hi I’m Rebecca Brayton and welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re speaking
with Canadian politician and NHL Hall of
Fame goalie Ken Dryden about Canadian
identity in relation to politics and
sports to an extent we almost tried to
rewrite our stereotype with the idea of
own the podium in the Olympics I know
you’ve talked about this explain to us
basically your take on on the podiums
it’s one of those slogans that doesn’t
necessarily have a literal meaning but
it’s a spirit and it’s like look you
know look what we did in the last winter
olympic games in Turin we won more
medals than we had one before we had a
lot of fourth and fifth place finishers
a lot of young athletes that we’re going
to get better for the next games the
next games are going to be in Canada
what’s on the podium and then we weren’t
winning medals at the beginning and all
of a sudden it becomes this gnashing of
teeth you know nationally of we’re like
oh we overstretched this isn’t us we
aren’t the braggarts then we started to
win you can combine that feeling of a
sense of yourself without the strut was
Gretzky an unfortunate face of winning I
don’t think so what about all those
Olympic gold medal winners I mean some
tessa virtue and scott moir give me up i
mean they were fantastic so it seems we
have it right in sports but not in
politics it’s frustrating i mean the
spirit in ottawa there’s a nastiness
there’s an there’s an absence of of
conversation I mean it’s all abuse and
accusation there hasn’t been that kind
of compelling story to focus on
something that seems to to matter to
people that captures their imaginations
that captures the politicians
imagination and the political parties if
there isn’t such a thing then we end up
focusing on each other and then it’s
just sniping back and forth the thing
that I think is that bigger story of us
and we talk about it a lot of the
diversity of Canada but it’s a different
kind of diversity than other countries
that are also diverse the immigrant
coming here has more of an effect on us
and and on the nature of life in Canada
then the immigrant has in the US or the
UK we’ve gone beyond multiculturalism to
really creating a multi culture you know
and that’s what makes us different it is
that kind of interaction that even if
one tried to avoid you can’t any longer
it’s the challenge of living with each
other and of listening being patient and
discussing but again creating something
that’s pretty unbelievable actually here
and it does make us important in the
world i mean we’re we’re the the great
experiment in the world that way why
would you say this issue is important
now more than ever everybody is
struggling with the idea of a global
world or with the reality of a global
world where you are amongst people where
there are differences it’s cultural its
religious its linguistic is all of these
differences and how do we deal with it
historically you know countries have not
dealt with difference very well I mean
it has led to conflict and bloodshed
that’s not good enough if that is the
future reality given the greater degree
of interaction then we’ve got a real
problem in the world and climate change
I think is also a part of that of where
it’s not only a matter of new stories
for a global world and relationship
between countries and people but a
relationship with the planet and so I
think all of these things are coming at
the same time and we’re all struggling
in the same way thank you very much
thank you
watchmojo.com and today we’re speaking
with Canadian politician and NHL Hall of
Fame goalie Ken Dryden about Canadian
identity in relation to politics and
sports to an extent we almost tried to
rewrite our stereotype with the idea of
own the podium in the Olympics I know
you’ve talked about this explain to us
basically your take on on the podiums
it’s one of those slogans that doesn’t
necessarily have a literal meaning but
it’s a spirit and it’s like look you
know look what we did in the last winter
olympic games in Turin we won more
medals than we had one before we had a
lot of fourth and fifth place finishers
a lot of young athletes that we’re going
to get better for the next games the
next games are going to be in Canada
what’s on the podium and then we weren’t
winning medals at the beginning and all
of a sudden it becomes this gnashing of
teeth you know nationally of we’re like
oh we overstretched this isn’t us we
aren’t the braggarts then we started to
win you can combine that feeling of a
sense of yourself without the strut was
Gretzky an unfortunate face of winning I
don’t think so what about all those
Olympic gold medal winners I mean some
tessa virtue and scott moir give me up i
mean they were fantastic so it seems we
have it right in sports but not in
politics it’s frustrating i mean the
spirit in ottawa there’s a nastiness
there’s an there’s an absence of of
conversation I mean it’s all abuse and
accusation there hasn’t been that kind
of compelling story to focus on
something that seems to to matter to
people that captures their imaginations
that captures the politicians
imagination and the political parties if
there isn’t such a thing then we end up
focusing on each other and then it’s
just sniping back and forth the thing
that I think is that bigger story of us
and we talk about it a lot of the
diversity of Canada but it’s a different
kind of diversity than other countries
that are also diverse the immigrant
coming here has more of an effect on us
and and on the nature of life in Canada
then the immigrant has in the US or the
UK we’ve gone beyond multiculturalism to
really creating a multi culture you know
and that’s what makes us different it is
that kind of interaction that even if
one tried to avoid you can’t any longer
it’s the challenge of living with each
other and of listening being patient and
discussing but again creating something
that’s pretty unbelievable actually here
and it does make us important in the
world i mean we’re we’re the the great
experiment in the world that way why
would you say this issue is important
now more than ever everybody is
struggling with the idea of a global
world or with the reality of a global
world where you are amongst people where
there are differences it’s cultural its
religious its linguistic is all of these
differences and how do we deal with it
historically you know countries have not
dealt with difference very well I mean
it has led to conflict and bloodshed
that’s not good enough if that is the
future reality given the greater degree
of interaction then we’ve got a real
problem in the world and climate change
I think is also a part of that of where
it’s not only a matter of new stories
for a global world and relationship
between countries and people but a
relationship with the planet and so I
think all of these things are coming at
the same time and we’re all struggling
in the same way thank you very much
thank you
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