There are two areas in which Canada is vastly different from the US: education and healthcare.
With a 25-year career in education, I have seen many US-based initiatives that have crossed over to Canada, despite out system being different, and our educational culture being different.
In my post-career work as a healthcare advocate, I have seen how American pharmaceuticals have influenced healthcare policy in the US. I have witnessed how private health insurance in the US means that the poor suffer, while the rich can pay for insurance plans. How different it is in Canada, where, in theory, universal healthcare is a state-granted right.
I was curious. My impression is that Q, which goes on-air in the morning and is rebroadcast at night, seemed to have a great number of US musicians, authors, researchers and journalists.
I must say it was an impression, as I am keen to hear about what is going on in the world, but I speak to CBC - the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, for upholding Canadian content.
Many Canadians are interested in US personalities, but I am more interested in what is going on in the world, and how Canada is influenced by our near neighbour.
I sat down to put together some real data.
If you tote them up, aside from general discussions, media panels, or Sports Culture panels, the individual guests were from the US (38), some born in Canada (25) with Canadian musicians, other stories from the UK( 7), Japan, China, Paris, Brazil.
Some guests were born in Canada, but work in the US, others were born in the UK, and work in the US. But the predominant number of guests are from the US.
Now, I wouldn't mind listening to these guests, if the show could put a Canadian spin on the whole deal, but Q does not. Q doesn't seem to grasp the root differences between US and Canadian politics, healthcare and education, specifically. It does not examine the parallels between our systems. Researchers, while being interviewed, often throw out the token Canadian spin, "I'm sure it is the same in Canada."
I beg to differ.
An interesting LA Times article on our CBC,
 |
| The Red Wall: A woman in the RCMP |
Cultural Exchange: CBC Radio links Canadians from shore to shore
They write in part:
One of the most popular of these shows is "Q," an arts and culture show hosted by Jian Ghomeshi, formerly of the folk-rock group Moxy Früvous. When the show launched in the U.S. last year, there was concern on both sides. Said Ghomeshi, "It's perhaps an extension of our own Canadian inferiority complex that we at times assume that others wouldn't be interested in us and by extension, a misread by their own programmers that Americans wouldn't be interested in what's happening in other countries."Wish it were so–I think Ghomeshi is being disingenuous. I am more interested in CBC focusing on Canadian issues, musicians, authors, and artists. The big publishers dominate the air waves with book tours and radio spots. It is seldom we hear of the little people, and their truly Canadian stories.
My favourite example is Jane Hall, former RCMP, who wrote The Red Wall: A woman in the RCMP.
Guest
|
Profession
|
Country of origin/
location of story
| |
Nov. 22
|
|
· UK
· Canada | |
Nov. 21
|
·
|
· musician
· journalist
|
· China
· US
|
Nov. 18
|
· Q’s media panel
· Samantha Savage Smith and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
|
· Musician
· Discussion
· Indie Musicians
|
· Canada
· -
· Canada
|
Nov. 17
|
· Woody Allan Documentary
· ColdPlay musician
|
· Filmmaker
· musician
|
· US
· UK
|
Nov. 16
|
· Kermit
· Craig Lambert
· Torquil Campbell
|
· Puppet
· US author
· Roving reporter |
· US
· US
|
Nov. 15
|
· Plagiarised spy novel
· Martin Lindstrom
· Roz Chast
|
· Assassin of Secrets
· author: Brandwashed
· cartoonist
|
· US
· US
· US
|
Nov. 14
|
· Hasan Elahi
· Eugene Levy
· Sports culture panel
|
· artist-privacy
· comic
|
· US-raised
· Canada
|
Nov. 13
|
· James Loney
· Moby
· Maya Angelou
· Bob Marley
|
· peace activist
· musician
· poet
· musician
|
· Canada
· US
· US
· US
|
Nov. 10
|
· Debate: Canadian novels
· Stephen King
· Robert Fisk
|
·
· author
· poppy?
|
· Canada
· US
· UK
|
Nov 9
|
· Esi Edugyan
· Sarah Slean
· Daniel Edwards
|
· Giller prize, author
· musician
· sculptor of Any Winehouse
|
· Canada
· Canada
· US
|
Nov. 8
|
· Oasis
· Noel Gallagher
|
· musician
· Russian film discussion
· journalist
|
· UK
· Intl
· US
|
Nov. 7
|
· Wikipedia
· Marni Kotak
· Sports panel, NHL, NBA
|
· cyberspace
· gave birth online
· discussion
|
· Int’l
· Canada
· Sports: US/Canada |
Nov. 4
|
· Camille Dodero
· Natasha Hastings
· Q media panel
· Elvira
|
· FBI discussion: Juggalos
· track star
· discussion
· comic
|
· US
· US
·
|
Nov. 3
|
· Mark Schatzker
· Amon Tobin
· Peter Gabriel
|
· satirist, quote, Rick Perry
· ISAM Invented Sound to Applied Music
· Musician
|
· Canada
· Brazil
· UK
|
· donating food, clothing overseas
· Canadian-born US actor, · pop-up video creator, musician
|
· US
· US/Canada
· US
· Canada
| ||
Nov. 1
|
· Canadian discussion
· Sierra Leon actor
· Canadian journalist
|
· CBC
· Intern’l
· Canada
| |
Oct. 31
|
· Sports Culture panel
|
· Film: anonymous
· Musician
· discussion
|
· Canada born, writes in US
· Canada
· -
|
Oct. 28
|
· RE: Sexy costumes
· Cartoonist, author
· Alberta Ballet
|
· US
·
·
| |
Oct. 27
|
· Culture
· Muppet script writer
· Touring show
|
· UK
· US
·
| |
Oct. 26
|
· Gaddafi death video
|
· Discussion
· New novel
·
|
· International
· US
· Int’l
|
Oct. 25
|
· Musician
· Playwright, author
· US TV, content
|
·
· US
· US
| |
Oct. 24
|
· Q debate
|
· Women, glass ceiling
· US actor/author
· illness
|
·
· US
· Paris/Japanese
|
Oct. 21
|
· Superheroes
· Media Panel
|
· Michegan Left, Vigilante justice
· Musician/actor
· Brooke Gladstone: NPRs On The Media
|
· US
· -
· US
|
Oct. 20
|
· David Hockney
· Karine Vanasse
|
· Rescinded US military policy
· British/US painter
· PanAm stewardess myths
|
· US
· British/US
· US Show
|
Oct. 19
|
· Tony Bennett
· Burying the dead
· Torquil Campbell
|
· Paying NCAA players
· Singer
· Topic discussion
· Roving correspondent
|
· US
· US
·
|
Oct. 18
|
· Tanning beds
|
· Store
· Musician
· discussion
|
· US
· US
· Int'l
|
Oct. 17
|
· Wal-mart
· Margaret Atwood
· Sports Culture panel
|
· Re: women entrepreneurs
· Author
· -
|
· US
·
· -
|
Oct. 14
|
· Paul Simon
· David Braid
· Obscenity rules
· Guardian newspapers
|
· Musician
· Pianist
· -
· Open newsroom
|
· US
·
· -
· -
|
Oct. 13
|
· Dr’s bedside manner
· Martin Sheen
· Barr Brothers
|
· medicare
· US film
· Musician: performance
|
· Int’l
· US
·
|
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