MP. Paul is the only federal party leader in trouble over whether that person remains the leader.
Who cares what the disgruntled vindictive book seller says? I boycotted CTV tonight because you had her on. pic.twitter.com/YL3QrgNJBz
The Liberals had a 2-vote lead over the NDP in the Vancouver-Granville riding. Jody Wilson-Raybould retired from Parliament. My Twitter feed was unhappy with CTV for employing her on Election Night. Ian Hanomansing (CBC News) admitted he lives in the Vancouver-Granville riding and mailed in his ballot.
Thomas Daigle (CBC News) was outside a hotel in the Spadina-Fort York riding in Toronto, reporting on people waiting multiple hours to vote. The lines in Toronto and Vancouver in particular looked like Wisconsin and Georgia in 2020.
The Peterborough-Kawartha riding (Ontario) had been a bellwether riding, but elected a Conservative last night.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Quebecers should vote Conservative. Not sure they helped or hurt the party.
Elizabeth May pointed out on CBC News that the Greens had a full slate in every federal election from 2004-2019 but didn't have a full slate in 2021.
David Cochrane (CBC News), to show a contrast where some elections are decided before British Columbia polls close, said in this election, "British Columbia is not the empty net goal of this election."
The Liberals will have at least a seat in Alberta but not in Saskatchewan. The media pounced on Trudeau in 2019 for having zero seats in those provinces. We'll see how hostile they are if Saskatchewan is the only province.
Today is Election Day in Canada. Do your civic duty and go vote. You might have read our takes on this election every Sunday and become a bit cynical. Be cynical if you choose but go out and vote.
Some political reporters don't vote on a principle of complete lack of bias. Your humble narrator argues that reporters are citizens and should exercise the right to vote. Even if you are as cynical as a reporter, you should vote.
If you dislike the first past the post style of voting, vote for a candidate who will change that approach. If you don't vote, you won't have the power to change the system for better representation in Parliament in Ottawa. If you like the idea of federal senators who are independent or like having a party assigned to senators, vote for the candidate that matches your view on the topic.
This election might not have the best turnout: pandemic, difficulty in voting, lots of people using mail-in ballots. All the more reason to vote. Caution: We are hearing that counting might be slower than normal. More people using mail-in ballots will play into that scenario. Be patient through the process.
If you are able to vote and haven't voted, please vote today. Your vote is worthwhile and crucial to a functioning democracy.
This, hundred times strong. People of any country should decide for themselves how to vote. They should vote but the decisions are up to them. #elxn44#cdnpolihttps://t.co/lJHbHaZxGp
When you do go out to vote today, you might find a lot fewer polling stations. Elections Canada has said 11 Greater Toronto Area ridings will see fewer than half the number of polling stations that were open in 2019.
About 5.7 million people voted in advance polls — an 18% increase from the 4.8 million who voted in advance in 2019.
An unusual feature of O’Toole’s daily press events is that he doesn’t introduce the his candidates in the ridings he visits, much less let them speak. pic.twitter.com/HGClycJ9jw
In the parliamentary system, the people vote for a MP in their riding. The party with the most MPs can establish government, whether a majority or minority. There are a few nuances to that but basically that is how the system works.
You can get the impression that the race is about the federal party leaders, which is sort of true-ish. The MP is the person who represents the people in the riding and the way to get your voice heard in Ottawa.
MP candidates should be encouraged to speak up, especially with the party leader by your side.
If you would like to see how 2019 turned out, we have some helpful links to our coverage. The growth of the Bloc Quebecois is pretty much why there was a minority government in 2019 and why we are having this election in 2021. If the Liberals had a majority government, this election would not exist. No government with a majority would risk this kind of scenario. Manitoba did vote a year early in 2019 but that was nothing like this.
Canadians have lots of choices to get their election night coverage. CTV and Global will interrupt their American TV shows to show Canadian election coverage. Citytv doesn't have a national news team. Newspapers will have their reporters commenting online. The Backbench podcast will have a Twitter space.
