The title of today’s post is an obvious play on the SCTV sketch originated by a very young Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in which they played the Mackenzie brothers, the ultimate stereotypes of clueless, beer guzzling Canadians.  Moranis is said to have disliked playing his character although he and Thomas appeared in 41 TV segments, two movies and commercials for Pizza Hut and Molson Beer.

Based on our experience the past two days in Winnipeg, either the parody was a gross misrepresentation of Canadian life or much has changed since Doug and Bob Mackenzie exited the airwaves.  Far from clueless, the Canadians seemed to have figured it out.  I could provide dozens of observations about the diversity which is visible throughout Winnipeg but I will focus on two specific examples.

The first was a visit to the Canadian Human Rights Museum (CHRM) pictured here.  It stands in stark contrast to the American approach of individual halls dedicated to ethnic groups in Washington, D.C.  The seven levels of exhibits address the challenges and responses by the Canadian government and people to injustices based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender and sexual orientations.  The message is a clear and common theme.  EVERYONE DESERVES THE SAME HUMAN RIGHTS.  Equally important, the curators spared no effort in reminding visitors of past Canadian anti-human rights policies and attitudes that represent a stain on the country’s history.

One presentation was particularly striking.  It told the story of the Acadians from the time of the “Great Expulsion” of the Acadians in 1755-64 to their repatriation and the decision to make both English and French the official national languages.  One cannot help but see the parallels between the Acadians and Mexican-Americans.  An enlightened society would recognize that accepting Spanish speaking immigrants into American society is similarly repatriation of an ethnic group which lived in the Southwest prior to 1848.  Imagine if the United States followed a similar track, accepting Spanish as an official part of the American experience and culture.

There is also a hall which includes video testimonies from those who have been the beneficiaries of Canada’s current approach to human rights.  For me, the most touching was the story of Ali Duale, a Somali refugee who is now a member of the Halifax Fire Department and coaches a youth basketball team.  Too bad Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions have not seen this video.  Duale, when asked why he emigrated to Canada, replies, “It was not for a better life or money.  It was to survive.”

The second example is the reason we chose Winnipeg as a destination for this vacation.  The city is currently hosting Folklorama, a two week international festival with cultural pavilions representing more than 40 nations.  Last night we attended an event at the Cuban Pavilion for which all the performers were life-long Canadian residents who found outlets in Winnipeg and Edmonton to learn and perform their native music and dance.   The same was true of the “ambassadors” from several other national exhibits.  Whether Serbian or Polish, the answer to the question, “How long have you been in Canada,” the answer was always, “My whole life.”

In this morning’s Winnipeg newspaper, there was an article about the skyrocketing cost of housing in the area.  This should come as no surprise.  Want people to come visit and live in your community?  It’s simple.  Make them feel welcome.  And as the residents of the “Great Non-White North” have found, they can contribute much more than they take away.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP