Reviews

Canada: Happy 150th

7/2/2017

Dave Semenko

Kate and Anna McGarrigle

Whenever I hear the Canadian national anthem, the first thing I think about is skaters, moving in place near center ice, fidgeting until the puck is dropped.

I think of the heart, the core, of a country, a sport, a way of life. I think of great nights in Montreal and Vancouver and Edmonton, the Stanley Cup waiting in the wings.

I hope this does not seem condescending. There are a lot worse things that could pop into mind for a country.

Saturday was Canada’s 150th birthday. I did not realize this version only became official in 1980.

The second thing I think about is music. Again, this a high compliment. I think of k.d. lang’s album “Hymns of the 49th Parallel” – she aces Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” – and Neil Young and The Band and Joni Mitchell and all the other musicians known around the world.

Really, that’s enough right there.

As the birthday approached, I thought about Dave Semenko, the enforcer on the great Oilers teams, who passed the other day at 59. And I thought about Kate McGarrigle, of the McGarrigle Sisters, who passed in 2010 at the age of 63.

In tribute, I put on “The McGarrigle Hour,” a collection of folk and pop with Kate and Anna and also the talented extended family, which became our family.

O Canada.

I thought about my friend’s mom from Montreal who always reminded me who Lady Byng was (on hockey’s sportsmanship trophy) and I thought about the family in Victoria with the garden and lawn bowling and music, and I thought about my e-pal Bruce from near Hamilton, who sends me bird photos from his window, and reminds me about the good medical care up there in the deprived wilds of the frozen north.

I thought about the grand old gent, Camil Des Roches, publicist extraordinaire of the Canadiens, who gave me my first tour of the Forum in 1984, and sent me cassettes of Danielle Oddera, singing Jacques Brel.

I thought about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, wading into a gay parade in Toronto recently, practicing inclusivity.

(I admit, my mind also wandered to Emmanuel Macron of France and Angela Merkel of Germany, but I could not afford to go down that melancholy path.)

Mostly, I thought about the good neighbors to the north, going their own way, doing fine.

Joyeux anniversaire. Happy anniversary.

bruce

7/2/2017 01:51:56 pm

george,

thanks for the column and shout out.

i first emailed you from japan about 10-11 years ago about a story you wrote. can't recall what the piece was about, but i think world cup or tour de france.

i wrote you because you seemed aware there was a big, wide world outside the usa with billions of people who loved their countries just as much as americans do, were just as competitive in sports, could rise to the occasion just as much as americans believe their countrymen and women do and soccer, tho it drives me crazy with diving, was the true world sport.

about the national anthem....a number of years ago it wasn't rare for booing to break out when the singer at a hockey game switched to french for a bit in the english speaking arenas outside quebec. always struck me as odd since it was written by a french canadian and the lyrics were in french with a completely a different meaning than in english which, incidentally, didn't have its own version until a generation or so later.

enjoy your july 4th and same day birthday.

bruce

George Vecsey

7/2/2017 01:57:47 pm

Bruce, thank you for being such a proud representative of your country, while also loving Japan and France and (I bet, deep in your fair Canadian heart) this bumptious giant to the south.
best, GV

bruce

7/2/2017 02:09:24 pm

george,

thanks for that.

i can say the same about you for your country.

i can honestly say i've never known an american--personally--that i didn't like.

often tho, the culture makes me shake my head.

i agree with what al franken said in one of his books. you can love your country and be critcal as an adult--warts and all.

not as a child who won't/can'tquestion or disbelieve something their parents say.

and i include canadians in that.

bruce

Brian Savin

7/2/2017 07:59:05 pm

I have no understanding of how this is an officially preferred 150 years, though Lordie I've tried to understand why this should be the big one. Never mind, I'll just conclude that Canada is a year older than my house.

One of the greatest modern Canucks not a hockey player, Malcolm Gladwell, was on Meet the Press today talking about how Canada had had a national discussion on healthcare. He said they decided that universal coverage was more important than latest technology efforts to save lives and that the U.S.A. needed the same discussion.

