It's Canada Day, the day that marks the anniversary of Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867. We Canadians celebrate it with days off work, beer, and fireworks. It's like July 4, without the revolutionary overtones.
There is no more potent symbol of Canadianness than the National Film Board of Canada's musical short, The Log Driver's Waltz: more than Leonard Cohen's groans, more than Dan Ackroyd's rampant toryism, more than "timbit" jokes about Tim Horton's tragic car accident, The Log Driver's Waltz defines Canada for its expatriate thirtysomethings. Just singing a few bars of this in a crowded space is enough to flush the crypto-Canadians out (Canadians are like axe-murderers, we look just like regular people) in throaty voice. It's even more reliable than stepping on everyone's foot until someone apologises.
Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians, both domestic and expatriate.
As a bonus be sure to catch this unforgettable punk cover from Midget Militia.
Update: Here's another version, performed by Captain Tractor — thanks, Heather!
Update 2: Martin sez, "The Log Driver's Waltz was written by Wade Hemsworth, who also wrote Black Fly, seen in another classic NFB short. Wade is the singer in this one.
As for flushing out Canadians, my favourite method is Margaret Atwood's. At a fork in the road, put up two signs, one labelled 'Heaven', the other labelled 'Panel Discussion on Heaven'. The Canadians are the ones who go to the panel discussion." Heh. For a woman who called librarians the moral equivalent of car-thieves, that Atwood is pretty funny.
