The Canadian National Newspaper: Molson's"I am Canadian"Commercials Sabotaged by U.S. Brewery take-over

Did you ever wonder what happened to Molson's critically acclaimed, cool, and nationalistic "I am Canadian" commercials? Those commercials have become just another Canadian cultural victim of the retreat by the federal Liberals from the progressive values of former Prime Minister Trudeau. The Liberal Party of Canada has increasing descended into the orbit of American satellite status.

U.S. Big Business "Investments" threaten Canadian cultural expression.

Trudeau had championed the need to protect Canada from harmful forms of U.S. commercial "investment" by U.S Big Business interests. The Trudeau government created the Foreign Investment Review Agency as a parliamentary mechanism to review and prevent potentially harmful foreign investments on Canadian sovereignty. Trudeau, like all Prime Ministers of Canada before Brian Mulroney was elected in 1984, was against so-called "Free Trade", with the United States. Prime Ministers before Brian Mulroney were wise enough to appreciate that "Free Trade" was sought as a mechanism to execute the economic, and ensuring cultural and political take-over of Canada.

Any government that purports to constitutionally be democratic, MUST be endowed with the sovereignty to represent the national interests of its citizens, against any foreign commercial interests that threatens human, civil and cultural rights. Such vital protections have been fully recognized by United Nations members via United Nations Conventions.

So-called "Free Trade: in the context of American-led Corporate Globalization ignores such Conventions which are recognized by international law.

"Free Trade" and Corporate Globalization are being marketed to diverse publics international by political versions of used car salespeople, which seek to make a quick sale, irrespective of the vital interests of the prospective "consumer". The notion that these political economic instruments spread "prosperity" as Mulroney claimed, and independence is apparent dissembling. These political economic instruments have spread in fact, worsening poverty; as well as neo-colonial repression of the kind of cultural expression symbolized by Molson's former "I Am Canadian" commercials.

Sabotaged "I am Canadian" commercials symbolizes U.S. corporate threats against Canada's national identity.

'I Am Canadian' was a successful series of Canadian television commercials aired in the early 2000's (first airing in April 2000) advertising the Canadian brand of Molson beer in Canada; the commercials also aired in the United States. Molson was the oldest brewer in North America, founded in 1786. It owns 43% of the Canadian beer market until it was allowed to be taken over by Coors, a U.S. Big Business interest.

The central character of the former Molson Canadian commercial was a man named Joe: an average Canadian, standing in a theatre, with a cinema screen behind him showing different images relating to Canadian culture. Joe proceeded to give a speech about what is it to be a Canadian, and what Canadians are not, in relation to U.S. culture.

The advertising campaign was a huge success for Molson, stirring the often reserved 'patriotism' among the Canadian public. It was performed by actor Jeff Douglas and directed by an American, Kevin Donovan. The commercial won an advertising industry Gold Quill award in 2001.

Joe's speech goes like this:

Hey.
I'm not a lumberjack, or a fur trader, and I don't live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dog sled, and I don't know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada, although I'm certain they're really, really nice.

I have a Prime Minister, not a President. I speak English and French, not American, and I pronounce it 'about', not 'a boot'.

I can proudly sew my country's flag on my backpack. I believe in peacekeeping, not policing; diversity, not assimilation; and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal.

A tuque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch, and it is pronounced zed: not zee - zed!! Canada is the second largest land mass! The first nation of hockey! And the best part of North America!

My name is Joe!! And I am Canadian! ... Thank you

During the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, a copycat ad was produced by Australian beer company Foster's Group to advertise Foster's Lager. It featured a similar speech playing upon various stereotypes about Australians.

In 2005 Molson announced that it was retiring the 'I Am Canadian' slogan; this happened shortly after its take-over called a "merger" (for apparent public relations in Canada), by U.S. brewer Coors.

The success of I Am Canadian in Canada led to many parodies of the advertisement. The best known of these was Toronto radio station Edge 102's I Am Not Canadian, featuring a Quebec separatist.

William Shatner, who is Canadian, performed his own variation on the idea in a Just for Laughs appearance. He announced to the world: "I am not a Starfleet commander, ...or T.J. Hooker." The rant continues, making fun of Trekkies and his own typecasting as James T. Kirk. During the course of the piece, Shatner states that his beer of preference is Molson's competitor Labatt.

The ability of Canadians to have a culture that they can freely express, as an independent country, will critically rely on the ability of Canadians to re-claim national sovereignty away from large foreign corporate interests like Coors. Big Business interests like Coors, seek to repress democratic cultural expression of societies like Canada, via culturally debilitating instruments like so-called "Free Trade" and Corporate Globalization.

RECOMMENDED READINGS:

Please review the book entitled 'Capitalism is Not Democracy: Part I', ISBN: 1894934636.