Prime Minister Mark Carney with Hudson Williams, star of the TV series ‘Heated Rivalry,’ at the Prime Time conference gala in Ottawa, on Thursday.PATRICK DOYLE/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney found himself in a surprisingly charming, and strategically orchestrated, spot of “soft power” diplomacy on Thursday in Ottawa.
The unexpected moment unfolded at the Prime Time conference held at the Westin hotel, where Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams presented Carney with a Team Canada fleece jacket – the very one worn by his character, Shane Hollander, in the popular Crave series.
“This is true soft power,” Carney quipped, playfully embracing the gesture as the image quickly circulated online, becoming an instant internet sensation. But the seemingly spontaneous encounter was, in fact, a carefully planned demonstration of cultural influence by the Canadian Media Producers Association and the show’s creators, Jacob Tierney and Brendan Brady of Accent Aigu Entertainment.
A Fleece and a Message to Washington
The viral moment underscored Canada’s cultural strength and subtly contrasted it with political messaging from the U.S.
The photos and videos of Carney and Williams – including a particularly shareable image of Williams’s leg playfully wrapped around the Prime Minister – spread rapidly through Heated Rivalry’s devoted international fanbase. This boost in visibility reinforced Carney’s image as a progressive leader championing Canadian culture on the world stage. The timing was notable, coinciding with a red carpet appearance by former U.S. President Donald Trump at the premiere of a documentary about his wife in Washington, D.C.
That documentary, Melania, produced by Amazon MGM Studios, was described by satirists as a “$40-million docu-bribe,” highlighting a stark contrast in approaches to cultural promotion.
Carney seized the opportunity to emphasize Canada’s support for the internationally successful series, noting that it might have been “watered down” had American producers been involved. “Look, I’m a politician: I’m not above taking credit for the Canadian funding that helped you share this story with the world,” he said during a speech to producers. He continued with a touch of playful defiance: “I might not have been here when the decision was made, but I’m here now. So, yeah, I green lit this thing; I stood up to the Americans.”
Hudson Williams presents Prime Minister Mark Carney with a fleece from the show ‘Heated Rivalry.’PATRICK DOYLE/The Canadian Press
Protecting Canadian Content
The producers of Heated Rivalry weren’t simply seeking a photo op; they were strategically leveraging the show’s popularity to advocate for the Online Streaming Act. Tierney and Brady voiced concerns that Carney’s government might show “flexibility” regarding the act during upcoming trade talks with the United States. The legislation, when fully implemented, will require large streaming services like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video to contribute 5 percent of their annual revenue to funds supporting Canadian content production.
- Canada’s Online Streaming Act requires major streamers to invest in local content.
- Heated Rivalry’s creators used the Prime Minister’s endorsement to bolster support for the act.
- The incident highlighted a contrast between Canadian and American approaches to cultural funding.
- The show’s international success demonstrates the value of Canadian storytelling.
Tierney pointed out that Canada’s act is relatively modest compared to regulations in other countries. Australia, for example, requires subscription video-on-demand services with over 1 million subscribers to spend 10 percent of their local program expenditure – or 7.5 percent of Australian revenue – on Australian content.
The conversation surrounding the Online Streaming Act gained momentum when Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller appeared at the Prime Time conference for an interview. Miller acknowledged the concerns raised by Tierney and Brady, stating, “I totally understand their perspective. I think we share the same objective.”
By the evening, as Carney and Williams took to the red carpet, Tierney expressed a renewed sense of confidence in the government’s commitment to supporting Canadian culture. Brady confirmed that their attendance at the conference was specifically to advocate for the Online Streaming Act, emphasizing the precarious financial position of the Canadian television industry despite the success of shows like Heated Rivalry.
“We think it’s incredibly important to continue to have Canadian stories being told in a system that belongs to Canadians and doesn’t have international interference,” Brady said. So, as the saying goes, if you want to wear the fleece, you’ve got to get behind Team Canada.
