There’s been an influx of hotness from the North lately, and it was time to pause and take stock of it. Lost Girl? Canuck. Bomb Girls? Canuck. Tegan and Sara? Canuck.
So who is your favorite Canadian, group? Remember, Tegan and Sara are two different people.
Lucy Hallowell: Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables) because she’s nerdy and awkward and has a terrible temper and broke a slate of Gilbert’s head that time and almost fed a mouse to Miss Stacey and sold the wrong cow that time and won the Rollings Reliable contest without entering and never once, in books or on screen tried to convince me that the Tragically Hip were the greatest thing ever and that I was a stupid prat for not loving them.
Dorothy Snarker: Anne Shirley forever and always. I already mentioned that I made my entire family vacation on Prince Edward Island one summer, right? Right.
Bridget McManus: Queer musician Lyndell Montgomery aka Captain Dirt! Montgomery is a classically trained master of numerous instruments but your mind will be literally blown if you are lucky enough to witness her play the electric violin live. Montgomery also co-wrote the genderqueer book Boys Like Her. I LOVE this woman!
Dana Piccoli: I just assume every beautiful actress is Canadian. Well, if I have to choose, I’d say Lisa Rani Ray. Not only is she beyond stunning, but she plays by her own rules. Bollywood actress, star of two lesbian movies (I Can’t Think Straight and The World Unseen), philanthropist, activist. More than anything though, its the story of her battle with multiple myeloma cancer, which she chronicled in the very intimate and candid The Yellow Daries blog, that makes her my favorite Canadian.
Punky Starshine: Ever since I first discovered Evangeline Lily and found out that she was Canadian, I also assumed the most beautiful actresses were Canadian. My favorite has to be Shay Mitchell (Pretty Little Liars), though. Stunning beyond comprehension, yet still just the sweetest, kindest girl. Philanthropic, smart, humble, hard-working, funny, creative, loyal. She loves her fans and isn’t shy about saying so. She is passionate about her work and embraces the communities that love her because of it. Did I mention she’s stunning? She’s the complete package. If I hadn’t once seen her with my own eyes, I would question whether or not she was real.
Dara Nai: Canada has given the US many things. Maple syrup, poutine, good hockey and geese. But by far, the best Canadian import is Samantha Bee. And unlike those other things, she’s not too sweet, has all her teeth, and doesn’t shit on our golf courses (that I know of.) I love Bee’s ability to hold serious-journalist-face while asking important politicians and “experts” hard-hitting questions. In a recent sit-down with a man who thinks female soldiers don’t belong on the front lines for a whole host of idiotic reasons, Straight-faced Bee asked, “Have you actually ever met a woman before?”
Grace Chu: Even though her songs make breakups even more depressing and every time you see her in an ASPCA commercial you want to blow your brains out, my favorite Canadian is Sarah McLachlan. She brought us Lilith Fair after all.
Erika Star: Not gonna lie, my first thought was Bieber as he has further spoken to my love of lesbian jams by by putting out an acoustic album this week. Then I tried to dig gayer and thought about the soundtrack to my angst years, Jagged Little Pill, and how Alanis can do no wrong except to mess with Uncle Joey. That’s when I happened upon the news that that Ellen Page was going to be playing Shadowcat in the next X-Men film and my inner nerd won out. She is not only way adorable and way talented, she’s also from way up der in Nova Scotia dontcha know.
Jill Guccini: Ivan Coyote. Such a special storyteller, the kind that makes you feel like a friend from the first words, cozy and at home. And so much Canadian love in their stories! When reading an Ivan Coyote story about growing up in the Yukon, I feel sad I didn’t grow up in the Yukon! A notion I never ever feel outside of reading an Ivan Coyote story!
So who is your favorite Canadian?
