Beaverback Mountain.

Loathe as I am to commend Bell Canada for anything (I occasionally have this fantasy where their entire workforce is devoured by sharks), I must give them props for their recent series of Winter Olympics ads. They feature Frank and Gordon, a pair of wise-cracking animated beavers who serve as company spokesanimals - an apt choice, as much like the company they represent, beavers have brains the size of walnuts and you can't reach them six months out of the year.

Anyhow, I now find myself in the position of praising Bell Canada for their ad campaign - not because it's funny (since it isn't) or well-animated (Frank and Gordon remind me of the dancing baby from Ally McBeal, only hairier) but because it's socially progressive. Frank and Gordon may be the first characters to appear in a major marketing campaign who are clearly in a same-sex marriage. Even if they are beavers - which in a way, is even more notable and praiseworthy.

Sure, on their website Frank may claim to be the "Most Eligible Buck-Toothed Bachelor in Canada." But in the "About Frank" section he tenderly rhapsodizes about helping Gordon "make his way in life." And one of his dislikes is "Women in heels." These deftly rendered moments, which hint at Frank's tumultuous struggle with his own sexuality, gives Bell's marketing campaign a moral poignancy not often noted in contemporary advertising.

And, to paraphrase my friend Carrie, what could be more Canadian than same-sex marriage and beavers? Any ad that can be patriotic and socially conscious, and also not make me want to rip out Norm MacDonald's larynx with a pair of salad tongs, gets my recommendation.