The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - YOUR TURN -- Your Favourite Canadian Song

Episode Date: June 13, 2024

This week's issue was "Name your favourite Canadian song" and you responded in huge numbers. So much so that we'll have to stretch your answers into next week's Your Turn as well. There are some of Canada's well-known singers and composers in these answers but there are some hidden gems as well. Plus the random Ranter drops by with a heavy geopolitical question for you to ponder.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday, your turn, and today it's your favorite Canadian song. That's coming right up. And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. Thursdays, for the most part this year, has been a kind of Canadiana thing, right? We've been looking at your favorite Canadian book, your favorite Canadian television program. There are a variety of different things, and today we come down to that.

I don't know, I find it really a kind of a summer thing. You know, your favorite piece of Canadian music, it may be a Canadian singing it, maybe a Canadian who wrote it, but some firm Canadian connection to this question, and therefore to the answer. Now, why do I say it's kind of a summer thing? I don't know. Maybe that's just me. I mean, when I was younger, much younger, the big deal used to be to listen to music in your living room or in your basement rec room.

And they would get a fancy stereo and great speakers and all that. I find now that when I listen to music, it's usually in a car. I mean, cars, today's cars have such fantastic sound systems in them. And so I listen, whether it's on satellite radio like Sirius XM, or whether it's private commercial stations, or whether it's the CBC. I'm listening to music more in my car than I ever used to, and especially so in the summer, because I love driving, whether that's in Canada or whether it's when I'm over here in Scotland, as I am for another few days before heading back next week.

I just love listening to music. And of course, there are those moments when you want to hear Canadian, right? Makes you feel at home, makes you feel proud, all of those things. And we certainly have a lot to be proud of on the music scene in Canada. Thanks in part to some, you know, regulations that were put in by governments decades ago now that ensured the life and vitality of the Canadian music scene.

I mean, you might think of that when you sort of flip back through some of the choices that you've made this week. The question was very straightforward. What's your favorite Canadian song? And almost immediately when that was announced, there's never been a return like this on your thoughts on a question. When I announced this on Monday, like before the end of that first program, there were entries coming in.

So we have like hundreds and hundreds of entries. I guess we shouldn't be surprised. But as a result, this is going to stretch into next week as well, to next Thursday's Your Turn, which will be the final one before the break for the summer. So really today is just a start on this. If you've written in and don't hear your letter, then there's a possibility it'll be next week before it gets on.

We're not going to take more entries. Well, we'll keep entries coming in until, I don't know, midnight Eastern time tonight, Thursday. But that'll be it because really there are so many and not everybody's going to make it. But they certainly won't make it if I don't get started reading them. So let's do that. John Koning in New Liskard, Ontario, that's part of the Temeskaming Shores in Northeastern Ontario. John writes, my favorite Canadian band would be Max Webster with Kim Mitchell as lead singer.

Lots of very good tracks, but the one that brings me back to my youth would be High Class in Borrowed Shoes. Anthony Osler, based on the area code of his phone number, he forgot to actually tell us where he was writing from. But if you go by the area code, he's in the Toronto area. Anthony writes, my favorite Canadian song is Terry Jack's Seasons in the Sun, which was released in 1974. He's Canadian. He's also performed the song. It reminds me of my childhood, and although bittersweet in its narrative, reminds me of a sunny time in Canada's history.

Anika Clark from Victoria, B.C., but since January, Anika has been studying in France. My favorite Canadian song is Canada Is, and I listen to it whenever I feel homesick for Canada. It makes me remember all my favorite things about Canada. Well, Anika, this is most often sung by Roger Whitaker, who was born in Kenya and lived in the UK, but it's also sung by Michael Mitchell from Ontario. The music is by Eric Robertson, born in Scotland, but came to Canada at age 15.

Words are by Steve Hyde. He's a Canadian. Dean Mercer in Vancouver. For many summers, my dad sent me to a camp in Algonquin Park on Canoe Lake for the month of August. The camp director, a French-Canadian folk singer named Henri O'Day, sang to us a lot. My favorite was Father and Son by Cat Stevens. His rendition anchored in my heart a song that spoke to me at every stage of my life, including being a grandfather. Fifty years later, I still think Henri O'Day sang a better version

of that song than even the great Cat Stevens. O'Day is from Quebec City, by the way. The song's obviously not Canadian, but since it's O'Day's version that Dean is citing, I guess it fits our Canadian definition because we are not the CRTC. Pat Johnson, he's a munition himself. He writes from Charleston Lake, Ontario. That's in southeastern Ontario.

