The Background (and some funny YouTube links…)

When I first wanted to write this blog, I was inspired by Joe’s rant, the classic Molson Canadian commercial that went viral before going viral was a thing. For a reminder, this was released in 2000 and went on to become one of Molson’s best marketing campaigns of all time. I loved this commercial, and for years, have wanted to do a similar rant.

Joe’s Rant:

This went on to produce a bunch of different commercials that all focused on Canadian stereotypes and breaking them (though it did kind of reinforce them, like the guy jerseying his coworker who was spouting Canadian stereotypes.)

Jerseying a coworker:

There was also an attack beaver, an anthem, and even one with the Proclaimers famous, “I Will Walk 500 Miles” with a guy who walks back to Canada just to get a case of beer. On the unofficial side, William Shatner and Simu Liu (a former accountant) provided their versions, with Simu’s at 2022’s Juno awards.  (Did I miss any of your favourites?  I know there were several more…)

Attack Beaver:

Anthem:

William Shatner:

Simu Liu:

Being Independence Day in the South, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share my perspective on what it means to be Canadian.

Who Am I?

I was born to parents of different ethnicities, but both of them were born in Canada. So were their parents before them – and then we get back to the 1800’s. I might not look like a “typical” Canadian, but I am one through and through.

I married an immigrant who is now a citizen. She moved here as a teenager with her family. They had to take whatever jobs they could to get by, despite being way overqualified for them. They had to go back to school to get to where they already rightfully belonged.

We have a child who is mixed-race twice over. Nobody will be able to tell his complete heritage by looking at him.

We live in a rural area that’s a virtual paradise 5 months of the year. For 5 months a year, we’re buried in snow. And no, I don’t live in an igloo, but I have slept in a quinzhee (look it up).

We eat different foods, like ugali and nyama chama, dim sum, saag paneer, sushi and pho.

And we also eat pretty typical foods like fish and chips, hamburgers, and, of course, poutine.

We celebrate the holidays, though maybe not with turkey. They usually involve beer, and sometimes whiskey or tequila.

I don’t play hockey, though I love (and hate) watching it. I fish, golf (well, kind of,) and play Magic the Gathering.

I am a Canadian CPA (Accountant) and a CPB (Bookkeeper), and am proud of these designations and the career path they’ve provided. And no, just because I’m a CPA, doesn’t mean that I know how to do US taxes… We serve Canadians and Canadian issues – no matter where in the world the client is.

I am the leader of a diverse team. Together, we speak at least 6 different languages. We don’t need an EDI policy (but we have one.) We believe in an approach of curiosity, learning, collaboration and celebration, and regularly teach each other about our cultures. We don’t seek confrontation and divisiveness. We know that we are stronger and can go further working together.

We support each other. We believe in coming together to accomplish great things. We have become far more than coworkers, we’ve become a very collaborative team (and I’d never dream of jerseying any of them.) We believe that we are all human beings, not robots. We treat each other with empathy and understanding, but still hold each other to high standards. We know that we don’t know everything, but we can always be learning and improving. We know that together we thrive (OK, I kinda stole that from Intuit…)

We are a Canadian Controlled Private Corporation (that’s an inside joke for the Bookkeepers and Accountants who read this.) We help people achieve their dreams by keeping their books organized and keeping them up to date with CRA.

I’m very proud of the team we’ve built, of the relationships we’ve created, and of the professional help we’ve been able to provide our many clients…

I am very proud to be Canadian.

What does being Canadian mean to you?

And now for something a bit more up to date…

Joe’s updated rant: