What Does It Mean To be a Canadian in Euro2008

In any sport game there is a winner and loser, but here in Canada the situation is different. No matter what, a fellow Canadian always wins.

To be the winner in baseball, soccer, basketball or any other kind of sports, there is a solution: Be a Canadian.

A case in point: Euro 2008. The diversity of ethnic communities in Canada means that no matter which team scores the most goals, a Canadian in the city – perhaps even in the bar next door – will be cheering.

For Michael, 24 Portugal’s loss to Switzerland didn’t ruin his night, but

instead, it added a twist to an entertaining evening.
He is a Portuguese -Canadian student studying Engineering at Ryerson University and, his girlfriend, Amanda, is an international student from Switzerland also at Ryerson.
“We bet on this game, and I won,” Amanda said in a crowded bar in downtown Toronto, a few hours after the Portuguese -Switzerland game finished. “The good thing about Canada is that
there is no us and them; we are living together and learning from each other regardless of our accents, colour, or religions. In fact there are no biases and you can see this especially during international events such as Euro2008, FIFA 2007, or Toronto International Film Festival.”
“You want to see a good game, or a film, or attending a fine music concert, having an appetizing food. In fact, our differences make us powerful.
We generally learn that differences create problems, but Canada is proof that this can be changed,” said Michael who flies a Portuguese flag on his car.
Nowhere else can you see such a varied collection of national flags perched on cars. In some
cities this is a crime and in others, unacceptable. In some places, building a mosque a few blocks away a church can cause a civil war; and in others, talking in languages other than the official language is considered a betrayal.

In Toronto over 100 languages are spoken, dozens of religions are practiced and over 75 ethnic communities exist. More importantly, they are living together in peace while out there in the world; others are struggling with governments’conflicts, wars, and political tensions that too often go unnoticed.

Canada, with its young history, is a leader in this sense. Michael and Amanda are two of millions youths living in Toronto, celebrating their differences, while their espousal of their favourite
soccer teams still remains the same.
“I cannot wait for the next Portuguese game,” Michael said. “But regardless of that, after each game, a community in Toronto is celebrating its happiness, and I want to be involved and share my feeling with my townsmen.”
Canada, with over 30 million inhabitants, reflects the world’s diversity.
Now instead of going around the world in 80 days, you can stay in Toronto for less than a week, walk on Yonge Street, the longest street of the earth, and you actually can see the world.
We have the entire world under the one land: Canada and under the one nation: Canadian.

Creating Awareness,

I think Mark Kelley’s documentary was a successful piece in general since it has a clear focus, and create awareness for the viewers.

The introduction of the story was a good hook (Talking to the victim’s mother), but it seems to me that he wasn’t comfortable interviewing the mother. His body language, the position of sitting, as well as the questions he asked the mother wasn’t that great.

The next scenes which he talked to RCMPs officers, the former gang member, or the mother was better. He made the connection within the scenes and the entire time try to support the focus of the story.

Although there were many characters in the story, each relate the others and that’s why the story kind of worth it.

I think what it didn’t really worked was the conclusion. It was a rushed conclusion and really did not provide any sort of hope “or better future at the town” to readers.

In terms of visual effect, I think the best part was the camera man shows the words “peace” or “honesty” beside the gun shots.