I'm going to pick Bruce Coburn's Wondering Where the Lions Are as my favorite Canadian song. I was familiar with the song for years, but it hit me as a real favorite back in the late 80s. An ideal day working the hayfield on our family farm in Maynard. During a lunch break, I had a moment to listen to the radio and the song came on. It just knocked me out. Great groove, catchy sing-along chorus, great images found in the verses and a gorgeous multi-dimensional recording that felt like it surrounded me. After the hay was in that afternoon, I went straight to Sam the Record Man in Brockville, Ontario.

Bought a copy of his double album, Waiting for a Miracle. I managed to add the song to my set list. It took a while to get the song to my set list. It took a while to get the guitar chops up to the task, but folks seemed to like it. Debbie Adams in Upper Island Cove, Conception Bay, Newfoundland. My favorite, not just Canadian, but Newfoundland group that we will be bopping along to this summer is Ordinary Day by Great Big Sea.

Michael Murphy in Kingston, Ontario. My choice, Créé Touba by Coeur de Pirate. Heart of the Pirate. Usually translated into English, the song is Crying a Whisper. Cour de Pirate is one of the greatest Canadian songwriters of all time, if underappreciated by English Canada, and I would argue this is her best work.

Cour de Pirate is her stage name. It means Heart of a Pirate. She's a Montrealer whose real name is Beatrice Mireille Martin. Beatrice Martin. Pardon my French. Not too good. Sherry Morin in Ottawa. I grew up in a railroad town and a railroad family,

so I'll cast my vote for Gordon Lightfoot's Canadian Railroad Trilogy. I'm heartbreakingly aware of the Indigenous people forced off their lands because of the railway and the poor treatment and even deaths of migrant workers from China. As Lightfoot sang, we have opened up this soil with our teardrops and our toil. However, Canada was built on the connection forged by the railroad, and I still get goosebumps when I hear the song. I think many of us do that.

Ken Peleshock in Newstead, Ontario. Is it my favorite Canadian song? I don't know, to be honest, but it's as good as any, and it's lived rent-free in my head for most of my life. The bridge came tumbling down, and 19 men were drowned. So you could ride to the other side of old Vancouver town. The bridge came tumbling down by stomping Tom Connors. Paul O'Gratton in Miramichi, New Brunswick.

The question for me was truly which tragically hip song to choose. I've settled on Wheat Kings. It's about David Milgaard and all he went through. It's not from a wheat province. I was a child when Milgaard was exonerated, but this song is so esoterically Canadian that I feel it in my soul. And in case anyone is unfamiliar with the David Milgaard case, in 1970 he was convicted of the murder of a student nurse in Saskatoon. He always denied his guilt, but he spent 23 years in prison before he was released. He was eventually cleared by DNA evidence.

He died just a couple of years ago, 2022, at the age of 69. You know, I spent time in Saskatchewan as a reporter for The National in the mid-1970s and the fallout from that trial and the murder case was still going on. I remember doing a couple of stories on the Milgaard case at that time as well as obviously any later. Laura Martin in Springwater, Ontario. That's just a few minutes north of Barrie. This is an easy one.

Bob Cajun by the hip. Not only is it Gord Downie at his history lesson, storytelling best, it instantly conjures that nostalgic Canadian feeling. And it led me to our magical cottage in Bob Cajun. I mean, where else do you look for a cottage other than where you see the constellations reveal themselves one star at a time?

Going into our 10th summer, we thank the hip every season for bringing the cottage and the town to our attention. Summers on the lake, Canada Day celebrations, the annual Santa Claus parade and Breakfast with Santa, the Bob Cajun Fall Fair, Pumpkin Fest, Kawartha Settlers Village, all the wonderful restaurants and shops,

we love it all and found it because of a song that tugs on our heartstrings just like the town. For those of you who never considered where Bob Cajun is, it's in the Kawartha Lakes region of Ontario, a little northwest of Peterborough. I've got a Bob Cajun T-shirt. I wear it. I wear it often.

