Latest news with #ChantalKreviazuk
CBC
29-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
#ElbowsUp: Why have Canadians chosen hockey as the symbol of our national unity?
Faced with American tariffs and threats of annexation, Canadians have been using hockey as a way to express our discontent. Canadian fans have booed The Star-Spangled Banne r at NHL games, and Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk — performing O Canada before the Canada-U.S. final at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 20 — changed the lyric "in all of us command" to "that only us command" as a protest against American expansionism. That 4 Nations final match became a kind of surrogate for the political conflict between our two countries. The game was one of the most-watched in North American history and, when Canada won, the celebrations had a distinct nationalist edge. Even then prime minister Justin Trudeau tweeted "You can't take our country — and you can't take our game." It's perhaps no surprise, then, that ever since Canadian comedian Mike Myers mouthed the words "elbows up" at the camera during an appearance on Saturday Night Live, the reference to legendary hockey player Gordie Howe has become a national rallying cry. #TheMoment 'Elbows Up' became a rally cry against Trump 19 days ago Duration 1:23 In response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, Canadian actor Mike Myers may have started a movement by pointing to his elbow and mouthing the words 'elbows up' during appearances on Saturday Night Live. The phrase has caught on and has become a rallying cry in the trade war. In this moment of crisis, why is hockey our metaphor of choice for Canadian unity? It's been called "Canada's game" and a "national religion," but hockey's popularity as both a pastime and a spectator sport has declined in recent years. Youth participation has dropped 33 per cent since 2010, and hockey viewership is shrinking, too. When asked in 2022 how important they felt hockey is to our national identity, Canadians ranked it well below the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, our public health-care system and our education system. Since the weakening of relations with our neighbour to the south, the importance of hockey to our collective imagination seems to have bounced back. As a multicultural society with a colonial past, we have few touchstones that bind us all together. "For a country that often feels fragmented," literary scholar Jason Blake has written, "the hockey arena is a convenient gathering place and focal point." Hockey reflects a neutral, natural aspect of Canadian living — our northern climate — though even that isn't universal. Rarely does any pond on Vancouver Island freeze thick enough for skating. Hockey also has the benefit of being a multicultural Canadian innovation, combining settler ice sports like English bandy, Scottish shinty, and Irish hurley with Indigenous baggataway (lacrosse). Still, at the professional level, hockey has always lacked diversity. Contemporary ice hockey was developed by young, privileged, male students at McGill University in the 1870s, and even today most professional players are white men. The NHL is the least racially diverse professional sports league in North America, and the Professional Women's Hockey League launched only last year. Yet despite their historical exclusion from white men's leagues, other Canadians refused to be written out of the sport. Women began organizing their own hockey teams at the collegiate level in the 1890s, and in 1895 Baptist community leaders in Halifax and Dartmouth founded the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, which lasted into the 1930s. Asian leagues popped up in the mid-20th century, and Dick Loiselle and Jean Lane introduced sledge hockey to Alberta in 1980. Even early hockey was progressive in its own way. In 1870s Montreal, most local athletic clubs were restricted to affluent English speakers. Hockey, in contrast, accepted French and working-class players, breaking down class and cultural barriers. The sport represents values many Canadians share regardless of demographics, like team spirit, tenacity, and integrity. It embodies not only resilience but audacity in the face of hardship: give us winters so cold our eyelashes freeze, and we'll literally make a game out of them. But hockey's dark side is impossible to ignore. In his poem "Hockey Players," Al Purdy calls hockey a "combination of ballet and murder," replete with officially sanctioned violence that seems at odds with our international reputation for courtesy. This very aggression, though, may be what's made the sport such a powerful and lasting emblem of Canadian sovereignty. Hockey surfaced in the wake of Confederation, at a time when Canadians were keen to map out an identity separate from the British, who had previously governed them, and the Americans, who were hoping to govern them next. The sport's violence distinguished it from genteel national games like British cricket and American baseball. In cross-border matches between Canadian hockey teams and American ice-polo teams in the 1890s, the Canadians' ferocity made them dominant on the ice. According to news reports, "many a man had to be carried to the dressing room," and, in at least one instance, police were called in to break up a fight. During the 1972 Summit Series, an eight-game exhibition tournament between Canada and the former Soviet Union, Team Canada struggled against the swift, skilful Soviets until the Canadian players dialed up the aggression, roughing their way to victory. Like the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Summit Series took on political overtones. For the Canadian public, their team's win represented a triumph of democracy over communism and of freedom over tyranny. Today, as Canadians borrow the language of hockey to push back against a new international rival, our choice of phrase reveals something meaningful about our national self-image. After all, it's not easy to assault someone with your elbow. Gordie Howe's signature move wasn't for offence but for defence — he used his elbows to ward off opponents who were coming after him. Canadians won't attack first, "elbows up" seems to say. But anyone who threatens us had better watch out, whether we meet at the hockey rink or in the political arena.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
#ElbowsUp: Why have Canadians chosen hockey as the symbol of our national unity?
