How’s this for making an international splash, eh?
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney helped kick off the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, where he took the opportunity to take a subtle jab at United States President Donald Trump — with the help of the late great John Candy.
Carney appeared ahead of Thursday night’s world premiere of John Candy: I Like Me — a documentary on the Canadian Planes, Trains & Automobiles star directed by Colin Hanks, son of Candy’s Splash costar Tom Hanks — which served as TIFF’s opening night film.
“In many of his movies, there would have a been a scene where John [Candy] would pivot, having been pushed too far,” Carney said in his speech, making a connection to the currently fraught relationship between the neighboring nations. “Don’t push a Canadian too far.”
He grinned as the audience erupted into applause and laughter.
“And John would stand for what’s right,” he continued. “We’re in a more dangerous, divided, and intolerant world. In Canada, our sovereignty, our identity has come under threat. And when Canadians heard those threats, they channeled their inner John Candy. Elbow’s up.”
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Carney assumed office earlier this year, taking over the position from Justin Trudeau. Like his predecessor, the politician is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Despite Trump’s previous warmth toward the U.S.’s neighbors to the north changed over the last several months. In March, he went so far as to suggest Canada should not remain a sovereign country.
“Canada only works as a state,” Trump told reporters in the White House. “We don’t need anything they have. As a state, it would be one of the great states anywhere. This would be the most incredible country, visually. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it, between Canada and the U.S. Just a straight, artificial line. Somebody did it a long time ago, many, many decades ago. Makes no sense. It’s so perfect as a great and cherished state.”
More recently, the U.S. leader imposed a 25% tariff on goods from several countries, including Canada, in what his administration claimed was due to failure to curb the flow of fentanyl across borders.
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John Candy: I Like Me, which debuts Oct. 10 on Prime Video, features interviews with Candy’s family members, including his wife and children, friends, and costars like Bill Murray, Catherine O’Hara, Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and Spaceballs director Mel Brooks. Fellow Canadian Ryan Reynolds, who was also present at Thursday’s premiere screening, produced the doc.
The 2025 Toronto International Film Festival runs through Sept. 14.
With reporting by Nick Romano.