I've worn it here in Scotland. People kind of look at me going, what's that? Bob who? Bob Belbeck. Speaking of Bob's, Bob Belbeck in Chatham, Ontario. My favorite Canadian song? I've got Canada in my pocket by songwriter Michael Mitchell. It's about Canadian coins, okay?

He came to our school and performed it. I bought the tape and sang it with my kindergarten kids. I now lead a ukulele group called Spruce Dale Strummers, and we play it once a month at nursing homes. That's great. Good for you, Bob. Lynn McCauley in Almonte, Ontario, 25 minutes west of Ottawa.

Our go-to road sing-along would be Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams. Oh, God, I love that song. Summer of 69. You know, and I'm old enough to remember the summer of 69. It was a pretty good summer, that summer of 69. I was living in Western Canada then, screaming that song out, driving my 66 Mustang.

Jesse Van Der Molen in Lumbee, B.C. That's the northern Okanagan. The best Canadian song that comes to mind for me is Northern Skies by Mark Perry from Smithers, B.C. Most of Canada likely have never heard of Mark, but he's been writing songs about B.C.'s northwest region for many years. The opening line says it all. The first time I saw summer under northern skies,

the sun came up and it nearly caught me by surprise. I remember driving home at 2 a.m. in the Bulkley Valley and seeing the lighter sky just behind the mountains going around the valley, where I knew the sun would rise in just a couple of hours. I miss that, now living in the south. Lawrence Rainey in Muskoka, Ontario. My favorite Canadian song is Neil Young's Helpless.

It begins as an ode to his Canadian hometown. Oh me, a town in North Ontario, where all my changes were there. It's haunting, nostalgic, and unmistakably human. It's imagery of blue, blue windows behind the stars, yellow moon on the rise, big birds flying across the sky. It's so evocative of a rural Canadian life. Nathan Hyde in Kingston, Ontario. Now, this is a little unorthodox choice by Nathan, but who can blame him?

My favorite song is my own. This is very shameful self-promotion, but no one else is going to do it for me. It's called Wolves, and it's written and performed by me, Nathan Hyde, and you can find it on YouTube. Good for you, Nathan. Christopher Grubin in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. My favorite Canadian song is Stompin' Tom Connors, The Hockey Song. As an Inuvliu Luit, living in Canada's Arctic, our winters revolve around the game. I imagine being in the crowd, cheering on as Bobby scores, flying through the air. Maybe our Oilers can pull some magic from this epic song.

Well, they better start soon. Chris Prabhakar in Vancouver. I present to you what has to be the absolute most Canadian song. It's the cover version of Courage as sung by Sarah Pauley. This song was originally written and recorded in 1992 by the iconic Canadian band The Tragically Hip, which references the novel The Watch That Ends the Night, written in 1958 by Canadian writer Hugh MacLennan. The cover version, sung by multi-talented Canadian actor, author and director Sarah Pauley,

was recorded as part of the soundtrack for the masterpiece film The Sweet Her After, which was directed by renowned Canadian Adam McGowan and released in 1997. The film, which also starred Pauly as one of the lead actors, was filmed in British Columbia and Ontario and went on to win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997. This haunting version of the more upbeat original is a true Canadian

masterpiece. Man, just a short letter like that and look at the names in it. You know, talk about Canadian art history. Sarah Pauly, tragically hip. Hugh McLennan. Adam McGowan.

Wow. My friend Peter Donaldson was in that film as well. Think of Peter, often one of the great Canadian, especially Shakespearean actors. We lost him about 10 years ago now. Christine Ramos in Toronto. I fell in love with Leonard Cohen when I was 16. His song Hallelujah still gives me goosebumps.