Faced with American tariffs and threats of annexation, Canadians have been using hockey as a way to express our discontent. Canadian fans have booed The Star-Spangled Banner at NHL games, and Canadian singer Chantal Kreviazuk — performing O Canada before the Canada-U.S. final at the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 20 — changed the lyric "in all of us command" to "that only us command" as a protest against American expansionism. That 4 Nations final match became a kind of surrogate for the political conflict between our two countries. The game was one of the most-watched in North American history and, when Canada won, the celebrations had a distinct nationalist edge. Even then prime minister Justin Trudeau tweeted "You can't take our country — and you can't take our game." It's perhaps no surprise, then, that ever since Canadian comedian Mike Myers mouthed the words "elbows up" at the camera during an appearance on Saturday Night Live, the reference to legendary hockey player Gordie Howe has become a national rallying cry. In this moment of crisis, why is hockey our metaphor of choice for Canadian unity? It's been called "Canada's game" and a "national religion," but hockey's popularity as both a pastime and a spectator sport has declined in recent years. Youth participation has dropped 33 per cent since 2010, and hockey viewership is shrinking, too. When asked in 2022 how important they felt hockey is to our national identity, Canadians ranked it well below the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, our public health-care system and our education system. Since the weakening of relations with our neighbour to the south, the importance of hockey to our collective imagination seems to have bounced back. As a multicultural society with a colonial past, we have few touchstones that bind us all together. "For a country that often feels fragmented," literary scholar Jason Blake has written, "the hockey arena is a convenient gathering place and focal point." Howe, 50 at the time this photo was taken, delivers one of his well-known elbows to the head of Quebec Nordiques forward Curt Brakenbury in 1978. An oft-repeated, but incorrect, explanation of a 'Gordie Howe hat-trick' is a fight, a goal and an assist. (The Canadian Press) Hockey reflects a neutral, natural aspect of Canadian living — our northern climate — though even that isn't universal. Rarely does any pond on Vancouver Island freeze thick enough for skating. Hockey also has the benefit of being a multicultural Canadian innovation, combining settler ice sports like English bandy, Scottish shinty, and Irish hurley with Indigenous baggataway (lacrosse). Still, at the professional level, hockey has always lacked diversity. Contemporary ice hockey was developed by young, privileged, male students at McGill University in the 1870s, and even today most professional players are white men. The NHL is the least racially diverse professional sports league in North America, and the Professional Women's Hockey League launched only last year. Yet despite their historical exclusion from white men's leagues, other Canadians refused to be written out of the sport. Women began organizing their own hockey teams at the collegiate level in the 1890s, and in 1895 Baptist community leaders in Halifax and Dartmouth founded the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes, which lasted into the 1930s. Asian leagues popped up in the mid-20th century, and Dick Loiselle and Jean Lane introduced sledge hockey to Alberta in 1980. Hockey was codified by students at McGill University in the 1870s. This photo shows a student match on campus in 1901. (Library and Archives Canada) Even early hockey was progressive in its own way. In 1870s Montreal, most local athletic clubs were restricted to affluent English speakers. Hockey, in contrast, accepted French and working-class players, breaking down class and cultural barriers. The sport represents values many Canadians share regardless of demographics, like team spirit, tenacity, and integrity. It embodies not only resilience but audacity in the face of hardship: give us winters so cold our eyelashes freeze, and we'll literally make a game out of them. But hockey's dark side is impossible to ignore. In his poem "Hockey Players," Al Purdy calls hockey a "combination of ballet and murder," replete with officially sanctioned violence that seems at odds with our international reputation for courtesy. This very aggression, though, may be what's made the sport such a powerful and lasting emblem of Canadian sovereignty. Hockey surfaced in the wake of Confederation, at a time when Canadians were keen to map out an identity separate from the British, who had previously governed them, and the Americans, who were hoping to govern them next. The sport's violence distinguished it from genteel national games like British cricket and American baseball. In cross-border matches between Canadian hockey teams and American ice-polo teams in the 1890s, the Canadians' ferocity made them dominant on the ice. According to news reports, "many a man had to be carried to the dressing room," and, in at least one instance, police were called in to break up a fight. There weren't many black hockey players in rural Ontario in the 1950s, let alone hockey lines with multiple black players. Howard Sheffield, Arthur Lowe and Gary Smith played on a line together for the Mount Forest Redmen during the early 1950s, where they got the nickname the 'Black Flashes.' (Mount Forest Museum & Archives) During the 1972 Summit Series, an eight-game exhibition tournament between Canada and the former Soviet Union, Team Canada struggled against the swift, skilful Soviets until the Canadian players dialed up the aggression, roughing their way to victory. Like the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Summit Series took on political overtones. For the Canadian public, their team's win represented a triumph of democracy over communism and of freedom over tyranny. Today, as Canadians borrow the language of hockey to push back against a new international rival, our choice of phrase reveals something meaningful about our national self-image. After all, it's not easy to assault someone with your elbow. Gordie Howe's signature move wasn't for offence but for defence — he used his elbows to ward off opponents who were coming after him. Canadians won't attack first, "elbows up" seems to say. But anyone who threatens us had better watch out, whether we meet at the hockey rink or in the political arena. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mediawan's Montreal ‘Miraculous' & ‘The Little Prince' Production Studio ON Animation Closes As Tax Credit Squeeze Bites
ON Animation Studios, the Mediawan-owned, Montreal-based facility which worked on hits such as Mune: Guardian of the Moon, The Little Prince, Playmobil: The Movie, and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, is shutting down. The company announced the news on its LinkedIn page on Monday, saying the closure was due to changes across the animation industry. More from Deadline Chantal Kreviazuk Changes Canadian National Anthem Lyrics During NHL Game Against U.S. 'Mayday: Air Disaster' Spin-Off In The Works Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Rebecca Zlotowski's Jodie Foster Murder Mystery 'Vie Privée' 'It is sad to say goodbye to a team as incredible, talented, and skilled as ours. We will deeply miss the joy and excitement of creating outstanding films alongside such remarkable people and partners,' read the ON Animation statement. The closure has been greeted with dismay by the Quebec animation scene and past collaborators, but is not wholly unexpected. Both the animation and VFX sectors in Canada's province of Quebec have gone from boom to bust in recent months following the provincial government's decision to set a 65% cap on tax credits for international film studios when they employ companies operating in the mainly French-speaking region. The local administration says the tax credit, which was introduced in 1998, has become too expensive to bankroll. Quebec animation and VFX professionals lobbied for the tax credits to remain in place, warning their reduction would decimate local businesses, but their calls went unheeded. In the backdrop, tighter Canadian restrictions around employing Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) have also hit both sectors. ON Animation Studios was originally created by Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam under their ON Entertainment banner to execute the animation on features The Little Prince and Playmobil: The Movie. ON Entertainment was acquired by Mediawan in 2017, while the former producing partners have since gone their separate ways. Soumache is now honorary chairman of Mediawan Kids & Family as well as co-head with Joann Sfar of Mediawan-owned Magical Society. Rassam produces under the banner of Chapter 2 which is also in the Mediawan fold. Contacted by Deadline, Mediawan confirmed the closure and laid-out its animation production strategy going forward.'Mediawan Kids & Family Cinéma (formerly Onyx Films) and Miraculous Corp continue to develop their animated film production line-ups in their France-based studios, and will now collaborate with partner studios around the world for their animated films, selecting them on a project-by-project basis based on funding and the location of the talent attached to each production,' it said in a statement. Miraculous Corp is a joint venture between producer and composer Jérémy Zag, the driving force behind the Ladybug & Cat Noir franchise, and Mediawan co-founder Pierre-Antoine Capton. News of ON Animation's closure comes days after historic visual effects company Technicolor announced it was on the cusp of foreclosure due to long-running financial challenges, and that it was closing The Mill, MPC Advertising and Mikros Animation subsidiaries in the U.S. with immediate effect. Its UK pole, Technicolor Creative Studios UK Limited, is also due to file administration while its French outpost has been placed in receivership. Best of Deadline 'Severance' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Land On Apple TV+? All The Songs In 'Severance' Season 2: From The Who To Ella Fitzgerald 'Severance' Cast Through Seasons 1 & 2: Innies, Outies, Severed And Unsevered
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
4 Nations anthem incident exposes chance for NFL performers to go rogue
With all ears on the reaction from the fans in Boston to the Canadian national anthem before Thursday's 4 Nations Face-Off final, the bigger news came from the singer of the song. Chantal Kreviazuk made a subtle shift in the lyrics in response to recent tough talk from certain U.S. citizens. The song, O Canada, includes the line "true patriot love in all of us command." She changed it to "true patriot love that only us command." Her representative confirmed that it was not an accident, but a protest to the effort to undermine Canada's status, economy, and independence. Four days before Thursday night's 4 game, fans in Montreal loudly booed the U.S. national anthem as a result of the recent rhetoric. Without delving into the question of whether this whole thing sounds like a South Park storyline, the point for pro football is that there's a small thermal exhaust port for anyone who chooses to fire a photon torpedo in that direction. At every game, the person chosen to sing the song could choose to go rogue and change the lyrics. It could happen at a run-of-the-mill regular-season game. It could happen at the Super Bowl. We asked the league on Friday whether steps have been taken to keep that from occurring. We didn't get a response. Which means either that they're ignoring us (again) or that they don't have a response because they never thought about it before. They probably should. Kreviazuk has exposed a loophole for anyone who wants to make any statement they want by making a shift in the lyrics to the Star-Spangled Banner.
NBC Sports
23-02-2025
- Politics
- NBC Sports
4 Nations anthem incident exposes chance for NFL performers to go rogue
With all ears on the reaction from the fans in Boston to the Canadian national anthem before Thursday's 4 Nations Face-Off final, the bigger news came from the singer of the song. Chantal Kreviazuk made a subtle shift in the lyrics in response to recent tough talk from certain U.S. citizens. The song, O Canada, includes the line 'true patriot love in all of us command.' She changed it to 'true patriot love that only us command.' Her representative confirmed that it was not an accident, but a protest to the effort to undermine Canada's status, economy, and independence. Four days before Thursday night's 4 game, fans in Montreal loudly booed the U.S. national anthem as a result of the recent rhetoric. Without delving into the question of whether this whole thing sounds like a South Park storyline, the point for pro football is that there's a small thermal exhaust port for anyone who chooses to fire a photon torpedo in that direction. At every game, the person chosen to sing the song could choose to go rogue and change the lyrics. It could happen at a run-of-the-mill regular-season game. It could happen at the Super Bowl. We asked the league on Friday whether steps have been taken to keep that from occurring. We didn't get a response. Which means either that they're ignoring us (again) or that they don't have a response because they never thought about it before. They probably should. Kreviazuk has exposed a loophole for anyone who wants to make any statement they want by making a shift in the lyrics to the Star-Spangled Banner.