CBC will have a wide presence on its (temporarily) free CBC News Network feed (for Canadians). You can watch on CBC Gem in Canada. You can watch the feed online outside of Canada.
C-SPAN will simulcast the CBC feed starting at 9 pm Eastern until 1 am Eastern. The political geeks can tune in at 6:30 pm Eastern but the action will be more speculation. Once Quebec weighs in, we should have a better idea about how the night will go.
We want to try something different on Election Day. These are a few tweets that made an impact on what they felt about the campaign and its coverage. The use of these tweets isn't an endorsement of the rest of their Twitter feed: just the acknowledgment of their enthusiasm on a specific tweet.
I have to say this. I've been skeptical and critical of mainstream Canadian journalism, but I have never seen this level of trying to choose the winner/influence the outcome of an election as I have with this one. I feel objectivity is a lost art for many in #cdnmedia. #cdnpoli
The media, Barton in particular, harp on the NDP's $200 millon in spending pledges while ignoring that the current government is spending nearly that much on weapons of war and pipelines Only spending that helps people gets challenged #Elxn44
I hate it when politicians take advantage of Canadians lack of specialized knowledge of complex concepts to misinform.
Inflation is an example. It's important but pretending a year-over-year snapshot coming out a pandemic is somehow evidence of a systemic issue is misleading.
You can't go home again but some NDP Orange Wave of 2011 winners are running to get back into Parliament from Quebec. The province is seen more as a battleground between the Liberals and Bloc Quebecois. The Conservatives have a few seats mostly around Quebec City. The NDP has a lone representative, the only reason Jagmeet Singh was in the TVA debate. Can the NDP significantly increase their numbers in La Belle Province?
We feel bad for those people under COVID-19 quarantine who won't be able to vote (unless they voted early). We do feel worse if they are from places such as Alberta, who has suffered under poor provincial leadership and is dealing with extraordinary numbers as a result. Any time that Alberta premier Jason Kenney actually apologizes is a significant moment.
The Green Party hopes to pick up more MPs. Annamie Paul doesn't have a seat and is running (again) in Toronto Centre. The 2 current Green Party MPs are in British Columbia. Green Party enthusiasts hope they get news early in the evening, such as winning a seat in Atlantic Canada. The Greens had a seat in New Brunswick until MP Jenica Atwin crossed the floor to join the Liberals.
The pundits went nuts over the fact that the Liberals didn't win a single seat in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Liberals don't have a presence in either provincial legislature. The Liberals have 3 MLAs in Manitoba. The Conservatives have 0 members in the British Columbia legislature. We agree that a few seats from those provinces are helpful to the party with the most seats. The Liberals had 4 MPs from Alberta and 1 MP from Saskatchewan in the 2015 election.
Some Canadians who want to vote for the Greens don't have a Green candidate in their riding. Some Canadians would prefer to vote for the NDP candidate over the Liberal candidate but are nervous about vote splitting, meaning the Conservative candidate would win. A few Canadians debate between the Conservatives and the party to the right of the Conservatives, wanting to vote their conscience over practicality. We have great respect for those undecided voters. Strategic voting might be practical but isn't much fun. We offer no advice except to vote. Do your best according to your head and heart.
To the pundits who whined during the election as to why we were having the election, yet were pounding the drums for an election because "it was time" for a minority government to have an election, do better next time.
"In the last 6 federal elections, Canadians have voted for a minority government 4 times (2004, 2006, 2008, 2019) and a majority government (2011, 2015) 2 times. When 2020 started, Canada had a minority government in 4 provinces and the federal government. If Trudeau and the Liberals won a majority in 2019, there would be a different story to read instead of this one." We wrote these words in the beginning of the campaign. Remember them if Canada votes in another minority government.
In the 2015 election, Stephen Harper and his family lived at 24 Sussex Drive, the residence of the prime minister. 24 Sussex Drive has a number of repair issues — asbestos and a dangerous electrical system — and needs to be overhauled. No leader wanted to touch the issue about what to do about the prime minister's official residence.