The groundwork for my obsession was laid when I was just in kindergarten in the early 70s. My parents rented our top floor flat to a University of Toronto student who played his song Suzanne non-stop. Thank you, Jane, wherever you are now. Fast forward to 2009 and my daughter is belting out Hallelujah on stage with her grade four class. I was lucky enough to hear the song live in 2008 during Leonard Cohen's world tour. His voice deeper and raspier than what I was used to hearing on my album, but it still brought me to tears. His music has spanned generations and over 300 covers

of being recorded of this iconic song since he first recorded it in 1984. Ian Hebblethite in Moncton. In a desire to be unique but still sticking strictly to the brief, I'll say My Way, written by Ottawa's Paul Anka, sung, of course, most memorably by, that's right, Frank Sinatra. Pat O'Brien in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Highway of Heroes, sung and written by the Trues. Matthew Skilarczyk in Vernon, B.C.

I love to cook and always with a little background music. One of my go-to songs is Oscar Peterson's Sea Jam Blues. He was an absolute master on the piano, and I wish I heard his name more when talking about great Canadian artists. But give that one a try. You'll be tapping the spatula along with me. Sea Jam Blues, though masterfully played by Canada's Oscar Peterson was composed by Duke Ellington in 1942

Fred Scullard in Fraser Valley, BC has to be at the 100th Meridian by the Tragically Hip always appreciate hip songs writing about places in Canada. Rest in peace, Gord Downie. Marguerite Sexton in Peterborough, Ontario.

My favorite Canadian song. Man, there's so many of these songs that are big favorites of mine. Obviously all the hip songs. But here's one from Marguerite Sexton. My favorite Canadian song is Northwest Passage by Stan Rogers,

who left us far too soon on that solemn day, June 2nd, 1983. A terrible plane crash in Cincinnati, I think it was. He wrote many songs, and this one is my favorite. Peter, I would love to hear you say or sing this verse because I love the sound of your wonderful voice. I'll read it. I can't sing. My singing is like my French.

It's pretty poor. But this song, I mean, I've been through the Northwest Passage. I've listened to this song while I was going through the Northwest Passage. Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage to find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea, tracing one warm line through a land so wild and savage, and make a Northwest Passage to the sea. Love it.

Brian Dickinson in Edmonton. Armful of Teddy Bears by Barry Allen. Barry from northern Alberta spent the majority of his life in Edmonton as an entertainer and producer. He owned Homestead Recorders. We lost him a few years ago. Gareth Wilson in Bowmanville, Ontario.

New Orleans is sinking by the Tragically Hip. Man, do we have a lot of hip fans who listen to The Bridge? I love it. You know, you'll find here

some artists are repeated, but songs aren't. We had multiple entries on certain songs, multiple. And what I'll do next week, at the end of next week, I'll tell you which song was mentioned most. We'll do, you know, the top three, four, or five songs. But certainly the hip comes up a lot, right? So Gareth writes, New Orleans is sinking by the tragically hip.

You know you want to sing with me. I had my hands in the river, my feet back up on the banks. Looked up to the Lord above and said, hey man, thanks. Sometimes I feel so good I gotta scream. She said, Gordy, baby, I know exactly what you mean. She said, she said, I swear to God, she said. Who can't feel great sitting on a patio moving into a Canadian summer

listening to the poetic lyrics of Gord Downie and the Hip? August 20th, 2016 seems so long ago. I miss them like old friends. But as that sun warms us, I make sure those unmistakable vocals reverberate. August

20th, 2016. Don Whitmore. Don forgot to add where he was writing from, but I know he's written before. As an aging boomer, it's hard for me to think of summer in Canada without getting Bobby

Jimby's. Or is it Gimby? I can't remember. Jimby. Bobby Jimby. Canada. Stuck in my head, no kidding. No Canadian song can ever evoke such feelings of pride and hope for the future as that simple jingle. Vern Clausen in the Oak Bluff Sanford area of Manitoba.

That's a little southwest of Winnipeg. Easy question. Four Strong Winds by Ian Tyson. Ian Tyson wrote and sang his Canadian folk song with many artists, including, of course, Sylvia. Neil Young also sang and performed it on his Farm Aid tours, making it a popular song in the United States as well. Alan Adams in Toronto.

