This is the leadership we need in 2026
“He came home to Canada. He came home to a nation that celebrates what makes us different.”
In an age of division and fear, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is a breath of fresh air.
I’ve seen very little reporting in the UK on his speech at the Canadian Media Summit in Ottawa on January 29 and I want to shout about it from the rooftops.
Carney, who was elected last year, was paying tribute to the team behind Heated Rivalry, a Canadian show about gay ice hockey players. It was created on a tight budget after American media execs kept wanting to tone down director Jacob Tierney’s creative vision for the show. Now it is an international sensation, having been picked up by HBO Max.
Carney described it as a “true made in Canada phenomenon”. It’s based on a series of books by Canadian author Rachel Reid.
Carney said: “The world knows that Shane and Ilya are rising hockey stars who fall for each other as they face off in one of the greatest rivalries the game has ever known. But they’re also two young men who are terrified of being their fullest self.
“And we live in an increasingly dangerous, divided and intolerant world and the hard-fought rights of the 2SLGBTQI+ community are under threat, including in many of the countries where the show has record-setting audiences.
“A fundamental Canadian value is that people should be able to be whoever they want to be. To love whoever they want to love.”
I did a double take when I heard him refer to 2SLGBTQI+
I confess I don’t follow Canadian politics too closely so I had never heard a politician say 2SLGBTQI+ before. The Government of Canada adopted the acronym in 2022. 2S recognises Two-Spirit people, the very first queer communities. How amazing is that?
As I mentioned in my piece about Heated Rivalry a couple of weeks ago, the show almost didn’t get made. Tierney pitched it in America and got so many notes about the production that he decided to go back to Canada with it. The show was released on streaming service Crave.
Carney said: “Jacob did the right thing. He did the smart thing. He came home to Canada. He came home to a nation that celebrates what makes us different. He came home to a country that values teamwork over going it alone.
“Jacob walked away from a bigger budget, a bigger platform, bigger promotional reach. He came for a studio that let him tell his story the way he imagined.”
Carney said that Heated Rivalry had “already earned its place in the canon of Canadian television.
He said: “That’s significant because our stories, our shared references, our collective memories, remind us that we are all part of something bigger: a creative, curious, compassionate, diverse and ambitious nation. A nation that welcomes storytellers, listens to their stories, celebrates our differences.
“That’s worth protecting, especially at this moment.”
I talk a lot about storytelling, about identity, about being ourselves and what that means. To hear a politician talking about this is incredible. And not just a politician, a prime minister.
Politicians have given speeches about the importance of gay rights before, of course they have. But I’ve never heard one speak about the power of culture before.
Getting into the spirit of the show
Earlier in the day, Carney walked the red carpet, meeting Tierney and Hudson Williams, who plays Shane in the show.
Something Heated Rivalry fans have loved is the Canadian team fleece that Shane wears to the Olympics and there have been demands for the design to be put on sale. That is now going to happen.
But Williams surprised Carney by presenting him with the fleece he wore on the show. Carney snuggles up in it and looks like he has won the lottery.
As they all gather for a photo call, Hudson puts his leg up for Tierney to hold. Tierney says: “Not in front of the Prime Minister.”
When Carney is given the fleece and the two pose for a photo, Carney says: “Do the leg thing.”
Williams is confused. He shuffles his feet saying, “The leg thing?” Then a lightbulb goes on in his brain. “Oh, the leg thing!”
This is the kind of political leadership we want in these times. Thoughtful, intelligent, and with a great sense of humour.
You can watch Carney’s speech in full.
