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''We Are All Canadians'' Says Helen Mirren

The legendary actress is in Toronto for TIFF, where she received a TIFF Tribute award.

''We Are All Canadians'' Says Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren attends Netflix's “The Thursday Murder Club” New York Screening at The Plaza Hotel on August 14, 2025 in New York City

Arturo Holmes/WireImage
Billy Eff
By Billy EffSep 14, 2026
Billy Eff

Billy Eff is the Content Director for Rolling Stone Canada. An award-winning journalist and columnist, he has previously contributed to outlets including VICE and Urbania. A passionate advocate for underground music and a musician himself, he has conducted several hundred interviews with artists and industry professionals across a wide range of styles and genres over the past 15 years. He is based in Montréal, Québec.

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The ongoing trade war between the United States and Canada has seeped into culture. With the Toronto International Film Festival well under way, more and more stars are using their time onstage and on the red carpet to decry Donald Trump's tariffs, comments, and his recent renaming of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'.

British legend Dame Helen Mirren was among them. The iconic actress is in Toronto, where she received a TIFF Tribute award last night. Speaking to Radio-Canada, she expressed support to Canadians, adding that she feels like she's one of us. ''I want to defend all of Canada, French and English,'' she said. ''I wanted to print t-shirts before I came here that said 'We Are All Canadians', because I believe it's important that everyone supports Canada in this particular moment.''

She also took time in her speech to honour two pioneering women who inspired her, Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem. “I was remembering what was allowed of women as I came into the professional world, when I was 13 or 14. You couldn't buy a house on your own if you're a woman. You couldn't have a credit card on your own if you were a woman.[...] And then came along two incredible farm girls. Do you know who they were? Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem. It is so hard to change culture, but these two women did it in their very different ways. They did it with humor, with tenacity and with huge intelligence. So I thank them both, and I dedicate this fabulous groundbreaking award to them.”

Helen Mirren will be back on our screens as Maeve Harrigan in the second season of crime drama series MobLand, which premieres September 18.

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