Alan tried to bend the rules by offering three songs as best and two honorable mentions. Some of you tried this. It doesn't work, okay? Alan, so what we're going to do with Alan is we're going to tell you the song at the top of Alan's list, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. Consider these lyrics. That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed when the gales of November came early.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours? That's gold. That's gold. Michelle DeMole in Ottawa. One of my favorite songs is Bruce Coburn's Lovers in a Dangerous Time. The blend of love and hope with the fear of nuclear war in the 1980s has always touched me. Bruce Coburn was also an artist, an artist a teenage me could listen to with her pop. Patricia Wilson in Vancouver. Another day it could be another song, but for today it's got to be Anthem by Leonard Cohen. Darren Shelbourne Birch in Maple Ridge, B.C.

It's got to be Timeless Clouds by Ruben and the Dark, featuring the Bullhorn Singers, even though it's only a year old. It captures the bigness of the prairie sky I grew up under and then the nine years I spent in Stratford, Ontario before settling in Maple Ridge in 1993. Shawna E. Adams. She's a Canadian living in Texas. Texas is a big state Shauna doesn't tell us where in Texas

but Texas I'm from the west coast so my favorite Canadian song is We're Here for a Good Time Not a Long Time by a fabulous Canadian band Trooper love them

and Marie Klein in Toronto. She says she was raised as a Francophone in Toronto, so decided to cheat by naming an English song and a French song. Her English song was one we've already mentioned by the Tragically Hip. Her French song, though, is Pour Un Instant by Harmonium, one of the finest bands our country ever produced, according to Anne-Marie. Michael Hambrook in Delta, B.C.

I say Shania Twain's That Don't Impress Me Much is the best Canadian song. It's known around the world for the Brad Pitt line that she swaps out for other famous fellows, such as, recently, Ryan Reynolds. It's fun, spirited, and has a great beat for any and all. Diane Gannon. Mystery writer Diane.

Forgot to tell us where she was writing from. Music box dancer by Frank Mills. While it does not have lyrics, it became an international hit in 1979. Gary Johnson in Guelph, Ontario. There are so many great Canadian artists with so many amazing songs. It's almost impossible to pick just one. And who would it be from?

Would it be from Gordon Lightfoot, The Guess Who, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Burton Cummings, Shania Twain, Brian Adams, Rush, Trooper, on and on and on.

So I thought a collaboration could resolve that dilemma, and the one that came to mind is Tears Are Not Enough by the Northern Lights Group, put together by David Foster and Brian Adams. It was Canada's creative response to raising money for Ethiopia in 1985. It's a great song that I still listen to and includes so many Canadian music legends. All right. We made quite a move through some of these songs. There are more to come, many more this week and next week.

But we do have time for our break. So let's take our break. We'll be right back after this. And welcome back. You're listening to The Bridge, the Thursday episode. It's your turn, and it's your favorite Canadian song. Canadian either by who's singing it or who wrote it. Or some major Canadian connection to the song.

We've had them all so far. You're listening on Sirius XM, Channel 167, Canada Talks, or on your favorite podcast platform. We're glad to have you with us no matter how you're listening. Moving on. Neil, by the way,

I didn't mention that the Random Rancher will be on a little later. He's not talking about music. He's talking about geopolitics. Some pretty heavy-duty stuff. So that's coming up with the Random Rancher in a few minutes' time. But we've got a few more entries to go here.

Neil Wilcher in Barrie, Ontario. My go-to Canadian jam would be Echo Beach by Martha and the Muffins, an infectious guitar riff. And I like muffins. Sandy Esposito in Aurora, Ontario. Words Between the Lines of Age by Neil Young. I first heard the song in the spring or summer of 1972, and as soon as I heard it, I loved it. Bob Chaffron in Encino, California. My favorite Canadian song

is American Woman by the Guess Who. For me, it was the alternative national anthem of Canada. Remember when the Guess Who sang that at the White House? One of Richard Nixon's daughters, I can't remember which one it was, Tricia, was a Guess Who fan. And she pushed her father to invite the Guess Who to come sing at the White House,

which they did. And they sang American Woman. I'd love to know what old Richard thought of that. Tricky Dicky. Marjorie Ferguson in Hamilton, Ontario. My favorite Canadian song at the moment is Anne Murray's Snowbird, written by Gene McClellan. He was from PEI, so definitely a maritime creation.

