Home > Talking to Americans

It consisted of interviewing Americans on the street and convincing them to agree with ridiculous statements about Canada. The intent was to satirize American ignorance of its neighbour. Examples included:

• Persuading Americans to congratulate Canada on legalizing insulin or adopting the twenty-four-hour day;
• Convincing Americans that Canada has 'states';
• Congratulating the Canadian government on building a dome over its "national igloo" (apparently a downsized version of the White House) to protect it from global warming;
• Agreeing that the U.S. should bomb Saskatchewan or send ground troops into Gilles Duceppe; and
• Proposing the absurd idea that a Canadian company actually had the mining rights to Mount Rushmore.
• Issues regarding a bridge called "Peter Mans Bridge," named after "Prime Minister Peter Mans" (an obvious reference to CBC News Anchor Peter Mansbridge).

In fact, some of the Americans interviewed seemed just to be playing along, although professors at distinguished American universities seemed always to be taken in by absurdities like the Saskatchewan seal hunt. The only American people who seem to outsmart Mr. Mercer are a university student who spends her time laughing at him, and a small child who is convinced that Canada has provinces, not states.

The most famous segment featured Mr. Mercer in 2000 asking then-presidential candidate George W. BushGeorge Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States. His first four-year term as President began on January 20, 2001 following the controversial U. presidential election, 2000, where for the first time in American – who had previously stated that "you can't stump me on world leaders" – for his reaction to an endorsement by Canadian Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of Canada the head of the Canadian government, is usually the leader of the political party with the most seats in the Canadian House of Commons. The Prime Minister has the right to the style of Right Honourable''. The current prime min "Jean Poutine". Bush responded diplomatically and said he looked forward to working together with his future counterpart to the north. However, the prime minister's name at the time was Jean ChrétienJoseph Jacques Jean Chretien (born January 11, 1934, Shawinigan, Quebec) was the twentieth Prime Minister of Canada, serving from November 4, 1993, to December 12, 2003. The Rt Hon. Jean Chretien Rank 20th Term of Office November 3, 1993 December 12, 2003; poutinePoutine (pronounced, roughly, poo-tin, or peuh-tsin; exact Quebecer pronunciation is X-SAMPA [pUt_sIn] — listen to it in or ) is a popular snack, similar to American disco fries. It is a mixture of French fries with fresh cheddar cheese curds, covered wit is infact a French-Canadian fast foodFast food is food prepared and served quickly at a fast-food restaurant or shop at low cost. Fast food is a multi-billion dollar industry which is continuing to grow at a rapid pace in the early 21st century in many countries as fewer people cook at home. dish of french friesBritish cuisine For other meanings of the word see CHIPS (disambiguation French fries (called french fries in the United States and Canada, chips in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Commonwealth [though not Canada]; frites (or pommes frites in France, gravy and cheese curd. Also, Chrétien had not endorsed any candidate at the time. Bush's opponent at the time, Vice President Al GoreAlbert Arnold Gore Jr. born March 31, 1948) is an American Democratic politician who served as the forty-fifth Vice President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He ran for President in 2000 following Bill Clinton's two four-year terms, but was defeat, also fell victim to Mercer, when he was asked about the Canadian capital Toronto (it is actually Ottawa). (To be fair to Gore, he never said whether he would go, he wasn't thinking beyond the election.) [1]

The special was a co-production between Island Edge Inc and Salter Street Films.