Justin Trudeau and his family have lived in a section of Rideau Hall, the home of the governor general just east of 24 Sussex Drive.
24 Sussex Drive is not even on the radar since no leader wants to deal with the mess that taxpayers would have to pay for the repairs. The potential costs have increased in the last 4 years.
Trudeau did live in the prime minister residence when his father was prime minister from 1968-1979 and 1980-1984.
Ste. Anne won the major 2021 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) prize as the Best Canadian Feature Film. Scarborough is the true winner of the TIFF 2021: finishing first runner-up for the People's Choice Award, winning the Shawn Mendes Foundation Changemaker Award, and getting honourable mention for Best Canadian Feature Film.
For the second year in a row, TIFF is not awarding the Best Canadian First Feature Film. The Twentieth Century from Matthew Rankin is the last film to win that award all the way back in 2019.
Ste. Anne is a feature debut from Manitoban filmmaker and artist Rhayne Vermette, who wrote, directed, and acted in the film. Vermette plays a mother who returns home to be with her daughter, who is being raised by her uncle and his wife. The film is a "deeply mysterious and alluring examination of home by way of places and people."
The trailer is the opening shot of the film with no words and a woman, presumably the mother walking through a field. Definitely no spoilers.
Scarborough is the story of 3 families struggling to survive in the Toronto area suburb. The film is based on the Canadian novel by Catherine Hernandez, who also wrote the screenplay. Shasha Nakhai and Rich Williamson make their feature debut in a film that "follows three interwoven families fighting an uphill struggle against debt, addiction, and job insecurity."
Danis Goulet is in good company with her feature debut with Tracey Deer (Beans) winning this award in 2020. Night Raiders is about a dystopian world where children are taken from their homes at the age of 5 and brainwashed in state schools. Niska (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers) is a Cree woman who is part of a resistance movement to save her daughter. Yes, you are supposed to transfer this world to what really happened in residential schools against Indigenous people in Canada.
Zacharias Kunuk's Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice won the Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Film. Kunuk is best known for Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner.
TIFF has its reasons for not selecting a Best Canadian First Feature Film. Yet 3 successful Canadian film winners were feature debuts. We understood last year why the award wasn't given but there seemed to be enough films to qualify in 2021.
Belfast from writer/director Kenneth Branagh won the 2021 TIFF People's Choice Award. Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog finished as the second runner-up.
The 3 films, along with Scarborough, were celebrated as part of the TIFF awards TV show aired on CTV in Canada and streamed through Variety outside Canada.
Denis Villeneuve won the TIFF Ebert Director Award for Dune. The French-Canadian director has drifted away from Canadian films for some time. The tribute package did cover Polytechnique and Incendies from his Canadian film days but the TIFF tribute ignores everything Villeneuve did before those films.
Rebecca Ferguson, who is in Dune, introduced Villeneuve before he received the award. Ferguson talked about how Villeneuve cares about you whether you are a big fish or a tiny minnow. Your humble narrator had a flashback to Maelström, which did feature a fish as a narrator.
We realize that Maelström and August 32nd on Earth doesn't fit where Villeneuve is from an "American" standpoint. Same for Jean-Marc Vallée, where his classic films C.R.A.Z.Y. and Café de Flore are invisible south of the 49th parallel.
Since Canadian film gets so little publicity, we wanted to call attention to the publicity:
Entertainment reporter Teri Hart, who often is on the Q screen panel, had high praise for Canadian films All My Puny Sorrows ("love, love, love") and Scarborough. Hart joined film critic Radheyan Simonpillai on the Q screen panel to talk TIFF 2021. Simonpillai talked about how a reduced focus on the glamour (due to the pandemic) draws more attention to independent type films such as Night Raiders.
Danis Goulet of Night Raiders talked with Matt Galloway from The Current. You really need to hear the emotion in her voice as she talks about the difficulties in telling these stories.
