Canadian stereotypes are usually pretty accurate and light hearted. Most of us are very polite, and a lot of us enjoy coffee, donuts and hockey. One stereotype that I have never heard other countries give us credit for is our sense of humor. We can be extremely amusing when we want to be, in fact Canada is home to some of the funniest people on the planet. So who are these jokers, and what makes them so hilarious? I will only be covering my three personal favourites, but there are way too many honourable mentions to count. Please let me know who your favourites are and why. I do not have an exact criteria for these comics and this is one hundred percent based on emotions. Comedy is very subjective, and we do not all share the same sense of humor, but these comedians have garnered enough respect and notoriety to be named as some of the best funny guys this great country has to offer. 

The late great John Candy immediately comes to mind when I think of the funniest Canadians of all time. Born in Newmarket, Ontario, Candy got his start doing sketch comedy on Second City Television, where he excelled in creating goofy characters, and executing impressive impersonations. These skills paid him dividends for years after breaking out into the movie business. Some of his most notable films are Splash, Spaceballs, Cool Runnings, Uncle Buck, The Great Outdoors, Canadian Bacon and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. His untimely death on March 4, 1994 deeply saddened the comedy world. He was only 43 at the time, which makes me wonder how many more cult classics he would have starred in. A fun fact about John Candy is that he was a minority owner of the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts. The Argos won the Grey Cup in 1991 while under his ownership which must have been exciting for him. I think what has drawn so many people including myself towards John Candy is his overall likability, and humble demeanor. 

This next comedian is most likely number one for a lot of people, and I cannot disagree with that opinion. Jim Carrey is one of the most over the top performers I have witnessed in my lifetime. I love to do impersonations, and I often find myself trying to mimic him the most. He was born to make people laugh, and got the nickname” rubber face” for good reason. Carrey’s energy is unmatched, and his slapstick style provides the perfect compliment to that. He has produced so much awesome content that it is almost too hard to keep track of it all. My personal favourite roles of his are Ace Ventura in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber, Fletcher Reede in Liar Liar, and the Grinch in How The Grinch Stole Christmas. There are plenty of his films that I have not seen yet like, The Mask and Bruce Almighty, which are some of his most notable productions. While his movies may be hilarious, his stand up performances are equally entertaining. It may seem like Jim Carrey’s life has been nothing but sunshine and rainbows, but that cannot be further from the truth. He has suffered tragic losses of both his parents at an early age, grew up in poverty, and is currently battling depression. The cliche of the funny guy living a secret life of sorrow is all too true here. Jim Carrey has done his best to stay out of the limelight as of late, saying the man we all knew on screen was just a character he played. To fortify his mental health, he meditates and takes part in deep self reflection. It is good to know that he is working towards fulfilment, and we will never forget all the times he made us laugh.

Rounding out my personal favourite Canadian comedians list is a man who passed away recently, Norm MacDonald. This Quebec City native was a tough nut to crack. Norm’s dry sense of humour is certainly an acquired taste. His supporters are just as loud and proud as his critics, which in my opinion makes for a more entertaining presentation. Norm made his name on the Canadian stand up scene, performing at Yuk Yuk’s and the world famous Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. He would continue to climb the ranks of notoriety by becoming a writer for the Roseanne television sitcom. After a few years of writing, he would join Saturday Night Live as a performer. This was some of his most acclaimed work, thanks to his many goofy characters and notorious role of hosting Weekend Update. That five year stint in New York divided the masses on their opinion of Norm. Some people could not stand him and thought he was too offensive, while others adored his comedic delivery and laid back demeanour. Something that set Norm apart from the average comedian was his confidence in his work. There are countless stories of him insisting on telling jokes that he knew were going to bomb. This part of his performances polarized people. The average viewer was usually flabbergasted when he delivered these unsuccessful jokes, but diehard comedy fans fell in love with his boldness, and passion he showed for his work. I do not think anyone will ever come close to successfully copying Norm’s style because it takes a lot of guts. Unfortunately he recently passed away from a nine year stint with cancer, which shocked the world. He was extremely private with his medical business, even keeping information away from his close friends and family. Another great quality about Norm is that he never craved the spotlight. He had a real modest appearance, which only helped to grow his love and adoration from his loyal supporters.

Comedy is something that we all need right now, as other things in our world continue to get more and more depressing. These three men are just a small example of how good we are at making people laugh up here in the great white north.