Episode 1, A Birthday Tribute to Canada.

Welcome. Welcome all to the Crazy Times Canada podcast. It's our premiere podcast episode launching today, July 1st, 2025. Happy that you could join us and happy birthday, Canada. We're 158 years old and looking good. In the last few years, we've been through a lot, but pinch yourself. We're still very much intact.

So today our podcast is a birthday tribute to Canada. And as part of that birthday tribute, let's take a couple of minutes and do a mini history lesson. Canada, as we know, was formed from Indigenous and treaty land, and 1867 was its founding. So when you hear your province or your territory, I want you to yell, I am Canadian. Let's try this.

• In 1867 Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick became the first Canadian provinces. 
• In 1870 Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. 
• In 1871 British Columbia. 
• In 1873 PEI. 
• In 1880 the transfer of the Arctic islands to the Northwest Territories. 
• In 1898 the Yukon Territories. 
• 1905 Alberta and Saskatchewan.
• 1949, Newfoundland and Labrador, and 
• In 1999, Nunavut officially became the third territory. 

History lesson over. But let's share some additional pride. Let's talk about some Canadian inventions. So we've invented some cool things and some of them do sound very Canadian. You'll see. 

The paint roller, the garbage bag, the pager. So for our Gen Z listeners, don't knock it. Had you been there, I promise you, you would also agree that pagers were cool. Road lines. So if you can picture this, means that before Canadian thought, you know what, we need a solution here. The roads were unlined and were basically oversized bumper car lots. Then there was the Wonderbra. Yes, gents, as in the push-up bra - invented right here in Canada. The IMAX theatre, pacemaker, the game of basketball, insulin, the electric wheelchair, and the fiberglass goalie mask. Right? Because where else would it be invented? 

Knowing us, the list is even longer, but we're Canadian and humble. 

It is July 2025, and it has been quite the year so far. A couple months ago, an artist released an just a very timely and powerful song that captures the essence of the hearts of most Canadians in this moment. It is by the artist Adam Mitten and the song is Elbows Up Canada. As part of our Canada Day tribute, we wanted to interview him for the segment but could not locate him. So Adam, if you are listening to this podcast, reach out to us. We love your song. And listeners, you can find his song on Spotify, Shazam, Apple, anywhere you get your music. Again, the song Elbows Up Canada. 

This moment of Canadian identity, Canadian unity, and Canadian pride was precipitated by the 47th president of the United States referring to Canada in derogatory terms and in his general attempts to have Canada bend the knee. As Canadians we collectively thought, how dare he? And putting aside Canadian politeness, others of us thought WTF. Many Canadians had some negative views about our former prime minister, especially in the last couple of years of his prime minister-ship. However, hearing him being called governor instead of the title of prime minister was disrespectful, not only to the former prime minister, but to all Canadians, regardless of our political leaning or political ideology.

And so as Canadians, we knew we had to stand on guard for Canada. And stand on guard we did. 

No one outside our country can tell us who we are and who we are not. Only we can define that. And so when the leader of our neighbors to the South took it upon himself to refer to us as a 51st Canadians everywhere took offense and we took action. We booed the American anthem, [Okay, so maybe not our finest moment], and we boycott everything American, including their foods and wines. We even changed our travel plans to go anywhere but America. And they heard us. 

But here we are on the Crazy Times Canada podcast, and it's just us. We can speak honestly and openly amongst ourselves. Dare we ask the obvious tough question?

Do we hold some responsibility for that reference to us as a 51st state? Growing up in Canada, we quietly and proudly exuded Canadianism. Our values, our social structure, how we went about our lives, our many regulations, how we engage with the world, the courtesy in which we travel to other countries, how we welcome immigrants, learn and embrace new cultures and foods, protect all our freedoms, and became the number one most educated population in the world as of 2022, thanks to young adults, immigrants, and a strong college sector. We are Canadians. We've always been. 

However, are we too reliant on trading with America for maintaining our stable economy? Have we diversified enough in our provincial and international trades? And with our abundant resources, have we done enough to develop and lead in certain industries? 

