Fibe TV1 expands Indigenous TV lineup with ‘The Canoe Project’

TORONTO – A short-form Indigenous comedy series set in Newfoundland is headed to Bell Media’s community programming channel Fibe TV1.

“The Canoe Project” was co-created by and stars Mark Harnett as an Inuit man named Canoe, who is blackmailed by a government official played by New Brunswick native Jimmy MacKinley.

Harnett, who is a standup comic, says the concept is based on the stereotypes he encountered after moving to St. John’s from a small community.

The comedy “isn’t intended to belittle or degrade anyone,” Harnett says in a release, but to show “that we can all have a laugh no matter what our heritage.”

With episodes running 10 to 15 minutes, the series is set to debut Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The channel is available to Fibe TV subscribers across Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug 31, 2022.