Rick Mercer is a peculiar sort of political animal. Some people consider him one of this country's sharpest young comedy minds, while others regard him as a seriously savvy observer on today's burning issues. Mercer is both, really.
Although he's often been referred to as the Canadian Parliament's "Unofficial Opposition," there's usually a playful glint in his eye as he takes public officials to task for their behaviour. Mercer knows the Canadian political scene, but he also knows funny. No doubt it helps that the two areas are often connected.
Whatever the designation, Mercer knows how to have fun with his job, hosting The Rick Mercer Report, which resumes broadcasting Tuesday on CBC, and has a special election-night edition on Jan. 23.
So far this season, The Rick Mercer Report has survived a move from
Monday to Tuesday night, and a title change. And aren't you out on the road more often this year?
Perhaps there's been a bit more travelling this year, but my personal mandate for the show has always been to cover Canada -- all of Canada. We've been to Iqaluit, the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Churchill, and it's absolutely the best part of doing the show. It's my dream job for that very reason. Things like going to Churchill and seeing the polar bears, which is something I've wanted to do forever. This show enables me to do a trip like that in the run of a regular week.
So what has all that travelling taught you about Canada and Canadians?
The more you travel in Canada, the more you grow to appreciate every single region. I believe almost all the problems we have can be attributed to the fact Canadians find it prohibitive to get from one part of the country to the other -- and it's not their fault. If you live in Ontario, it's cheaper to fly to Paris than it is to fly to Newfoundland; if you live in Nova Scotia, it's cheaper to fly to Florida than to Alberta. And the minute someone from the East visits the West, their perceptions of the West change entirely.
It's the same as the North; once you've been there, your views change completely and you realize the vast majority of us are completely ignorant of this great and wonderful region of Canada. So, the more I travel, the more I fall in love with our country.
One of your earlier TV efforts, Talking to Americans, found you south of the border, talking to woefully ignorant Yanks, some of whom still probably believe our Prime Minister is named Tim Horton. Do Americans really think of us that way?
The moment there was a border placed between Canada and the U.S., there were Americans coming here with skis strapped to the roof, looking for ski hills in July. Talking to Americans was a total fluke and in comedy, if something works, you beat it like a rented mule. So I travelled all over the U.S. and had a great time. It wasn't the hardest work I ever did, that's for sure, but it was very popular.
I wouldn't say Talking to Americans was the most original joke in the world. Jay Leno started doing it afterwards, and there's an Australian TV show that does it now, almost identical to the format. But that's okay, because I've moved on anyway.
Who were your TV heroes growing up in St. John's?
My TV heroes were local comedians -- Tommy Sexton and Greg Malone, who went on to become two members of CODCO. They were part of a produced-in-Newfoundland television show and it was the most popular TV show in the entire province.
I was only allowed to watch one TV show a week, because television was considered bad in my house, and it was always those guys. In my mind, they were the biggest stars of the day -- bigger than J. R. -- and they lived right down the street from me. So the idea of being on television suddenly wasn't that far-fetched.
We're less than three weeks away from a federal election.
Can you précis the race thus far?
An election to me is like the World Series, obviously. I don't know what that says about me, but I've been watching it very closely. I think we're at a turning point right now. The first half of the campaign, everyone was very nervous and careful, but Martin and Harper are essentially tied now and their positions are changing.
On next week's show, I talk to a sports psychologist, who discusses athletes going from the hunter to the hunted.
And this seems to be what's happening: Stephen Harper is moving from the hunter to the hunted; Paul Martin was the hunted, and now he's the hunter. So their roles are changing and now we'll see how they react. Otherwise, everyone seems to think it's going to get nasty. We're all just waiting for it to get nasty.
Many people seemed put out at the very concept of holding an election
in January. Isn't that a rather odd
attitude for Canadians?
I don't buy that you can't hold an election in Canada in the middle of the winter. That's absurd. We do everything in the winter; we barbecue in the winter. We know how to dress. We're prepared for it.
How important is this particular
election?
I think every election is important and I have absolutely no time for people who don't vote. I always find it interesting when people try to justify not voting. It's 20 minutes out of someone's life. I'm all for complaining and I'm a big complainer myself, but there's a cover charge -- and that's voting.
The Rick Mercer Report airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on CBC.