14 seasons, over 500 road pieces, countless more sketches and rants that helped shape Canada’s political discourse, Canadian icons from Anne Murray to Feist, Margaret Atwood to Norman Jewison, and everyone in between . So why share Rick gliding with air cadets in Netook, Alberta?
Thomas Sandel said that “Democracy requires…that citizens share in a common life.... For this is how we learn to negotiate and abide our differences, and how we come to care for the common good." If there is a show that does this now I don’t know what it is. Canada is a big country, and I think RMR crisscrossing it didn’t just show the vast diversity of Canadians and the things they love; it celebrated them and in doing so linked us. It reminded us that while neighbours may have different ideas about what constitutes a great weekend, that’s okay.
When I called to arrange a visit from Rick and his crew, people were so excited they could burst. I think they knew he would never make fun of them. Comedy often requires poking fun at that which others hold dear, but Rick was great at making sure he was really making fun of himself. There was never anything mean-spirited, elitist or dismissively mocking in the humour. My hope is that watching the show over a period of time might have left one feeling not only entertained, but more connected to this country
Part of this was achieved through building the show’s social channels as the platforms themselves were born: YouTube; Facebook; and Instagram — the latter of which I particularly enjoyed shaping as a genuine reflection of Rick and the show.
I will be forever grateful to Gerald Lunz and Rick Mercer for their generosity and for their shared/tolerated enthusiasm for topics like the Royal Canadian Mint and behind the scenes at the Canadian Museum of History.
