Canada for Haiti
Published January 21, 2010 @ 16:48 in O Canada

On Friday night at 7pm, CBC, CTV and Global Television will air "Canada for Haiti", a fundraiser to support earthquake relief for Haiti. The one-hour, commercial-free event will also be streamed online at the networks' websites and broadcast on CBC Radio Two.

Joining hosts Cheryl Hickey, Ben Mulroney and George Stroumboulopoulos are the following super duper Canadian peeps:

• Celine Dion
• James Cameron
• Michael J. Fox
• The Tragically Hip
• Jason Reitman
• Ryan Reynolds
• William Shatner
• Rachelle Lefevre
• Joshua Jackson
• Eugene Levy
• Norman Jewison
• Tom Jackson
• Will Arnett
• Brent Butt
• Hugh Dillon
• Mike Holmes
• Rick Mercer
• Alex Trebek
• Sandra Oh
• Pamela Anderson
• Justin Bieber
• Nelly Furtado
• Sarah McLachlan
• Barenaked Ladies
• Simple Plan
• David Foster
• Chantal Kreviazuk
• Raine Maida
• Measha Brueggergosman
• K'naan
• Craig Kielburger
• Wayne Gretzky
• Steve Nash
• Stephen Harper
• Michaelle Jean

Donations collected during the broadcast will go to a number of non-profit organizations including the Canadian Red Cross Society, Care Canada, Free the Children, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam Quebec, Plan Canada, Save the Children Canada, UNICEF Canada and World Vision Canada.

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Canada Kills Pepsi Cheer - We Win!
Published January 6, 2010 @ 18:26 in O Canada, Press Recognition, That Damn Pepsi Cheer

What was Pepsi thinking? That's what I want to know.

I work in marketing. I'm shocked Pepsi's "Cheer Nation" campaign got off the drawing board. I totally understand why Pepsi would want to associate their beverage with our national game, that's just smart business sense, but asking us to abandon “Go Canada Go” and “Ca-Na-Da” in favour of their awful and insulting chant of “Eh Oh Canada Go” is a horrible, horrible idea. They literally trampled ungraciously and obnoxiously on sacred ground.

Since I wrote Cheer Nation? I'm Not Chanting "Eh! O' Canada Go!" For Pepsi I've been using every ounce of my Google prowess and social media might to defend my nation, our game and our collective intelligence by rallying against PepsiCo and this campaign. I've managed to get interviewed by one major newspaper and an article I wrote got into the hands of the entertainment editor at The Star. Sadly, that article never got printed, but this one in the Vancouver Sun ran today.

'Eh Oh Canada Go' junior hockey chant falls flat

VANCOUVER — While Team Canada's attempt to achieve a sixth straight World Junior Championship gold medal fell to the wayside in overtime against Team USA last night in Saskatoon, at least one sigh of relief was exhaled by hockey fans across Canada as a corporate attempt to hijack a cultural tradition fell flat in its face.

Pepsi's attempt to eliminate the traditional Canadian hockey chants of “Go Canada Go” and “Ca-Na-Da” and re-brand them with the dubious chant of “Eh Oh Canada Go” was received with little fanfare before the tournament and by the gold medal game, the corporate takeover was stopped in its tracks as 13,000-plus loud, passionate fans kept to the traditional “Go Canada Go” chant.

Pepsi is a sponsor of Hockey Canada but not the Olympics and decided to get in on the pre-Olympic hockey buzz by creating a marketing campaign asking Canadians to create a new hockey chant.

The hockey gods cringed, as did fans across Canada.

The corporation's bid to get one million people to sign up for “Cheer Nation” has only garnered 93,876, many of whom were enticed to sign up because Pepsi said it would temporarily display a list of their names in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Pepsi's Facebook page has 133,000 fans, although that may be deceiving since most of the latest messages on the page seem to reinforce what many are calling a marketing disaster.

"I became a [Facebook] fan of this just to say how stupid it is. No company is going to tell me how to cheer. I don't need a sports cheer marketed," wrote Facebook member Jeff.

Meanwhile, the recently created "Eh! Oh! Canada Go! chant is a national embarrassment" Facebook page has 30,000 members.

And on Canucks.com, one fan created a forum discussion demanding the Pepsi chant be boycotted.

While Pepsi said the chant had "landed in Saskatoon" it was barely heard, if not for the parachuted Pepsi employees who tried (and failed) to launch the chant inside the arena.

During one commercial break in a previous game the chant's creator Joan Buma was introduced while a small group of "fans" chanted the cheer and a Pepsi cheerleader waved a Pepsi flag up and down the aisles. To Pepsi's credit one boy (presumed not to be paid by Pepsi) did stand up and bravely cheer the Pepsi chant for the camera.