He also endorsed President Trump's "authenticity" explaining that no one should be surprised by his behavior which he clearly telegraphed and he is performing exactly as supporters expected.

Smart folks, those Canadiens.

bruce

7/3/2017 01:12:19 am

brian,

it's all about marketing which americans know something about.

the usa has 250 years coming up in 2026 and i'm willing to bet there will be some notice taken of that in the land of the free and home of brave.

i'm guessing there are many europeans that wouldn't be too impressed with a house that is more than, say, 300 years old in canada or the states. not sure the age of the oldest houses or 'ex' houses in canada but there are some from the 17th century in quebec city.

bruce

George Vecsey

7/3/2017 09:12:33 am

In 1990 for the World Cup, we rented a flat in Rome (Piazza Sforza Cesarini) whose hallway walls contained shards of ancient crockery -- perhaps from the Roman legions whose horses were quartered in that area. That's old.
Brian, I didn't know Gladwell is Canadian. His comment about voter caveat emptor is sad and cynical -- below him. Some of them believed he had some minimal ability to learn and perform. That is why there are lemon laws for autos. Might the Canadians disown Gladwell for that observation? (Just looked it up, Gladwell did that study on birth dates of NHL players -- from Canada: how even a few more months create advantages in youth hockey. Eh?
GV

Brian Savin

7/3/2017 08:36:27 pm

Same with Ivy League college admissions. They don't necessarily accept the smartest, they accept the oldest, because SATs go up with age. (You know about "gap years"?) Your hockey citation for Gladwell is the kind of thing he's known for, and he's pretty much always right, because he takes time to follow the facts and draw assumption-free conclusions. Typical Canuck in my experience. But tomorrow is our holiday, so happy Fourth!

Alan Rubin link

7/5/2017 02:25:11 pm

We were recently in Niagara on the Lake for the Shaw Festival. Five plays and three terrific restaurants in 4 days.

The red 150 years signs were everywhere and it was a great conversation starter with the locals.

My experience with Canadians during more than seven trips over the years has been welcoming and rewarding. They are genuine and engaging people who's current government has the right priorities.

bruce

7/5/2017 02:46:16 pm

alan,

i believe there's a heavy american presence there.

both visitors and people who own homes.

i'm about an hour's drive away.

if memory serves, there's a wealthy chinese woman who has spent a lot of money on improving NOTL. some concern she had too much influence, but it was several years ago. don't know about now.

it's a lovely place, but i haven't been for, probably 8-9 years. too busy.

if you want a real slice of canada, you should visit quebec if you haven't already.

i love that duality of the european founding cultures. feels and looks like europe--especially quebec city.

bruce

Alan Rubin link

7/6/2017 10:44:39 am

Bruce,

You are correct about a large American presence, both full and part time, but we did not notice any local resentment. The only negative comments were against our current leader, or lack of leadership.

There were some amazing homes along and near the lake front. Some were quite large, but not gaudy like many of the McMansions that seem so popular in areas of the state these days.

Our many trips to Canada included Quebec, Montreal, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Gaspe Peninsular.

We were introduced to a perfect example of Canadian hospitality our first day in Nova Scotia. We had just arrived by boat and were driving to the Bay of Fundy when our muffler came loose. The garage did not have a replacement so I asked where I could locate another repair place. “No need, let’s put your car on the lift and see what can be done”.

He proceeded to tack weld the two pieces of pipe together and build up a wall. It was probably the strongest part of the exhaust system.

He charged me $2.50 and I said to keep the change from a five, which he refused. I commented that it would have cost me much more in the states, if they would have even done it.

He still insisted that I keep the money and said that I was not in the states. His parting words were, "enjoy your vacation".

This set the tone for the entire two weeks.

Josh and Jen were very young, so this was about 1968. $2.50 was very low for even then.

A fellow graduate student in Lehigh University’s metallurgical department was a family man who worked in Ottawa Division of Mines. They sent him down to get a masters as he work in welding research.

He said that it was a good place to work and the male female ratio was very favorable for single men.

They offered me a job, but indicated that Canadian Citizenship would be required.

Who knew back in 1958 that Canadian citizenship would be so highly valued today.

bruce

7/6/2017 11:03:28 am

alan,

i've been everywhere you mentioned but the gaspe peninsula. always wanted to see perce rock.

and i was born in halifax tho only spent 15 months in nova scotia. my mother was from just before cape breton and my father was from hamilton and we moved back to his area after he got out of the navy.

the east coast is considered the friendliest part of the country.

in 1998 i went back for the first time i was three for my grandmother's 100th birthday. took my kids who were adults.

i wanted to drive the cabot trail--equals the coastal drive in california, i think.. my kids not so much so i dropped them in baddeck (alexander graham bell's final resting place). they decided to go on a cruise. they got on the boat and the captain wanted to know why they didn't have beer. he flipped my son his car keys and said to go the beer store. he did. the guy working at the store looked at the car and said, 'i see you've got X.s car. tell him hello'.....

'how ya doin'?' was what everybody who sees me says as i wander by whenever i've been.

you've never been in the western part of the country? and i notice you mentioned montreal. how about quebec city?

Alan Rubin link

7/6/2017 03:40:33 pm

Bruce, how could I have forgotten Quebec City?

My friend and I took a fall trip through upstate NY, Montreal, Quebec and finished in Boston.

Our first introduction to French-only-speaking Canadians was asking direction one evening in Montreal. They were trying to be very helpful and we had to do with hand gestures.

We then roamed the back streets of Quebec City for a few days.

Years later, the family took a spring break trip to Quebec City. We stayed in Le Chateau Frontenac with great views.

Josh and Jen were probably too young to leave alone, but we figured that they would be safe in the hotel.

Sandi and wanted to roam Old Quebec City alone at night and an authentic French dinner.

We arranged for them to have room service and left after it arrived. It was wheeled in with both dinners under metal covers which the waiter dramatically lifted. Their eyes lit up and theybelieved they had gotten the better of the deal.

Northwest U.S. and neighboring western Canada is on our wish list of places to visit.

Joshua Rubin

7/5/2017 04:20:37 pm

We had a very different experience than my dad did. On 7/1, we drive through a portion of southern Quebec, from Stanstead through the outskirts of Sherbrooke to Val Racine, near Mont Megantic. We saw virtually no trace that it was a national holiday, let alone a big national milestone birthday. Perhaps we were in solidly Parti Quebecois territory, but we saw a lot more of the fleur-de-lis than we saw of the maple leaf standard. .

bruce

7/5/2017 04:35:41 pm

josh,

as of now, separatism in quebec seems to be at its lowest ebb.

quebec's big 'national' holiday is st jean batiste day on june 24th.

pierre trudeau had bottles and other objects thrown at him in the dignitaries' box in montreal when he was running for his first term in on that day in 1968.

he refused to leave the box and waved his hand as others started to bolt.

the federal election was the next day.

he won a majority and it seems his behaviour that day helped.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk7Qsrm34Bo

bruce

George

7/5/2017 06:23:30 pm

Comme pere, comme fils.

bruce

7/6/2017 04:41:48 pm

alan,

i thought you must've been if you're been to montreal and the gaspe peninsula.

cost a few $ to stay at the frontenac.

i love the old city in quebec.

when americans say to me, 'well, california and texas are like separate countries', i always ask, 'have you been to quebec?'....answer is usually no.

i enjoy vancouver island and vancouver especially the island. jasper and banff in alberta are loaded with tourists--many japanese when i was there; both tourists and working in the shops.

same during my two visits to yellowknife to see the aurora.

you should try PEI and newfoundland.

when i was living in japan, i shared a place with a guy from dublin. i threw in a tape i had of a show called 'this hour has 22 minutes' which had four newfoundlanders as the only talent. i asked if he knew where they were from, 'i know they're from ireland. i'm just not sure where' was his response. he was surprised to hear they were canadian.

only very distinct accents that i hear in canada. occasional words or phrases are different, but not wildly different as they might be in england.britain or the states.

oz is the bit the same as canada in that regard, i think.

bruce

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Canada: Happy 150th

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