Bretten Hannam (Wildhood) is a Mi'kmaw filmmaker whose work calls attention to two-spirit and LGBTQ+ identity. Hannam was on Q. The film is set to open the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival in Halifax.
Catherine Hernandez (Scarborough) was on Q with Tom Power. Hernandez talks about how Scarborough is considered an afterthought yet she considers her creative work as a "love letter to this community that is resilient, hardworking — that refuses to back down despite being an afterthought to the powers that be."
QUICKENING director Haya Waseem on working within the Canadian film industry:
“[In] Canada, this should be where all stories are celebrated and really embraced and I think it’s only just beginning to be that way.” #TIFF21pic.twitter.com/xaSfAwsQf2
2019 Kacey Rohl, Mikhail Ahooja, Nahéma Ricci, Shamier Anderson
2020 Madeleine Sims-Fewer
2021 Arooj Azeem, Emma Ferreira, Phillip Lewitski, Thomas Antony Olajide
Best Canadian Feature Film
I have added When Jews Were Funny to the films I've seen from this list. Since 2009, the ones I haven't seen were 2016, 2020, and 2021. We may never see the 2020 winner.
Best Canadian Feature Film
Year
Film
Director
2021
Ste. Anne
Rhayne Vermette
2020
Inconvenient Indian
Michelle Latimer
2019
Antigone
Sophie Deraspe
2018
The Fireflies Are Gone
Sebastien Pilote
2017
Les Affamés
Robin Aubert
2016
Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves
Mathieu Denis, Simon Lavoie
2015
Closet Monster
Stephen Dunn
2014
Felix and Meira
Maxime Giroux
2013
When Jews Were Funny
Alan Zweig
2012
Laurence Anyways
Xavier Dolan
2011
Monsieur Lazhar
Philippe Falardeau
2010
Incendies
Denis Villeneuve
2009
Cairo Time
Ruba Nadda
2008
Lost Song
Rodrigue Jean
2007
My Winnipeg
Guy Maddin
2006
Manufactured Landscapes
Jennifer Baichwal
2005
C.R.A.Z.Y.
Jean-Marc Vallée
2004
It's All Gone Pete Tong
Michael Dowse
2003
Les Invasions Barbares
Denys Arcand
2002
Spider
David Cronenberg
2001
Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner)
Zacharias Kunuk
2000
Waydowntown
Gary Burns
1999
The Five Senses
Jeremy Podeswa
1998
Nô
Robert Lepage
1997
The Sweet Hereafter
Atom Egoyan
The Hanging Garden
Thom Fitzgerald
1996
Long's Day Journey Into The Night
David Wellington
1995
Live Bait
Bruce Sweeney
1994
Exotica
Atom Egoyan
1993
Kanehsatake: 270 Years Of Resistance
Alanis Obomsawin
1992
Requiem Pour Un Beau Sans-Coeur
Robert Morin
1991
The Adjuster
Atom Egoyan
1990
H
Darrell Wasyk
1989
Roadkill
Bruce McDonald
1988
The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick
Allan Goldstein
1987
Family Viewing
Atom Egoyan
1986
Le Déclin De L'empire Américain
Denys Arcand
1985
Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga Of Hal C. Banks
Donald Brittain
1984
La Femme De L'hôtel
Léa Pool
Best Canadian Feature Film (1991-present); Excellence in Canadian Production (1984-1990).
Best Canadian First Feature Film
Would love to find Love, Sex and Eating The Bones. Films are much harder to find in this category. My current streak goes back to 2014.