Fans posting messages on online hockey discussion forums, such as NHL team websites and HFBoards.com, condemned the chant, with all due respect to Buma.

"I trust the Pepsi chant will die the early and inglorious death it deserves," said one member on HFBoards.com.

Bloggers also derided the corporate gimmick.

“Toronto Mike” said on his popular blog that the premise that Team Canada fans needed to be united was "faulty," and that fans are not corporate "sheep."

By the gold medal game there was seemingly nothing left of the chant other than the continuous bombardment of Pepsi commercials on television. The cheer wasn't necessarily boycotted, rather it was simply ignored and died an inglorious death.

I'm claiming victory. This campaign will go down in history as one of the greatest miscalculations in Canadian marketing history. We Canadians are a tolerant bunch, polite and passive at times, but when you come in our backyard and tell us how to cheer for our national hockey team, we get pissed. And you don't want to see a Canadian pissed.

That damn cheer has indeed died an inglorious death. We won!

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Remembrance
Published November 11, 2009 @ 11:00 in O Canada

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause and remember the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom and democracy during the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Afghanistan conflict and during peacekeeping missions.

I've scoured my site for relevant entries. Here are some you may want to revisit today.

• Vimy Ridge - posted December 14, 2002
• In Flanders Field - posted November 11, 2003
• Vimy Ridge - posted November 11, 2004
• Never Forget - posted November 11, 2005
• Three Little Pricks - posted November 9, 2006
• It's Our Job To Never Forget - posted November 11, 2006

Here are some entries about Alfred Finley, a veteran and familiar face in Bloor West Village for many years.

• Al - posted May 31, 2004
• The Forgotten Soldier - posted July 4, 2004
• Pitiable - posted September 25, 2004
• Alfred Finley, 1919-2006 - posted June 4, 2006
• Al (Flickr photo)

And to those who served, or are serving this great country right now, I have one word: Thanks.

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Buy Canadian
Published September 29, 2009 @ 19:32 in O Canada

For the life of me, I can't remember who sent me the "Buy Canadian" email this morning. I think it was Mike from Lowville, please correct me if I'm wrong... I got the instant message while balancing four burning issues.

I thought it was a valid point and worthy of repeating here, so here's Mike from Lowville's "Buy Canadian" message to us all. I'll admit, I haven't been reading labels, but maybe I should start. What do you guys think?

BUY CANADIAN ! ! !

You may want to check those labels when you do the grocery shopping, you will be shocked at were some of the items are coming from, I was for sure....spend more time shopping and it may help our fellow CANADIANS KEEP THEIR JOBS.

Check this out. I can verify this because I was in Lowe's the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The next day I was in Home Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in Canada. Start looking.

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - even their job. So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let's get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey's candy . I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more . My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico now. I have switched to Crest .. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Wal-mart . I needed 60W light bulbs . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats - they were the same except for the price. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - get ready for this -in Canada in a company in Ontario.

So throw out the myth that you can not find products you use every day that are made right here .

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in Canada - the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying Canadian, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!

(We should have awakened a decade ago . . . . . . )

Let's get with the program . . . . help our fellow Canadians keep their jobs and create more jobs here in Canada.

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Daniel Nestor and Canada's Male Singles Tennis Failure
Published July 4, 2009 @ 19:32 in O Canada, Sports

As a teen, I played a lot of tennis. I used to follow tennis pretty closely, rooting for John McEnroe then Boris Becker. I always held out hope Canada could develop a top notch mens singles player. We never did.

Canada's inability to produce a single excellent men's singles tennis player is mind boggling. There have been a few decent female players, and at least a couple of excellent doubles players, but not one male player who could even upset their way into a semi-final match. The highest ranking Canadian male in singles play was Andrew Sznajder who somehow got ranked #46 in September 1989. You're forgiven if you've forgotten about Andrew Sznajder.

We've done okay with doubles, however. Grant Connell reached #1 back in 1995 and Daniel Nestor won Wimbledon earlier today with Nenad Zimonjić. Nestor has had a great career, winning 5 Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. Still, a decent singles competitor eludes us, although we came close...

I seem to recall a young Montreal-born player with promise. His name was Greg Rusedski, as I recall, but in 1995 he decided he could make more money as a Brit. He actually got to the US Open final in 1997, but he was wearing the wrong flag on his backpack.

Will there ever be an elite male singles tennis player from this country?

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I Am Canadian
Published July 1, 2009 @ 16:49 in O Canada

In 2000, a certain beer company launched an ad entitled "The Rant". You may have seen it. It starred Jeff Douglas as Joe, a proud Canadian with something to say. Here's the ad.

On July 1, 2000, I was at Molson Park for an Edgefest when Jeff Douglas actually delivered this rant live. That's how popular this ad was.

