The Tolerant Canadians condemn Conan O'Brien as 'Racist' for calling Quebecers HOMOS

Yahoo ^ | February 13, 2004 | David Ljunggren

[TheEaglehasLanded]

Canada Condemns 'Racist' Conan O'Brien TV Show Fri Feb 13, 3:26 PM ET Add Entertainment - Reuters to My Yahoo!

By David Ljunggren

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's government on Friday condemned a show by U.S. late-night television host Conan O'Brien that insulted people in French-speaking Quebec and seemed to suggest everyone in the province was homosexual.

Canadian Press Photo

Ottawa and the province of Ontario paid $760,000 to help O'Brien -- who appears on the NBC television network -- bring his show to Toronto for a week to boost the city's profile after a deadly SARS (news - web sites) outbreak last year.

But the federal government said O'Brien had gone far too far with the show broadcast on Thursday in which he went to Quebec, a province which has had separatist governments for much of the last 20 years and is a delicate political topic in Canada.

"We want to disassociate ourselves from the comments which were broadcast last night because we do not support them in any way," junior government minister Mauril Belanger told Parliament.

At one point in the show, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog -- a hand puppet that is a regular on the show -- said to a Quebecer: "You're French, you're obnoxious and you no speekay English." It told another: "I can smell your crotch from here."

O'Brien's team were also shown replacing street signs in the province with those that read "Quebecqueer Street" and "Rue des Pussies."

Alexa McDonough, a legislator for the left-leaning New Democrats, described the program as "racist filth" and "utterly vile" and demanded the government seek the return of the C$1 million subsidy.

"There may be those who would say, 'Isn't this interfering with freedom of expression?' It's not interfering to say we will not publicly fund this kind of vile, vicious hatemongering," McDonough told reporters.

Belanger did not commit to asking for the money back. No one at NBC was immediately available for comment.

The complaints over the puppet's comments come on the heels of a similar uproar following criticism of European French-Canadian hockey players on CBC television by the country's best-known sports commentator, Don Cherry.

The "Late Night" show, which taped in Toronto all this week and featured guests such as Jim Carrey (news) and Mike Myers (news), was broadcast in Canada by CHUM television, which said it regretted any offense that may have been caused.

"We offer our apology and assurance that it is never our intention to air programing that offends any of our viewers," the station said in a statement.

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has landed in trouble before, most famously when it had an altercation with rap singer Eminem (news - web sites) at a music awards show in 2002.

[TheEaglehasLanded]

Well when you approve gay marriage like Canada and Massachusetts, people might think your French, like Quebecers and John Kerry

[StatesEnemy]

John Kerry isn't French. He's Jewish.

[TheEaglehasLanded]

Oh, He's a French Jew, man now he can't wear a yamika.

[MegaSilver]

Canada, far from being proud of its homosexual marriage licenses and hate speech criminalization, ought to wake up and come face-to-face with the police state it is becoming.

[StatesEnemy]

He actually is Jewish. His grandfather was Fritz Kohn - who changed his name to Frederick Kerry.

[Paul Atreides]

"There may be those who would say, 'Isn't this interfering with freedom of expression?' It's not interfering to say we will not publicly fund this kind of vile, vicious hatemongering," McDonough told reporters.

Funny, how uncomfortable the shoe is, when it is on the other foot.

[InvisibleChurch]

what kind of person can't take cr*p from a puppet?

[Paul Atreides]

You'd think a bunch of homosexuals would love getting a dressing down from someone with another person's hand up his butt.

[BeerSwillr]

The complaints over the puppet's comments...

I can't get over how surreal that line is.

[Cicero]

seemed to suggest everyone in the province was homosexual.

Well, what's wrong with that? I thought the official position of the Canadian government is that homosexuals are better than anyone else.

[Armedanddangerous]

As far as I am concerned, Triumph is the only funny thing about that howdy doody headed doofus's show. In fact, Triumph is spit out your drink when you hear him funny. The guy who does that act has a great deal of talent, which is more than I can say for Conan the goofy.

The show started off with him asking the audience what they thought of my president, and enjoying the 2-3 minutes of booing the Canadian idiots provided in return.

The whole week seems to have been an Americans are uncultured boobs, Canadians are better repetitious so called comedy act.

No longer worth my time.

[reagan_fanatic]

" insulted people in French-speaking Quebec and seemed to suggest everyone in the province was homosexual.."

And the problem is?

[BeerSwillr]

I've seen both acts and I like 'em both. That being said I like you first three sentences even better. I'm still laughing at them even after having read them 10 times. You owe me a keyboard.

[nutmeg]

In this image take from video, a man reacts to jokes by Triumph the Insult Dog during a pre-taped segment of the Conan O'Brien show in Quebec City. (CP)

[nutmeg]

Did Triumph make his usual appearance at the Westminster Dog Show this year? I saw the first one he did a few years ago... I can't remember when I laughed that hard! ;-D

[HHFi]

Triumph at the "Star Wars" premiere and at the "American Idol" auditions were two of the funniest things I've ever seen on TV. They were laugh-till-you-hurt funny. The thing in Quebec was very good, but not quite on that level because the French-Canadians didn't understand English and couldn't interact or get the jokes he was doing on them. Still, when he started replacing all the French street signs with his own signs, I was roaring. Also when he told a French-speaking guy something like, "Let me put it in words you'll understand: I SURRRENDER!!!"

I'm sure Triumph is shaking with fear at the idea of all those French-Canadians being angry at him. The entire massed militaries of France and Canada couldn't lick a dog puppet. Even with Triumph urging them, "Lick me, France!"

[nutmeg]

LOL! I just found a bunch of Triumph video clips on Conan's website: Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

Triumph Visits the 'Star Wars' Nerds Part One, Triumph visits the Stars' Homes in Hollywood, Triumph at the Westminster Dog Show, etc.

[Cubs Fan]

Hee hee, Never saw Conan's show but I'll have to give it a try now.

Vive le Conan!!!

[Cubs Fan]

Hee hee, Never saw Conan's show but I'll have to give it a try now.

Vive le Conan!!!

[fish hawk]

I guess one could say, Kerry was a Kohn-man. (con)