I first heard it as a little girl. My parents owned the LP, and we watched the Irish Rovers show as a family. Anne Murray's voice is lovely on this song. Snowbird has a lot of nostalgia for me, and my husband and I continue to enjoy the song now. What a fabulous person Anne is. I've met Anne a few times.

Worked with Anne. Not singing. She's amazing. And loves golf. So who couldn't like her? She's a golfer. Maria Foti in Aurora, Ontario. That's just north of Toronto. My favorite all-time Canadian song is These Eyes by the Guess Who? Because my late best friend and I would always sing it together in her car while listening to it on a tape cassette. Remember those? Remember 8-tracks? Those big bulky things?

Brent Culligan. Brent is a lieutenant colonel with one Canadian field hospital and an assistant professor at Dalhousie University School of Medicine. He doesn't say where he's writing from, but let's assume Halifax or nearby. Life is a Highway by Tom Cochran. Life is a highway. I actually sang this on stage with Tom Cochran.

He knew I loved this song. We were doing a benefit in Hamilton. And an outdoor thing. He knew I loved it. He made me come on stage. I was emceeing the night. He made me come on stage to sing it with him. I said, no, Tom, you really don't want to do this.

I said, maybe I'll just mouth the words. But it was a great thrill. Back to Brent's letter. I was a pilot with 434 City of Halifax Blue Nose Squadron out of CFB Shearwater in the early 1990s. We had a U.S. Air Force exchange officer flying with us. He would say that this song was the Canadian national anthem. We would ask why, and he would reply that it must be,

because every Canadian at every bar knows all of the words. That's a good one. John Glenn in Montreal. There are many Canadian artists of distinction that come to mind, many whom have stood out as important voices who were the artistic expression for the Canadian landscape. That said, one artist stands above all others. That would be Gordon Lightfoot. And the song would be,

If You Could Read My Mind. In a castle dark or a fortress strong With chains upon my feet But stories always end Who writes lyrics like that? There's a depth, grace, sadness, and dignity to his writing style. If there's such a thing as the Canadian ballad from the Canadian balladeur Gordon Lightfoot, is that and more. What a guy.

Interviewed him a number of times. He was always. So nice. So humble. Loved to explain. Loved to talk about origins of some of his music. We miss him still. But we're lucky that we live with them forever

because we can always turn them on. Rob Green in Toronto. Dope fiends and booze hounds from a local Toronto band, the Real Statics, who have many, many songs about our great country. Mark Sullivan in Ottawa. My favorite Canadian song is Tune d'Automne by legendary Quebecois band Les Cowboys Fringants. The lyrics of this beautiful folk tune take the form of a letter

written by a brother to his sister who has traveled from Quebec to Western Canada. He wonders how she's doing, gives news from home, and offers her life advice. Rest in peace, Carl Tremblay. Remember, Carl Tremblay died just last November at the age of 47. Karen McLean in St. John, New Brunswick. I've been mulling over this question of favorite song, and I have to admit that I can't answer it properly. After all, a song has lyrics,

and my all-time favorite piece of Canadian music does not. Yet this particular piece of music not only makes my heart swell in national pride and eager anticipation, but is arguably the most recognizable tune in this nation aside from O Canada. I'm speaking, of course, of the theme to Hockey Night in Canada, a true Canadian classic. Yes, the original theme for Hockey Night in Canada is a true Canadian classic. How about two more? And we'll call it a day for this week.

We're taking more entries. If you want to write to the Mansbridge podcast at gmail.com, the Mansbridge podcast at gmail.com. There are a lot of new writers this week. And that's wonderful. It's wonderful that you've gone from just listening to participating. It's great. Martin Partridge in Peterborough County, Ontario.

On May 24, 2008, at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, K.D. Lange melted my heart by performing my favorite song, The Valley by Jane Sibury. Most memorable music moment of my life. Here's the last one for this week. Kathy Newins, London, Ontario.

My favorite Canadian song? That's so hard. So many great songs that make up the story of our lives Music to listen to around the bonfire On long road trips to sing along to Anything by the tragically hip Brian Adams, Great Big Sea And so many more

But perhaps most of all for my husband and me It's Blue Rodeos, Lost Together It is simply perfect. Well, you can't beat simply perfect. So until the end of today, we'll keep accepting entrance, and part two will be next week. This has been great. I'm sorry I couldn't sing these songs for you.

