Commentary

Easy to love what is Canadian

March 27, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

When an email came through to me a couple of days ago, subject: “Please read this…” there was an old tune, an embracing warning, to my mind but one that refreshed the stern caveats with renewed urgency: an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail by Gil Garratt, artistic director of the Blyth Festival, “which has been dedicated exclusively to creating and staging Canadian theatre since 1975.” This seemed an original approach in the face of an overwhelming presence of American entertainment, in every venue here in Canada.

Finally, as though the idea of producing exclusively Canadian stories by Canadian playwrights, actors and artists as pushback against the American giant, Theatre Orangeville was founded by Jim Betts in 1994. Betts also put the fledgling theatre on the same path as the Blyth Festival of sticking to all Canadian talent on this theatre’s stage.

The campaign to thoroughly understand the pervasiveness of American content was begun in earnest all the way back to 1951. Governor–General Raymond Massey’s report, following his fact-finding mission, which included 114 meetings across the country was that every point of Canadian entertainment consumption was entirely pre-occupied by American content. Massey’s “carrion call” as Garratt calls it, was to ring the alarm of the all-encompassing purchase of American film, television, literature, theatre – you name it here in Canada.

To bring the story down to brass tacks, Garrett points to the trade deficit, telling us that in 2022, Hill Strategies pegged the US-Canada cultural trade deficit at a whopping $7.3 billion in favour of the States.

In the 1960s, the issue of Canada’s “identity crisis” was much discussed – were we British or American, floating between the two powerhouses in our speech, law and attitudes especially as social creatures and in our economic philosophy: how to do business, how to honour a contract.

What was Canadian? Our good manners and staunch morals might have been seen as virtues but, to some, they were weaknesses too and part of that truth was our own inclination to put down, dismiss or ignore the tremendous talent that there was here in Canada.

Vaguely, there was a concession that our art, our culture were less – less loud – less funded – less famous – just less.

Except for our musicians and songwriters, I would like to say. Sadly, many of them went to the States to establish themselves, which they did – their talent recognized, feted and paid for until they were able to – maybe – afford to be back in their less appreciative hometowns. Likewise, many of our very fine actors went to the States for the same reasons. Some did not return to Canada but made their homes American, all part of our conviction, so it seemed, that our culture was weak in the face of the all-present American influence. 

It was never the case that there was a dearth of talent in Canada but that we are mesmerized by the American ready-made, funny, charming, exciting, rough, loud, pushy, some excellent entertainment that was and is still fully patronized by our venues, and virtual platforms, resulting in the kind of 2022 statistic offered by Hill Strategies.

In Canadian culture, we have left out what we produce as entertainment. 

The Canadian musical “Come From Away” is about the real story of 38 planes carrying nearly 7,000 passengers stranded at Gander, Newfoundland after the September 2001 terror attacks. The musical shares how the people of Gander cared for and hosted those frightened people – and when that musical was produced on the Mirvish stage, it was a mighty hit. It continues to be toured and produced here and internationally.

This tremendous show is Canadian, through and through, our good manners and staunch morality in full view, along with our deep sense of caring and our profound sense of humour, written and performed by talented Canadians.

Yet, here we still are, as Garratt highlighted in his important piece, continuing to fill our major theatres with exclusively American products.

There is an increasing tendency for movie making to be done in Toronto and other Canadian towns and cities by producers coming up from the U.S. There are financial incentives for this and a strong talent base here for technical work on films. Even stars have been seen in Orangeville: I saw Donald Sutherland on Mill Street once while he was here filming “Man on the Train” (2010).

Now, all of the sudden, we are all about being Canadian – it has taken the threat of annexation for this to happen. How long will it last if the danger dissolves and we are free of fear on the matter? Will we slide back into our complacency? Or will this abrupt enthusiasm for our country, an awakening of our fabulous arts, products and other strengths, a passion for patronizing and supporting all that is Canadian – will it all last?

Will there finally be an understanding of how important it is for Canada to produce its own stamp on what is Canadian culture? That age-old question is still in abeyance.

We do have beacons to help us stay local and keen on Canada. There are many Canadian stories to be told and they must be funded so that we can hear them, so that they can dominate the stages of this county, the movie houses and the internet in all its versions – that sea of attention-grabbing.

Orangeville and Dufferin County are the most arts-centric regions in Ontario and maybe further, aver Theatre Orangeville’s artistic director Davin Nairn. Here is a beacon of where Canadian culture sees its definition. Remember: when you support an artist, when you shop locally or at the farmers market, you are defending what is Canadian.

When you purchase you tickets or subscriptions or donate to Theatre Orangeville, you are investing in a beacon of Canadian theatre and, by the bye, treating yourself to a good time enjoying live theatre.

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