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National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
An American sent to Canada was shocked by how furious Canadians are at the U.S.
Article content He discovered that Premier Doug Ford — 'brother of the late Rob Ford, the scandal-plagued Toronto mayor' — had pulled U.S. booze from LCBO shelves. He even visited Grizzly Bar, a Canadian-themed Toronto watering hole serving cocktails with names like TVO Kids and Hadfield. It features a Wall of Heroes featuring framed photos of Ryan Reynolds, Leonard Cohen, Shania Twain, Margaret Atwood, Alex Trebek and more; and a map of the key battles of the War of 1812. Article content Some of van Zuylen-Wood's finds were probably already known to many Americans, like Scarborough native Mike Myers' pro-Canadian appearances on Saturday Night Live. Others may have been news to New York-based readers of the piece, like the time that Jagmeet Singh 'was spotted attending a Kendrick Lamar concert' and 'groveled for forgiveness' from Lamar's Canadian nemesis Drake, claiming he had been there only to see the other headliner, SZA. Article content Van Zuylen-Wood's article unpacks the shaky but incontrovertible Canadian patriotism even among some separatist-minded Quebecers, the well-timed speech to Parliament by Charles III, King of Canada, and the recent political gains made by the Liberal Party of Canada against the background of Trump's talk of tariffs and annexation. Article content Article content 'Part of the purpose of this story … was to bring news back,' he said, 'and to tell Americans that this place that you thought you understood and that you thought was this placid, easygoing place is not so placid and easygoing any more.' Article content But in terms of, as he put it, 'rectifying that imbalance, reactions were what be deemed mixed. Article content 'There was a reaction of raised-eyebrow surprise,' he said. 'The first reaction is, 'Oh my God I had no idea of the extent of it.' And I think a curiosity and an eagerness to learn more.' Article content But beyond a sort of sombre head-shaking, and particularly from more right-leaning readers, there wasn't much sympathy. Article content 'Certainly on social media I saw a lot of taunting reactions to my piece,' he said. 'Who cares? We don't need them. We're the big bad elephant in the room. That sort of thing. But it's not deeply felt, even among Trump supporters. No one is listing it as their top issue.' Article content He reached out to political wonks and foreign policy types, 'and frankly they're thinking more about arctic security and critical minerals in Greenland than they are those issues in Canada. It was actually hard to find people who were thinking extremely seriously about this. It's not in the portfolio really deeply of anyone except Donald Trump it looks like.' Article content And where does it go from here? 'I think it kind of depends a lot on Canadian sentiment,' van Zuylen-Wood said. 'My prediction, not that you should trust my predictions, is that it will reverse itself on the American side, in that I don't think there's a strategic game here that would go beyond Trump. Even a highly protectionist JD Vance administration I don't think would include anything about the annexation threat, and I don't think it would be quite as erratic and bullying.' Article content That said, he spoke to some Canadians who claimed they were done with America. 'I talked to people who said, 'We don't care who the next president is. This relationship is over. We don't want to go. We don't feel welcome.' And I think a lot of people maybe mean it. For some people it'll thaw, especially if the next president is a Democrat. But my sense is it kind of depends on how Canadians feel.'


CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Toronto awards filmmaker Guillermo del Toro key to the city
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow presented filmmaker Guillermo del Toro with a symbolic key to the city at a ceremony on Thursday. CBC's Clara Pasieka has the reaction from del Toro.

CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Matt Johnson's ‘Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' to open TIFF's Midnight Madness
Matt Johnson, director of "Blackberry" poses with his award for Achievement in Direction at the 2024 Canadian Screen Awards Gala in Toronto, on Friday May 31, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey TORONTO — Matt Johnson's time-warping bromantic misadventure and a crime thriller starring Bob Odenkirk are headed to the Midnight Madness program at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. This year's lineup of 10 genre-blurring comedies, action flicks and slashers will open with the Canadian premiere of Johnson's Toronto-set 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,' a mockumentary-style caper based on his Viceland series. Lead programmer Peter Kuplowsky says the comedy is 'steeped in Toronto lore circa the early aughts' and expects it to 'levitate the entire theatre' at TIFF, after earning a standing ovation at its SXSW premiere in March. Set to get pulses racing is the world premiere of 'Normal,' which sees Odenkirk play a temporary sheriff who uncovers the criminal underbelly of a sleepy town. It's directed by Ben Wheatley, who won the 2016 Midnight Madness People's Choice Award for the crime drama 'Free Fire.' Also promising heart-pounding thrills is the world premiere of 'Dust Bunny,' the feature debut of 'Hannibal' creator Bryan Fuller. The slasher stars Sophie Sloan as a young girl who asks her neighbour, played by Mads Mikkelsen, for help after she believes a monster under her bed ate her family. Set to close the program is the Canadian premiere of 'Dead Lover,' a horror comedy by Toronto's Grace Glowicki about a gravedigger determined to bring her drowned lover back to life. TIFF runs Sept. 4 to 14. Kuplowsky says he wanted to bookend the Midnight Madness program with 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' and 'Dead Lover' because they've made 'a substantial impact on the festival circuit.' 'I'm just really proud and feel very patriotic that these Canadian filmmakers made midnight movies that really resonated with international audiences,' Kuplowsky says. 'The prospect of having them finishing their festival tour with us in Toronto is really exciting.' 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' sees Johnson and longtime collaborator Jay McCarrol reprise their roles as two bumbling musicians still trying to achieve their dream of booking a show at local bar The Rivoli. This time, their quest sends them back in time. Kuplowsky says he gravitated toward several comedies for this year's lineup after noticing the success of 'Friendship,' the dark comedy starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson that premiered at last year's program. 'I did really feel like there is this desire amongst contemporary audiences to laugh in cinemas again,' he says. Other gut-busters in this year's lineup include 'The Napa Boys,' an alt-comedy by Nick Corirossi that sees a group of friends embark on a wine-related adventure led by a mysterious sommelier. Meanwhile, Serbia's Aleksandar Radivojević serves up 'Karmadonna,' a sharp-edged comedy about a pregnant woman who gets a call from God telling her to kill targets on his hit list or lose her baby. Among other international offerings is 'Junk World,' a sequel to Japanese filmmaker Takahide Hori's 'Junk Head,' a stop-motion sci-fi film following a cyborg navigating an underground dystopia in search of a way to save humanity from extinction. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Alex Nino Gheciu, The Canadian Press