Best Canadian First Feature Film
Year
Film
Director
2021
no award given
no award given
2020
no award given
no award given
2019
The Twentieth Century
Matthew Rankin
2018
Roads in February
Katherine Jerkovic
2017
Luk' Luk'l
Wayne Wapeemukwa
2016
Old Stone
Johnny Ma
2015
Sleeping Giant
Andrew Cividino
2014
Bang Bang Baby
Jeffrey St. Jules
2013
Asphalt Watches
Shayne Ehman, Seth Scriver
2012
Antiviral
Brandon Cronenberg
Blackbird
Jason Buxton
2011
Edwin Boyd
Nathan Morlando
2010
The High Cost of Living
Deborah Chow
2009
The Wild Hunt
Alexandre Franchi
2008
Before Tomorrow
Marie-Hélène Cousineau
Madeline Piujuq Ivalu
2007
Un Film Sans Fusil Continental
Stéphane Lafleur
2006
Sur La Trace D'igor Rizzi
Nöel Mitrani
2005
The Life And Hard Times Of Guy Terrifico
Louise Archambault, Michael Mabbott
2004
La Peau Blanche
Daniel Roby
2003
Love, Sex and Eating The Bones
Sudz Sutherland
2002
Marion Bridge
Wiebke Von Carolsfeld
2001
Inertia
Sean Garrity
2000
La Moitié Gauche Du Frigo
Philippe Falardeau
1999
Just Watch Me:
Catherine Annau
Trudeau and The 70's Generation
1998
Last Night
Don McKellar
1997
Cube Vincenzo
Natali
As determined by the Toronto International Film Festival.
photo credit: @TIFF_NET; TIFF Twitter captures: all @TIFF_NET except for @_Nataleah video credit: TIFF
We extol about how much better Canada runs its elections and races compared to the United States. Leaders will talk on party differences instead of personal attacks.
American politicians can use the excuse of the months-long campaigns. Canadian politicians can be civil for 36 days.
Erin O'Toole (Conservatives) lost it during the last week of campaigning. "I’d say he’s (Justin Trudeau) all talk and no action,” O’Toole said during a campaign event outside Ottawa. “But this is worse — a person so blinded by his own ambition that he can’t see the rot in his own party. A man who is not a feminist, not an environmentalist, not a public servant. A man who’s focused solely and squarely on himself.”
Trudeau is “privileged, entitled and always looking out for number one,” which is what he was doing when he called an election that's nothing more than a power grab, O'Toole said.
O'Toole has built up a persona of a kinder, gentler conservative, true or not. You could argue that what O'Toole said wasn't that bad. This was rather mean by Canadian standards. If O'Toole somehow wins a minority, he might feel compelled to apologize for this. If Trudeau wins a minority, O'Toole as leader of the opposition will look weaker.
Disagree on approaches, not personalities.
Conservative leader Erin O’Toole cancelled a scheduled interview with @CTVNews, for our series of sit-downs with party leaders running this week. He would not reschedule, unfortunately. (We had Justin Trudeau last night, Jagmeet Singh tonight and Annamie Paul in next few days.) pic.twitter.com/8TperRVeEV
We could start a political adage, "Look how a leader behaves in the final week of a campaign." Hiding is never a good sign. We blasted Justin Trudeau for blowing off debates in 2019 and Stephen Harper for blowing off more important debates in 2015.
O'Toole hiding from CTV can't be a good sign. That would be like Jagmeet Singh or Annamie Paul hiding from The Tyee.
Speaking of hiding, for the second federal race in a row, Doug Ford, premier of Ontario, has been in the unofficial witness protection program. Not sure whether that benefits Trudeau or O'Toole in key Ontario ridings, especially in the 905. Always find hiding to be intriguing.
We were highly critical of the use of a polling person to be the moderator of the only English language debate. We had issues with Shachi Kurl (president of the Angus Reid Institute) for her need to interrupt the leaders on a random basis and asking questions poorly (i.e., the Bill 21 question).
We like to offer solutions as well as offer criticism. Neetu Garcha of Global BC should be the moderator for the next English language debate. You might remember in the beginning of the campaign that we highlighted her interview with Erin O'Toole. We used that as a contrast to Global national anchor Dawna Friesen's lazy question on Twitter.