Having said that, before now, why would we? America is only 5 % of the world's population, but accounts for 24 % of the world's consumption. And with our geographical proximity to America, in addition to our access and trade agreements, Canada has benefited. However, it has come at a cost to Canadians. It has made us complacent. There has been no urgency for us to become less dependent on the American economy or on their military protection. Canadians made America so seamlessly a part of our society and a part of our lives that we immersed ourselves in their arts, in their entertainment, and in their news.

This last piece has been truly problematic as there is no requirement for American cable news to be truthful. And so misinformation and lies are the norm for a couple of their popular cable news networks, which are viewed by half of their population. That false information then gets fed onto the internet and social media, which then gets regurgitated back by those same cable news networks as cited references, creating an echo chamber of toxic information. 

Canada, remember, when it comes to TV and social media, there is no border between Canada and the US. This leaves Canadians, and especially those who no longer have cable TV and instead rely fully on the internet and social media for their news, vulnerable to becoming indoctrinated with toxic information. However, it is not too late. More to come in a future episode.

We have to remember who we are. We've always taken pride in being informed, especially before forming opinions. We did not used to be people who followed the crowd. We had our own minds, rooted in truth. We are Canadians. We cannot let misinformation cause us to turn on each other. We're a family. We unify against anyone trying to attack us, and we disagree in private. Talking it out, debating, strongly even. Then we hug it out, grab a drink or a bite, and do a reset. Yes, some of our tough talks may take multiple conversations. But it's not about winning. It's about getting to understanding. The last few months have reminded us that we remain a family. A functional one. Let's protect that. Our Canadian brand.

As Canadians, we had kind of lost our way over the past maybe 10 years or so. We felt less connected, less unified, and even less patriotic. That was until the 51st state comment and it was like a switch. We immediately found our voice and our response was full-throated. 

[Musical Poem]
I am Canadian and always will be. My values protects the we.
I have a prime minister, not a governor. A former banker, the real art of the dealmaker. 
We are quick to say sorry because we are humble. But do not mistake that for weakness because we will rumble. 
Like our Canadian maple, we can be sweet. 
We prefer to deliver our words face to face, not through a tweet. 
Our Canadian tuxedo is a hit in 2025.
10 toes down and elbows up. We thrive.

After what we'll call the infamous comment, Canadians looked at America and our response was visceral. We may not remember who we are sometimes, but we knew that we were not that. We were not them. We are distinctly not America. Interestingly, the world has always known what we sometimes forget about ourselves. Most of the world loves Canadians and loves when we go to their countries.

Do you know that the Canadian passport allows Canadians into more countries than the American passport allows Americans? And reputationally, Canada leads. In February 2025, Brand Finance published the Global Soft Power Index based upon a survey of more than 170,000 respondents from over 100 countries to gather data on global perceptions, of all 193 United Nations member states. Canada's reputation rated third in the world next only to Switzerland and Japan. We also ranked third in the world for ease of doing business, driven by our stable economy, strong trade relationships, and initiatives like the Indo-Pacific Trade Strategy. Canada's greatest strength in the survey was in the peoples and values pillar, where we ranked second in the world only after Switzerland, for being seen as the most generous, most tolerant, and most inclusive nation in the world. That is how the world sees us. We are our values, Canadian values. 

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We will end each episode with a question to make you reflect and in some ways, a call to action.

On this Canada Day, our 158th birthday, who do you think we are as Canadians? Have we changed? How have we changed? What makes us different from our neighbors to the South? And what are you most proud of about being Canadian? 

In closing, thank you for listening to our podcast. Your voice matters. Respond to this podcast through inbox, DM, or leave a voice message. We want to hear your feedback and when you respond, do remain respectful and constructive. Also, we would love to mention your comments on our future podcasts. So please let us know if we have your permission. As well, we are looking for listeners who may be interested in joining our podcast to present their points of view. We're hoping to have individuals and panels with different viewpoints to flesh out ways that we disagree, and either come to agreement or understanding. Please stay engaged, share, and tune in to our next episode.

Canada podcast.