Peter Keleghan is a very successful Canadian TV and screen actor.
He calls himself an “uber Canadian”, immensely proud of his country and what it stands for. To him it represents the chance for all newcomers to leave behind the baggage and problems and oppression of their country of origin, whether that be from racism, economic hardship, harassment over sexual orientation, religious strife and so on.
Canada he says gives people a chance to start over.
He is the first generation son of immigrant parents, a mother from Ireland, and father from Poland.
Both parents agree that Canada is a great country, but their relation to Canada is more nuanced than their son’s.
In the film Keleghan explores the question as to why his mother never gave up her Irish citizenship, and travels with her back to Ireland as part of the exploration towards that answer. It also looks at why his father was conversely eager to become a Canadian. The film explores his family’s personal immigration experience but says anyone who has immigrated to Canada or a new country will be able to identify with parts of their story
ListenThe documentary was aired this month on Canada’s CBC network
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