It didn't inspire me to buy beer, but nine years later, it's still a great ad. I am Canadian.

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Canada Turns 142, I Look Back in Time
Published July 1, 2009 @ 11:25 in O Canada

Happy Birthday, Canada, you're 142 years young today.

Over the past 6.5 years I've written quite a bit about you. All of those posts can be found at http://www.torontomike.com/o_canada/. But here are a few of my favourites, in the order I wrote them.

1. Vimy Ridge
2. O Canada! (2003 Version)
3. A Distinct Identity
4. Blame Canada
5. Reason Number 32
6. Our Other Anthem
7. The Maple Music Revolution
8. My Ten Favourite Song References to A Canadian Place
9. Best Canadian Movies
10. Top 100 Canadian Songs: The Definitive List
11. D'oh Canada!
12. My Ten Favourite Canadian Albums
13. Helping Fukuoka, Japan Celebrate Canada Day
14. 117,000 Reasons to Remember

Happy Canada Day!

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Canadian War Posters
Published June 26, 2009 @ 15:29 in O Canada

McGill University has a great collection of Canadian war posters online.

The holdings of the Print Collection in the Rare Books and Special Collections Division include some 250 Canadian posters from the two World Wars. The posters are accessible to researchers who visit the Division's Lande Reading Room; a printed finding aid is available from the Reading Room Supervisor.

This website contains basic descriptions and images of each poster, an artist index, a search facility, and an essay about Canadian War Posters. The search facility enables you to search by World War, by Category, by Artist, or by keyword. The results of your search are displayed as thumbnail images. Click on a thumbnail to obtain a larger image and a full description. Each description includes the following information: the poster ID number and title or lead text; the date, artist, and publisher, when known; size, and appropriate notes.

I dig this sort of thing. Here's one of my favourites from WWI.

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Cancon for Barack Obama's iPod
Published January 20, 2009 @ 12:39 in Lists, O Canada, Radio

CBC has unveiled their 49 Canadian Songs for Obama's iPod. These 49 won out over their top 100.

I can't really speak to the French songs or the non-pop songs, but they seem to have hit most of the essential tracks from my definitive Cancon list.

Still, how does The Band's "The Weight" not make this list? Was no Sloan song worthy? Where's the Blue Rodeo? In typical CBC fashion, it seems inclusion was deemed the higher priority.

• Arcade Fire, "Rebellion (Lies)"
• Barenaked Ladies, "If I Had $1,000,000"
• Beau Dommage, "La complainte du phoque en Alaska"
• Ben Heppner, "We'll Gather Lilacs"
• Bruce Cockburn, "Wondering Where the Lions Are"
• Buffy Sainte-Marie, "Universal Soldier"
• Daniel Bélanger, "Rêver mieux"
• Daniel Lanois, "Jolie Louise"
• Daniel Lavoie, "J'ai quitté mon île"
• Diana Krall, "Departure Bay"
• Gilles Vigneault, "Mon pays"
• Glenn Gould, "Goldberg Variations"
• Gordon Lightfoot, "Canadian Railroad Trilogy"
• Gordon Lightfoot, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
• Great Big Sea, "Ordinary Day"
• Harmonium, "Pour un Instant"
• Ian & Sylvia, "Four Strong Winds"
• James Ehnes, "Barber Violin Concerto"
• Jesse Cook, "Mario Takes a Walk"
• Joni Mitchell, "Both Sides Now"
• Joni Mitchell, "A Case of You"
• Karkwa, "Oublie pas"
• k.d. lang, "Hallelujah"
• Leonard Cohen, "Democracy"
• Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne"
• Malajube, "Montréal -40°C"
• Marie-Jo Thério, "Évangeline"
• Marjan Mozetich, "Affairs of the Heart"
• Measha Brueggergosman, "I'm Going Up a Yonder"
• Mes Aïeux, "Dégénérations"
• Michael Bublé, "Home"
• Moe Koffman, "Swingin' Shepherd Blues"
• Neil Young, "Rockin' in the Free World"
• Neil Young, "Helpless"
• Oscar Peterson Trio, "Hymn to Freedom"
• Oscar Peterson, "Place St. Henri (from Canadiana Suite)"
• Parachute Club, "Rise Up"
• Raymond Lévesque, "Quand les hommes vivront d'amour"
• Rush, "Closer to the Heart"
• Sam Roberts, "The Canadian Dream"
• Shad, "Brother (Watching)"
• Stan Rogers, "Northwest Passage"
• Stompin' Tom Connors, "The Hockey Song"
• The Arrogant Worms, "Canada's Really Big"
• The Guess Who, "American Woman"
• The Rankin Family, "Rise Again"
• The Tragically Hip, "Wheat Kings"
• The Tragically Hip, "Bobcaygeon"
• The Weakerthans, "One Great City!"

