Jean Souviens Vice-president of Québec XI |
Canada In a Nutshell Johnny: When did you become convinced that Canada had no future? Souviens: It’s the little things that make you think. It was not like Paul on the road to Damascus. There was no big flashing light or anything like that. I was a young man when Radio-Canada showed Le Canada: l’histoire d’un people on the English network it was Canada: A People's History. A 30 hour historical epic, it said, which was suppose to be a celebration of Canadian history but they did not call it that, they called it L’histoire d’un people, A People’s History. It got me wondering why they called it that. What country would do a show on its history and not call it that. When the French do a show about their history they say French History or The History of the French People, the same with the British, the Americans; none of them refer to their history as a people’s history. They know who their people are and are not ashamed to admit it. But no, not Canada. Why, I asked myself, why can’t they do this? Johnny: Maybe the producers of the series were afraid that calling it A History of the Canadian People, or something like that, would offend some who considered themselves citizens of Canada but not necessarily Canadians. Souviens: There Mr. MacDonald, in a nut case, was the problem! Johnny: Nutshell. Souviens: What nutshell? Johnny: I mean what you meant to say was nutshell. Souviens: Whatever you want to call it, it was nuts! ...
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