Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble was a 90-minute Canadian benefit concert which aired on April 26, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and a week after the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks. The program drew an audience of over 11,500,000 viewers and listeners, and was simulcast by every major Canadian television broadcast company, including Bell Media (CTV), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC Television), Rogers Media (Citytv), Corus Entertainment (Global), V, and numerous other television, radio, and Internet-based broadcast platforms. This made it both the largest multi-platform broadcast and highest viewed non-sporting broadcast in Canadian television history. Numerous singers, actors, athletes, charities, and those impacted by coronavirus were featured including remarks by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Over in donations during the event were raised for Food Banks Canada.

Production Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble is primarily composed of homemade video from various celebrities' households, singing or giving words of encouragement. The program was created in collaboration to unite viewers during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks.

Broadcasters The benefit concert aired on 120 different radio, television, and online platforms.

On television, the concert was broadcast on English-language stations CTV, CBC Television, Citytv, and Global. It was also broadcast on French-language station V. The special was also simulcast on networks owned by Bell Media (CP24, CTV 2, MTV, Much, TSN, and Vrak), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Ici ARTV and Unis), Rogers Media (FX and Omni Television), Corus Entertainment (ABC Spark, National Geographic, SériesPlus, and Slice), Asian Television Network (ATN HD, ATN Bangla, ATN Cricket Plus, ATN Food Food, ATN Gujarati, ATN Jaya TV, ATN Life, ATN PM One, ATN Punjabi Plus, and CBN), Blue Ant Media (A.Side TV, BBC Earth, Cottage Life, HIFI, Love Nature, Makeful, and Smithsonian Channel), and Stingray Group (Stingray Hits! and Stingray Retro), as well as networks such as APTN, Family Channel, Hollywood Suite, NTV, OutTV, and Super Channel Fuse.

On radio, the concert was simulcast on CBC Music, CBC Radio One, EZ Rock, SiriusXM channel 169, and Virgin Radio, and select stations owned by Arctic Radio, Bell Media Radio, Blackburn Radio, First Peoples Radio, Harvard Broadcasting, Jim Pattison Group, Rawlco Communications, Stingray Radio, and Vista Radio.

The concert was also streamed on numerous websites, streaming services, and on-demand services, including CBC Gem, CBC Listen, Crave, Ici TOU.TV, Stingray Qello, Super Channel On Demand, and the websites and apps of the CBC, CTV, Citytv, Entertainment Tonight Canada, Global, Global News, and iHeartRadio Canada.

Featuring Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble began with Sam Roberts cover of "We're All In This Together" with his family and subsequently featured numerous singers, actors, athletes, charities, victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, politicians, and Canadian personalities. It concluded with a twenty-seven artist collaboration of "Lean on Me", and closing remarks by Justin Trudeau and Drake.

Musical performances Artist Song Language Sam Roberts "We're All in This Together" English Michael Bublé "Gotta Be Patient" EnglishSpanish Barenaked Ladies Sofia Reyes Bryan Adams "Shine a Light" English Tom Cochrane "Life Is a Highway" Sarah McLachlan "Blackbird" (The Beatles) Voices Rock Medicine(A choir consisting of Canadian women physicians) "Rise Again" (The Rankin Family) Shania Twain "Up!" City and Colour "We Found Each Other in the Dark" Charlotte Cardin "Faufile" French Randy Bachman "Takin' Care of Business" English William Prince "The Spark" Jann Arden "Sleepless" Alessia Cara "You've Got a Friend in Me" (Randy Newman) Measha Brueggergosman "You'll Never Walk Alone" (Rodgers and Hammerstein) David Foster and Katharine McPhee "St. Elmo's Fire" Marie-Mai "Ton Histoire" French Burton Cummings "Share the Land" English Max Kerman and Nick Dika "Years in the Making"

Lean on Me Near the end of the broadcast, twenty-seven artists collaborated on a bilingual rendition of "Lean on Me" as a tribute to Bill Withers following his death a month earlier. The rendition is a product of an initiative by Tyler Shaw and Fefe Dobson called ArtistsCAN, and was released separately to raise funds for the Canadian Red Cross.

Tyler Shaw Fefe Dobson Johnny Orlando Michael Bublé Justin Bieber Sarah McLachlan The Tenors Avril Lavigne Bryan Adams Command Sisters Serena Ryder Geddy Lee Buffy Sainte-Marie Jann Arden Marie-Mai Walk off the Earth Dan Kanter Desiire Donovan Woods Josh Ramsay Olivia Lunny Jules Halpern Scott Helman Ryland James Shawn Hook TIKA Bad Child

Other appearances Person Occupation Rick Mercer Comedian Hayley Wickenheiser Retired hockey player, five-time Olympian Lilly Singh Comedian Eugene LevyDan LevyCatherine O'HaraAnnie MurphyCast of Schitt's Creek Actors Russell Peters Comedian Jason Priestley Actor, film director Serge Ibaka Basketball player, member of the Toronto Raptors Celine Dion Singer Kiefer Sutherland Actor Eric McCormack Actor Perry Bellegarde National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Anne Murray Singer Ryan Reynolds Actor Penny Oleksiak Olympic swimmer Tessa Virtue Retired Ice dancer and three-time Olympian Bianca Andreescu Tennis player Chris Hadfield Astronaut Hamza Haq Actor Will Arnett and Amy Poehler Actors Mike Myers Actor Julie Payette Governor General of Canada, Former astronaut Geddy Lee Singer, member of Rush Christine Sinclair Soccer player Pascal Siakam Basketball player, member of the Toronto Raptors Connor McDavid Hockey player, member of the Edmonton Oilers The Atherton Family (Cirque du Soleil) David Suzuki Environmentalist Margaret Atwood Author Robbie Robertson Musician, member of The Band Rick Hansen Paralympian George P. AllenMargaret RiversJemima WestcottBurdett Sisler Centenarians Howie Mandel Comedian Justin BieberHailey Baldwin SingerModel Buffy Sainte-Marie Singer Abdulwahab Jalab Syrian entrepreneur, Food delivery volunteer Andre de Grasse Sprinter Georges St-Pierre Retired mixed martial artist Morgan Rielly Hockey player, member of the Toronto Maple Leafs Scott McGillivray Host of Income Property Drew Scott and Linda Phan Co-host of the Property Brothers Bubbles and Ricky (Trailer Park Boys) Fictional characters Justin Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada Drake Rapper

Impacts

Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble drew in over 11,500,000 viewers and raised over for Food Banks Canada. The program became the most watched non-sporting event in Canadian television history.Debra Yeo, "‘Stronger Together’ COVID-19 special becomes most watched non-sports broadcast ever in Canada". Toronto Star, April 27, 2020.

The special won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Entertainment News Program or Series at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021.Rachel West, "‘Canada’s Drag Race’, ‘Property Brothers’, Jann Arden Among Canadian Screen Awards Lifestyle And Reality Winners". ET Canada, May 17, 2021.

See also

Together at Home

References