'We are Canadian': 25 years later, Joe Canada is back with a new patriotic video

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The antheral down an iconic Canadian brew advertisement is back, 25 years later, with a caller patriotic rallying cry. But this time, it’s not astir selling drinks.

Nova Scotia’s Jeff Douglas worked with an 'anonymous collective' connected an update to the 'I americium Canadian' rant

Kevin Maimann · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 7:49 PM EST | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

The antheral down an iconic Canadian brew advertisement is back, 25 years later, with a caller patriotic rallying cry.

But this time, it's not astir selling drinks.

Jeff Douglas, from Truro, N.S., became a nationalist sensation after starring arsenic flannel-wearing Joe Canada in Molson Canadian's 2000 advertisement "The Rant," which was a huge success for the brew institution and popularized the slogan, "I americium Canadian!"

On Wednesday, a caller video appeared connected YouTube featuring Douglas, backmost connected signifier successful flannel, this clip defending Canada from attacks by U.S. President Donald Trump, earlier launching into a akin drawstring of boasts astir his location country.

"They mistake our modesty for meekness, our kindness for consent, our federation for different prima connected their flag," helium says into the microphone aft showing photos of Trump. "And our emotion of a blistery cheesy poutine with their emotion of a hot, cheesy Putin."

Titled "We are Canadian," the clip sees Douglas chest-thump about Canada with expanding strength to applause from an invisible crowd, successful beforehand of a surface beaming bits of Canadiana, from ketchup chips to beavers to hockey players.

The video had much than 43,000 views on Douglas's YouTube page by Wednesday evening, aft being up for 7 hours.

Douglas, who became a staple connected CBC Radio successful the years since the 2000 advertisement — he's presently the big of Mainstreet Nova Scotia — said the video was produced by an anonymous corporate of Canadian creatives and advertizing professionals, all of whom donated their clip and resources to get 'er done.

It comes astatine a clip of surging patriotism, when Canadians are boycotting American goods and booing the U.S. anthem astatine sporting events, amid a heated trade war with the U.S. and Trump's threats of annexing Canada arsenic the "51st state."

Douglas talked to CBC past month astir the 2000 ad's caller resurgence successful popularity, aft it started turning up connected TikTok.

He said helium had fond memories of the brew advertisement and was gladsome to spot it resonate with people, but that helium had also learned much astir the darker aspects of Canadian past successful the years since, and disquieted astir the state sliding backmost into "blind patriotism."

While "We are Canadian" is conscionable arsenic fiery and unapologetic arsenic the advertisement helium made successful his 20s, it does concisely admit a much mature outlook connected nationalist pride.

"Are we perfect? No," helium yells, portion the surface flashes an image of a Mohawk onshore defender facing disconnected with a Canadian worker during the 1990 Oka Crisis. "But we are not the 51st anything."

WATCH | Douglas reflects connected his 2000 Molson Canadian ad:

I was the 'I Am Canadian' guy. That commercialized changed me

It was the twelvemonth 2000. Canada agreed down a quality named Joe successful a tv commercialized for Molson beer. Twenty-five years later, the antheral who played him talks astir however that acquisition shaped his views of Canada — and what helium thinks now.

Corrections

An earlier mentation of this communicative said the sanction of Jeff Douglas's quality was Joe Canadian. In fact, it was Joe Canada.
Mar 06, 2025 11:46 AM EST

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin Maimann is simply a elder writer for CBC News based successful Edmonton. He has covered a wide scope of topics for publications including VICE, the Toronto Star, Xtra Magazine and the Edmonton Journal. You tin scope Kevin by email astatine [email protected].

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