Garcha's name also came up in the last Short Cuts version of Canadaland. They were talking about an Justin Trudeau interview where Trudeau complained at the end that they didn't cover all he wanted to discuss. I wondered whether this was the same reporter as the one for the O'Toole interview.
For those who sometimes argue about whether we are a Trudeau apologist, we ask journalists to be tough on everyone regardless of their party status. Be good and consistent.
Speaking of inconsistent, Jayme Poisson of the Front Burner CBC news podcast took a look at the major parties platforms. Her take with Vassy Kapelos in 2019 was a disaster on multiple levels. They focused almost exclusively on the two major parties and treated the NDP and Greens with little time on the actual content and the majority of time beating up on those parties.
We don't hate listen to Front Burner but we do find if we know even a little about the topic in an episode, we learn very little new information. Imagine the gift of a news podcast devoted to a single topic and never really exploring that issue with any significant depth.
The 2021 version was better; still not great but better. First helpful thing: switch out Kapelos and bring in Ryan Maloney from the CBC. Huge improvement. Maloney was straightforward instead of the cynicism from the combo of Kapelos and Poisson.
Second helpful thing: group Liberals and Conservatives together. The 2019 version had a "major" party matched with a "minor" party so the "minor" party got very little time.
However, the Liberals and Conservatives episode lasted 28 minutes. The "other" parties episode lasted 21 minutes. That isn't even the appearance of fair. During the "major" parties episode, Poisson referred to the other episode but didn't say any of the other parties names out loud.
They covered the NDP and Greens platforms but Poisson said they wouldn't discuss affordability or climate change because those topics were covered (poorly) on other podcast episodes. Poisson's decision to cover a party without any current members in the House (think really right-wing) was "justified" because of their position in the polls. The polls, besides not being newsworthy, aren't a true representation of where they will finish with the voters and almost no chance of winning an actual seat in Parliament.
Front Burner got a lot better when other people were guest hosts late in the summer.
Erin O'Toole and the Conservatives took a page from the UK Conservatives playbook with the Dine and Discover program. While popular (perhaps too popular) in the UK, the difference is that the idea is a cheap, short-term fix for an industry that needs a lot more help. We covered this extensively for our sibling blog, BalanceofFood.com.
A month means 12 days of a 50% discount. A lot of restaurants in Toronto are normally closed on Mondays. Many restaurants are closed Tuesdays or Wednesdays during the pandemic. Restaurants that are struggling would incur costs offering cheaper food. A gimmick on top of more substantial policy is better than just a gimmick.
We also covered the impact of the upcoming Canadian election on Canadian content creators, especially Canadian film and Canadian TV. The impact on the CBC under Conservative rule. Bill C-10, warts and all. You can look up the platforms of the major parties via I Am Canadian Content and see where the parties stand on issues important to Canadian content creators.
In the shocked/not shocked category, intercity bus travel did not come up in the campaign. For our friends at BalanceofFood.com, food supply and safety did not come up in the campaign. Indigenous issues hardly came up. We had the recent discovery of graves of over a thousand Indigenous children at residential schools. No one wore orange, if you know what we mean.
You likely have 2-3 issues of your own that the federal campaign did not address. Some of these issues could have come up in debates in local ridings. We know so little about these debates that could really give a sense of what is happening on the ground.
You might have a sense of what party could deliver on those topics. So much of the coverage is on the federal party leaders but Canadians vote directly for their MP (member of Parliament).
Those voters encrusted with a party or some who go back and forth but only between like minded parties (such as NDP and the Greens) may be confused by the idea of the "undecided voter." How can they truly be undecided? Are they "undecided" because they could get on TV such as being on Canada Votes: Face to Face.
The many voters who go back and forth between the Conservatives and Liberals is a real phenomenon. They are in other provinces not just in Ontario. As someone who has covered politics in Canada and the United States, those people always confuse me. When they vote, they are the swing factor in many key ridings.
