Group filming cross-country road trip to mark Canada 150
A group of road trippers have set out on a 150-day cross-Canada journey to mark Canada 150. They're documenting their travels in videos showcasing highlights of each province they visit.
Matthew Bailey is producer, host and founder of travel website Must Do Canada, based in Calgary. The inspiration for the project came around Christmas time, following the contentious U.S. election.
"I started to read a lot about how Canada might be setting an example for the world and I just wondered, why? What are we doing that's so different?" said Bailey in an interview with CBC's The Weekend Morning Show.
Bailey, along with his wife Karla Sosa and a filmmaker friend, flew to Newfoundland and bought a used SUV. They then started driving, with the goal of visiting every province and territory, with the exception of Nunavut, which doesn't have a road connection to the south.
The trio has spent the last week in Manitoba. One of the highlights for Bailey was visiting the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
"I just find it really inspiring and it's good to know about some of the bad things that happened in order to make the future better. It's one of those museums that I wish every country had," he said.
The trio has spent a large part of their trip talking to people about what they think makes Canada a special place, and the willingness of Canadians to face uncomfortable aspects of our history has been a common theme, Bailey said.
"We're not afraid to have an open discussion about that and to fix it and to make a better future."
Canada's diversity and multiculturalism has also come up frequently in conversations. Bailey spoke to refugees in Toronto.
"They really feel like they're not an outsider because there's so many people from different backgrounds that you blend in right away," he said.
Sosa, who moved to Canada from Mexico, has her own perspective to offer on the country, Bailey said. The two are avid travellers, but their longest trip in Canada was only one month.
Despite giving themselves more than five months to see the country, Bailey said they still find it difficult to see everything.
"Originally we thought 150 days was going to be kind of a long time to see everything, but turns out that's only like 11 or 12 days in each province. So it's quite rushed."
The group has completed four videos so far. They can all be viewed on their website MustDoCanada.com.
