Rick Mercer stands up for Canada

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The year 2025 has certainly been a good year to stand up for Canada. Who better to turn that mission into a TV special than Rick Mercer?

The former This Hour has 22 Minutes and Rick Mercer Report firebrand returns Sunday, December 28, with Rick Mercer Stand Up for Canada. The hour-long comedy special, featuring fellow comics Sophie Buddle, Mayce Galoni and Julie Kim, was taped before a sold out crowd last fall in Saint John, New Brunswick. That show was part of a 20-city, cross Canada tour.

The CBC special opens with a song Mercer has used in comedy concerts for years – “Raise a Little Hell” by Trooper. On this podcast episode, Mercer tells how that association with the band led to him inducting them into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2023. We also speculate on the future of Montreal's Just for Laughs, and Mercer tells how he got former Prime Minister Jean Chretien to be his "voice of God" announcer for his string of comedy shows.