It Can't Get More Canadian Than This

Carney asks Williams to "do the leg thing" in photo op

I was wondering when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney would meet superstar Hudson Williams of Heated Rivalry fame and it happened today!

They met at a gala tonight in Ottawa to promote the Canadian film and television industry, and the two men who have dominated my social media feeds in the last week finally shook hands, hugged and even had pictures of Carney holding up Williams' left leg. BFFs indeed.

Carney praised Tierney (second from right)

Carney praised the TV series on Crave, saying viewership in the first week grew over 400 percent, and one-third of those viewers have re-watched the show. The prime minister added that blueberry smoothie sales have also gone up exponentially.

He also credited the series creator Jacob Tierney for making Heated Rivalry in Canada despite the smaller production and marketing budget because he was given more freedom to produce it the way he wanted.

"So Jacob did the right thing. He did the smart thing. He came home to Canada," Carney said. "He came home to a nation that celebrates what makes us different."

It's proof that despite limited funds the show has been a massive success mostly due to Tierney faithfully bringing author Rachel Reid's book to the small screen. He used unknown actors as the two leads, while many online have pointed out how the camera shoots focus on the characters so there is no need for a lot of extras. Others say it's shot like a movie, with the colours reflecting the characters' inner feelings. 

The Canada fleece will be available "soon"...

Today the Mayor of Ottawa declared it was "Shane Hollander Day", which is kind of weird naming it after a character, but it seems Mark Sutcliffe was determined to claim him first.

Nevertheless, Carney got the biggest prize -- the coveted fleece jacket that Williams actually wore in episode 2. Yesterday it was announced that the Team Canada fleece will be commercially available soon.

All over social media people are buzzing today about seeing Carney and Williams together and how proud they are to be Canadian.

It's crazy!