Steven Page Song To Ryan Reynolds Now Raising Funds for Reconciliation Canada

By Karen Bliss

The personal tribute song Ryan Reynolds posted on his YouTube page with the caption “I’m not crying” is now available for sale on most streaming platforms with proceeds going to Reconciliation Canada, which is “leading the way in engaging Canadians in dialogue and transformative experiences that revitalize the relationships among Indigenous peoples and all Canadians.”

Fellow Canadian Steven Page wrote"Canada Loves You Back and sang it for the actor, producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and activist, in a humorous and heart-warming music video that includes everyone from William Shatner to Vancouver Canucks players, as part of the presentation for Reynolds' 2021 National Arts Centre Award, during The 2021 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. The video has a split-screen of him watching and reacting to it (medal around his neck).

The award, selected by the National Arts Centre (NAC), “recognizes work of an extraordinary nature and significance in the performing arts by an individual artist and/or company in the past performance year.”

The music video also highlights Reynolds’ philanthropy by including representatives from various causes he’s supported: Food Banks Canada, Pacific Wild, SickKids Foundation, and Reconciliation Canada.

Under the video on YouTube, Reynolds put “Despite what it may look like, I did not pay the Governor General's Awards to make this.

The Vancouver native, who stars in Marvel Comics' Deadpool franchise, posted the video on Nov. 26 and it now has just under 3 million views. The post on the GGAA YouTube page has another couple of hundred.

After the awards aired, Reynold posted, “Last night Canada honoured me with a Governor General’s Award and this video. I’m not crying. It’s just maple syrup.” – Continue reading this Karen Bliss feature on Samaritanmag.