“Today marks the 10-year anniversary of the quarantine we’ve been on for the last six weeks,” Ryan Reynolds deadpanned during Sunday’s Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble special, capturing the way many Canadians are feeling.
The Vancouver-born actor was one of dozens of stars who came out (but stayed in) for the unprecedented multi-platform show, which honoured frontline workers in the COVID-19 crisis and raised much-needed funds for Food Bank Canada.
Kicking off with Montreal singer Sam Roberts and his family performing “We’re All In This Together,” the 94-minute special featured performances by Michael Bublé and Barenaked Ladies, Alessia Cara, Jann Arden, Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings and Tom Cochrane.
Shania Twain took part in the broadcast from her farm in Nevada, where she tweaked the lyrics to “Up!” The singer also spoke about relying on food banks while growing up in Ontario and urged Canadians to “keep your chins and spirits up.”
Homegrown icon Anne Murray graced the broadcast with a message for the people of her beloved Nova Scotia, where 22 people were killed a week earlier. “We want you to know that we are grieving with you and we send prayers for courage and strength as you try to make sense of this horrific tragedy,” she said.
Also showing love for Nova Scotia was singer Dallas Green, who performed “We Found Each Other in the Dark” with a homemade tribute on the wall behind him.
MORE: 5 Questions Answered About Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble
Drake, in a message from his Toronto mansion, recognized the toll the pandemic is having on people’s mental health. "I want to urge everybody that’s in their own space to find their silver lining in the times we’re living through right now,” he said.
Revealing that he was recently at a hospital for a foot injury, the rap superstar said he was buoyed by “the morale, the smiles, the high spirits on everyone’s face … despite everything going on.”
He added: “It's just incredible to see people who have to leave their families every day and go to work amidst this crisis, as dangerous as this is, just really the glue holding us all together.”
Justin Bieber and wife Hailey shared a message from inside their home on Lake Puslinch in Ontario. “We are sending our love and our prayers out to each one of you guys,” the pop star said, “and we are going to get through this together.”
Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble had moments of levity. Will Arnett and ex-wife Amy Poehler joked about personal hygiene and Mike Myers said he was wearing a Mountie hat “because I have a quarantine haircut that looks like it was done with a knife and fork.”
Missed the show? Stream it now on ctv.ca.
The special culminated with the world premiere of the video for the ArtistsCAN cover of “Lean On Me” to benefit the Canadian Red Cross and its COVID-19 relief efforts. You can watch the video and read about how it all came together here.