Anthony Bourdain and Parts Unknown isn't the only Sunday night show on CNN that features a Canada-centric episode. W. Kamau Bell and his United Shades of America show took a look at Canada on Sunday night.
For those unfamiliar with the show, Bell travels to places and talks to the local people about what makes their area unique and distinct.
Bell only traveled to Toronto and Montréal. We see quite a few conversations inside St. Lawrence Market in Toronto.
Bell is a comedian by trade, so Bell actually started the episode in Los Angeles with his friend and fellow comedian Russell Peters in a Toronto vs. Everybody T-shirt. Bell noted there are several famous Canadians in front of the cameras in Hollywood. We saw Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Seth Rogen, [not sure who this was], Dan Aykroyd, Will Arnett, Caroline Rhea, Martin Short, Ellen Page, Leslie Nielsen, and Samantha Bee.
Here are the other major segments in the episode:
Mark Nykanen is a former NBC correspondent in the 1980s. Nykanen and his wife left for Canada in 2003. The couple came back to the U.S. in 2015 and then back to Canada in 2017. Bell said Nykanen is writing a book about moving to Canada.
Bell goes curling with the Royal Canadian Curling Club in Toronto. Bell fell a few times on the ice.
He explores safe injection sites in Toronto and mentions ones in Vancouver. This leads into a discussion about Canadian health care with Dr. Danielle Martin. You might recall Dr. Martin spent time in the United States with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) educating Americans about Canadian health care. Canadians know this but Martin shared with the U.S. audience that prescription drugs are included when you are admitted to the hospital, but not as an outpatient.
Anthony Bourdain takes CNN's Parts Unknown to the mysterious land of Newfoundland
Dr. Danielle Martin teaching Americans about the reality of Canadian health care
Bell talks about how Canada has treated the indigenous population with Melina Laboucan Massimo. The audience learns about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the inquiry into the disappearance of missing indigenous women and girls. Massimo told the story of her sister who died under mysterious circumstances.
He learns about Canada's role in the Underground Railroad as well as the history of slavery in what was Canada before the British colony became a dominion. Slavery remained legal in Canada until August 1, 1834 as Britain got rid of slavery with the Slavery Abolition Act. Bell noted that about 30,000 black people escaped to Canada in southwestern Ontario from 1834-1860.
In Montréal, Bell tries poutine. Then he talks with Cori Carl, an American who was able to make the move, who co-wrote a book on Moving to Canada. Carl toured Bell through her app on how successful you might be in moving to Canada. Bell didn't score well. You can take the test for yourself.
TONITE on #UnitedShades at 10p ET / 7p PT @cnn I'm in Canada talking
— W. Kamau Bell (@wkamaubell) June 24, 2018
-to an American who moved there 2x because of politics
-healthcare
-supervised consumption
-#MMIW w/ Melina Laboucan Massimo
-the underground railroad
-& taking a test to see if I can emigrate.
& I'm curling. pic.twitter.com/vrSiwjaeYF
Despite the geographical limitations, Bell did a rather good job of telling some of Canada's stories. And he dared to visit Canada in the middle of winter.
You can find more information and clips from the show, including an unaired segment on language police in Montréal.
United Shades of America airs Sunday nights at 10 pm ET/PT on CNN.
video and photo credit: United Shades of American/CNN
Twitter capture: @wkamaubell
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