Comedian Mark Critch is not sorry about his new book

Mark Critch didn’t plan to write a book about Canada. 

But as he was writing a novel earlier this year, the words of U.S. President Donald Trump referring to Canada as the “51st state” and then-prime minister Justin Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau” echoed in his mind. 

Like many Canadians, this bothered Critch, and it lit the fuse for a new book.

“I actually contacted my publisher and I said, ‘Do people ever start writing a book and then switch streams to another book?’ And they said, ‘No, never.’ I hung up. And then I waited a couple of weeks. Then I called back and said, ‘Can I?’ ”

Sorry, Not Sorry: An Unapologetic Look at What Makes Canada Worth Fighting For is a collection of 13 essays and stories through which Critch reflects on the history and importance of Canada. On Tuesday he held a book launch event at the Halifax Central Library where he was joined by his co-host on the CBC comedy program This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Trent McClellan. 

The two comedians spoke about Critch’s new book, riffing off each other and sharing their favourite bits of the book. There are some silly hypotheticals, like a scenario where Santa Claus, who Critch jokingly claimed lives in Canada, gets intercepted and interrogated by ICE while flying over the United States.

And some chapters are true stories, like when Critch was tasked with accompanying then-Prince Charles during a trip in Newfoundland when the two went “for a beer.” At the event, Critch attempted an impression of King Charles, or “Chuck” as Critch called him, that best not be seen by the monarchy. 

McClellan said his favourite chapter of the book is about “taking the flag back.”

“What does the flag mean these days? And if you see a waving flag, what does that person represent? I used to think I would know and then once we got to Covid times it was like the flag started to take on a new meaning,” said McClellan. 

Critch said when Donald Trump made threats against the sovereignty of Canada, it caused a new wave of Canadian patriotism. 

“What (Trump) didn’t intend to do is he awoke a giant in a way. When you threaten to take something away, you start to appreciate it more,” said Critch. “And it’s fascinating to see, and I think people probably have a bit more of a knowledge of the weight of their flag and what it represents and a bit more respect for it.”