Like Peter Gzowski or Stuart McLean, Rick Mercer is another of Canada's (and CBC's) National Treasures. I just finished watching his show, "The Rick Mercer Report" (now in its tenth season), and it was as fabulous as always. This week he had a stint with the National Ballet of Canada and participated in a student lumberjack competition in Lindsay. And his rant was spot on about another of the Conservative government's dubious decisions: slashing the budget for veterans' affairs. He didn't mince words - as usual - saying that to Steven Harper et al. "lest we forget" is meaningless as, clearly, they have forgotten.
I love his show. I love that he tirelessly travels from one end of the country to the other, participating in every sort of quintessential Canadian activity ... as well as quite a few new and obscure ones too. He has walked the CN Tower (outside!), tagged hibernating bears, tracked moose, played Paralympic basketball, followed whales, gone zip-lining, mountain biking, race car driving and so much more. Some of the things he does must be huge fun, but others? Not so much. He's pretty brave to do everything he does, actually.
He's brave to deliver his weekly rants too, because I'm sure he gets some flak from them. But he dares to expose things that might otherwise slip under people's radar. Last week, for example, he talked about a secret trade agreement Harper made with the Chinese - while in Russia. (An agreement that had never been debated or voted on in parliament, by the way.) He's ranted about sneaky omnibus bills that try to hide a whole bunch of things inside them, and so much more. So much, in fact, that he has a new book out now: "A Nation Worth Ranting About" (I'm on the library waiting list for the ebook and am really looking forward to a fun yet insightful read.)
And Rick Mercer is also a co-founder of the "Spread the Net" charitable organization. It raises money to buy bed nets to prevent malaria in the developing world. $10 buys a net and potentially saves a life. To date over half a million nets have been purchased. Rick encourages schools to fundraise with his annual challenge. The winning schools get to appear on his show.
All in all, Rick's a pretty cool guy with a really great show. Here's hoping his "Rick Mercer Report" is around for at least a decade more.
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