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49 Songs
Published January 5, 2009 @ 14:11 in O Canada, Radio

I'm a sucker for all these Canadian music features the CBC like to throw at us every few years. The latest is from CBC Radio 2. Starting this morning, CBC Radio 2 is inviting us Canadians to help select the top “49 songs from north of the 49th parallel” that would best define our country to the incoming U.S. President Barack Obama.

It wasn't long ago CBC Radio One was choosing 50 Tracks, which inspired my Best Canadian Song Search.

I wanted to compile a list of the 100 definitive Canadian songs. I wonder how CBC's 49 Songs will compare with my list. It'll be fun finding out.

1. The Tragically Hip - New Orleans Is Sinking
2. Neil Young - Helpless
3. The Band - The Weight
4. Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi
5. Gordon Lightfoot - Canadian Railroad Trilogy
6. Stan Rogers - Northwest Passage
7. Sloan - Underwhelmed
8. The Guess Who - American Woman
9. Leonard Cohen - Suzanne
10. Neil Young - Heart of Gold
11. Blue Rodeo - Try
12. Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah
13. The Tragically Hip - Courage
14. Barenaked Ladies - Brian Wilson
15. Cowboy Junkies - Misguided Angel
16. Arcade Fire - Wake Up
17. Gordon Lightfoot - Early Morning Rain
18. Neil Young - Rockin' In The Free World
19. Rush - The Spirit of Radio
20. The Guess Who - Share the Land
21. Blue Rodeo - Lost Together
22. Death From Above 1979 - Romantic Rights
23. Our Lady Peace - Naveed
24. Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
25. Blue Rodeo - Diamond Mine
26. Bruce Cockburn - Lovers in a Dangerous Time
27. Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind
28. Five Man Electical Band - Signs
29. Bachman Turner Overdrive - Takin' Care Of Business
30. Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
31. The Guess Who - These Eyes
32. Blood, Sweat and Tears - Spinning Wheel
33. Hayden - Bad As They Seem
34. Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl
35. Ian and Sylvia - Four Strong Winds
36. Joni Mitchell - Woodstock
37. Rush - Closer to the Heart
38. Joni Mitchell - Both Sides, Now
39. Our Lady Peace - 4am
40. Maestro Fresh-Wes - Let Your Backbone Slide
41. k.d. lang - Constant Craving
42. The Tragically Hip - Bobcaygeon
43. Neil Young - Old Man
44. Dream Warriors - My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style
45. Sarah Harmer - Silver Road
46. Jeff Healey - Angel Eyes
47. The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
48. I Mother Earth - So Gently We Go
49. Our Lady Peace - Clumsy
50. Joni Mitchell - The Circle Game
51. The Pursuit of Happiness - I'm An Adult Now
52. The Lowest of the Low - Henry Needs A New Pair of Shoes
53. Ashley MacIsaac - Sleepy Maggie
54. Robbie Robertson - Somewhere Down the Crazy River
55. Tom Cochrane - Big League
56. Rush - Tom Sawyer
57. Moist - Push
58. Billy Talent - Nothing To Lose
59. Rusty - Wake Me
60. The Northern Pikes - Teenland
61. Sarah Harmer - Basement Apartment
62. Sarah McLachlan - Hold On
63. The Tragically Hip - Wheat Kings
64. Sloan - Coax Me
65. Spirit of the West - Home For A Rest
66. Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
67. Crash Test Dummies - Superman's Song
68. Stars - Ageless Beauty
69. The Tragically Hip - Ahead By A Century
70. The Demics - New York City
71. Barenaked Ladies - If I Had $1,000,000
72. 54-40 - I Go Blind
73. Bryan Adams - Summer of '69
74. The New Pornographers - Use It
75. The Watchmen - All Uncovered
76. Treble Charger - Red
77. Sam Roberts - Brother Down
78. Randy Bachman - Prairie Town
79. Sarah McLachlan - Angel
80. Tom Cochrane - Boy Inside The Man
81. Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know
82. Skydiggers - I Will Give You Everything
83. Men Without Hats - Safety Dance
84. Rough Trade - High School Confidential
85. Hot Hot Heat - Bandages
86. Corey Hart - Sunglasses at Night
87. Loverboy - Working For The Weekend
88. Metric - Combat Baby
89. Rusty - Misogyny
90. k-os - Heaven Only Knows
91. Tokyo Police Club - Nature Of The Experiment
92. Stars - Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
93. Rheostatics - Record Body Count
94. Odds - Heterosexual Man
95. The Gandharvas - The First Day of Spring
96. The Diodes - Tired of Waking Up Tired
97. Feist - Mushaboom
98. Gowan - A Criminal Mind
99. Grapes Of Wrath - All The Things I Wasn't
100. Max Webster - A Million Vacations

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