Sorry I couldn't pronounce them all right. But you get the message. We're so lucky, right? We are so lucky and so talented in our songwriters and musicians. It's great to read this list. And there'll be more next week. However, we do have time, because we've missed him of late.

He's been dealing with other issues, but he's back this week. And of course, I'm talking about the one and only Random Ranter. Here's what he has to say this week. For thousands of years, wars have been fought over resources. Whether it be salt or gold, red dye or oil, as long as there's been civilization, people have been competing for resources on the deadliest of terms. And the only thing that can really keep it in check is when there's some semblance of balance, when one side doesn't have an overwhelming advantage

over the other. And that's the reason I'm talking about this today. Because as our carbon economy gives way to the new electron economy, we are dangerously entering into one of those times. And unlike the past, the collective West does not have the advantage. In fact, we're barely even in the game. China controls pretty much everything. And the West, we're not much more than a rounding error. Let me put it to you this way. If this was the Soda Wars, then China would be Coke. And the rest of the world combined would amount to Fresca. Sorry, Fresca, but it's that bad.

China has a complete stranglehold on virtually all the resource requirements of the electron economy. They possess over 95% of the world's rare earth mineral production. And I'm not talking just about what it takes to make batteries, although they control all of that too, with 67% of the lithium supply, 70% of the graphite, 73% of the cobalt, and 95% of the manganese. Those are big numbers, but the real problem

lies with four rare earth minerals that are used in everything from F-35 jets to computers, to wind turbines, smartphones, and of course electric vehicles. I'll do my best at pronouncing them. Neodymium, dysprosium, terbium, and my favorite Irish element, praseodymium. Those four tongue twisters are vital to the production of permanent magnets, energy-efficient lighting, computers, semiconductors, and more. They're forecast to make up 98% of the rare earth mineral market by 2030. And China has more than the market cornered on them. In fact, when it comes to dysprosium, they control 99.9% of it. Their absolute dominance of the market has been achieved through decades of focused state investment, cheap labor, and lax environmental standards. Competition for

these resources has simply never been a level playing field. Chinese industrial output and resource development is all state-controlled. There's no EPA in China. There's no grassroots environmentalists. There are no labor activists. When China decides to do something, there is no dissent, and China has decided to control the rare earth market. So the question is, what is the rest of the world going to do about it? Are they going to surrender to Chinese dominance? Will China play nice and share? Will they throw environmental caution to the wind and fast track their own mineral production? Well, let me unpack some of those things. I don't see the West falling into

line behind China. I just don't. Europe just shifted to the right. You've got MAGA to the south and nationalists don't play nice with anyone. They're the political equivalent of narcissists. And there's no me, me, me in surrender. So will China play nice and share? I think their overwhelming control of the market shows they're already not playing nice. And with their recent restrictions on graphite exports, I'd say they're not ready to share either. So really, all that's left is developing our own supplies. And we have the resources, especially here in Canada. We've got it all. Everything are First Nations involved. It's not simple. I mean, how much environmental damage can you sustain in the name of reducing environmental damage? The way I see it, the best case scenario is that the whole conflict over resources

just delays our transition from carbon to electrons. But in the grand scheme, staying with carbon really amounts to surrender. It will set us at a distinct competitive disadvantage. Maybe it wouldn't be spun that way, but that's what it would be. The worst case scenario, that would be thousands of years of human history repeating itself. Well, there you go. The ranter throwing a heavy at us on a day where we've been talking about music. Our favorite songs. Well, he draws us back to reality

and with some pretty interesting thoughts. So we got it all today. I got the mixed bag And I hope you enjoyed it Alright That's going to wrap it up for this day Tomorrow of course Good talk

Chantel and Bruce will be here And as always Lots to talk about With those two So I hope you enjoyed today's program We'll do part two of the favorite Canadian songs next week. But tomorrow, good talk with Chantelle Hebert and Bruce Anderson. That's coming your way at our regular times right here on The Bridge.

I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thanks so much for listening. Talk to you again in almost 24 hours.