Canada turns to America’s ‘The Onion’ for a look at satirical news and pop culture

The publication that proclaimed itself "America's Finest News Source" for the past 23 years will soon be printed in Canada.

A deal to print a weekly edition of The Onion was announced by the Toronto Star on Tuesday. The free publication will also reportedly incorporate local stories into its pop culture section, The A.V. Club.

While its target audience is already familiar with the deadpan news parody style, which was established at the University of Wisconsin in 1988, its online popularity led to the decision to franchise local versions. Toronto has joined 14 U.S. cities where The Onion is currently published.

But the concept hasn't taken off everywhere. Versions in Los Angeles and San Francisco closed a couple of years ago.

When it comes to making fun of current events, though, Canadians seem dependent upon U.S. imports as much as ever.

Comedy Central staples "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" have thrived for the past few years on CTV, which doesn't produce any equivalent programming of its own, perhaps out of fear for how it would affect the credibility of its own national newscast.

CBC has supplied homegrown viewers with the less caustic approach of "22 Minutes" and "Rick Mercer Report." The need to wrap up their respective seasons before the NHL playoffs, however, meant they weren't in production in the weeks leading up to the May 2 federal election.

And while the Ottawa-based satirical magazine Frank often ruffled feathers in the 1990s, it folded in 2008, partly because its gossip-mongering elements couldn't compete with social media.

The venture with The Onion is the second time in the past year the Toronto Star has made a deal with an American print media outlet. A compilation of articles from The New York Times, and its Book Review section, are now distributed with its Sunday newspaper.