Rosemary Barton was back with 4 undecided voters (down from 5 in 2019) for each party leader. The good news is that CBC News made the segments more fair than they were in 2019. Barton was reasonably tough on all the party leaders.
One key difference is that the audience was virtual on Zoom so we couldn't get a reaction to what the leaders said. Barton had to pass on how they were reacting.
Singh used the analogy of the tough fight to get universal health care to dealing with for-profit long-term care homes and pharmacare. What Singh could have mentioned is that universal health care advanced in a Liberal minority government (Lester Pearson) with help from the NDP (Tommy Douglas).
Trudeau got a great question from Ty in Bowmanville, ON that all of the leaders should have addressed. Did find it a bit odd that Ty lives in Erin O'Toole's riding. O'Toole is from Bowmanville, which I learned from watching This Hour Has 22 Minutes this week.
There were more "undecided voters" who were definitely leaning toward the party leader they were addressing. Paul had 2 of her 4 undecided voters say they had voted Green in the past.
O'Toole explained his childcare support slightly better than in the debates. He talked about the 75% support for those under $30,000. Getting that $30,000 figure took several rounds of questioning from Jason Hawkins of Toronto, who was excellent. Still not sure I get the whole plan and how supply of spaces will increase.
If you are looking for hear some of those highlights if you are pressed for time, Rosemary Barton was on with Jayme Poisson on Front Burner, her CBC News podcast, about the face-to-face sessions.
A lot of pressure on This Hour Has 22 Minutes for a singular election show in 2021. How well did the show deliver in its new timeslot of 8 pm local time?
Mark Critch had fun with Jagmeet Singh on his plane as well as Justin Trudeau. The Singh segment had some nice zings from Critch. The Trudeau segment had fun with the beard but otherwise not as sharp. Singh and Trudeau get what Critch is trying to do and they are in on the fun.
Mary Walsh as Marg Delahunty had fun with coming up with nicknames for all the party leaders. Delahunty handed a sword to Green Party leader Annamie Paul in a news conference in Ottawa.
The video (above) was a great highlight about what happens when Conservatives want to take away the clippity cloppity horse show (Heartland) on CBC.
Leonard Chan went on a "search" for Erin O'Toole in Bowmanville, ON. Chan had a great line about how O'Toole hates him because he was an environmental engineer and now works for the CBC. That would not have happened if O'Toole had accepted their invitation to be on the show.
The vote-splitting fake Conservative ad was sharply on point.
There were some misses: Aba Amuquandoh and Stacey McGunnigle sang a song about objectifying the party leaders and then shifted to about how one of them literally didn't know how to vote.
We loved the core of recent years of Mark Critch, Cathy Jones, Shawn Majumder, and Susan Kent. We know the show has had to be more diverse. Jones has been there from the start but left the show. Kent went away quietly as she has shifted more to acting work such as the Canadian film Spinster and Canadian TV show Pretty Hard Cases.
Majumder, part of that diversity, was fired in 2018 for reasons that still seem bizarre. Trent McClellan has improved since joining the show in 2017. Aba Amuquandoh just joined the show in 2021. Featured players Stacey McGunnigle and Chris Wilson started out on Tuesday.
By the time the next election comes along, this new core will find their voices and improve.
Canadians can watch that episode of This Hour Has 22 Minutes on CBC Gem. The Trudeau segment and the Heartland segments are on the show's Facebook page.
Not related to the federal election, Manitoba will have a female premier for the first time on or around October 30. The only 2 names on the ballot for the Progressive Conservatives are MLA Heather Stefanson and former Conservative MP Shelly Glover. Ballot isn't for the voters; party members will pick the next premier on October 30.
Editor's note:We will have a comprehensive guide with all of our election notebooks tomorrow morning at 8 am Eastern/9:30 am in Newfoundland.
photo credits: CBC News; Global BC Twitter captures: @glen_mcgregor; @canadian_xing video credit: This Hour Has 22 Minutes/CBC
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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'Brien1997 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.
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.
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
"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.
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
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
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.
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
