By David Lund
Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you. ― Pericles
Every year in my home country the provincial premiers get together to eat lobster and drink cheap wine. Meanwhile some political work is being done. I remember two such conferences. I have a story about both.
The first one was in the summer of 1997. It’s always a big deal when the premieres and their staff and the media descend on your hotel. This meeting was particularly memorable for the media’s work and my firsthand experience of how it all really works. When these big conferences happen the hotel management team is often used to handle the flow and my job that August afternoon was to be in the press scrum area in the lobby. The premieres pretty much all stopped by to make some remarks when they arrived. The thing that was most amusing and revealing was the way the press ramped up the scoop for the conference. Early in the day all the reporters were talking among themselves about the Quebec premier’s supposed position on attending the upcoming federal constitutional conference.
Many of them made solo news segments speaking about the upcoming conference on unity and would the Quebec premier be there. Spin, pure spin. As each premier arrived the press asked the same questions. What about Quebec, will they attend, what about the conference? Making news. The tone of the entire conference and the headlines that followed all centered around this one obviously controversial yet made up topic.
Don’t think your evening news or your CNN is any different. This stuff is manufactured to appeal to our sense of scandal, drama and controversy. We didn’t hear a thing in the news about the actual topics the premiers and their staffs discussed, including National Children’s Agenda, National Mobility Initiative, National Shipbuilding Policy, Agreement on Internal Trade, Harmonizing Environmental Management, Justice Reform Issues on Criminal Procedure Reform and the Young Offenders Act. Just to name a few real pieces of news that were not so scandalous.
My second and most entertaining premiers’ conference was in 1999. For that conference, I was at the front door and assigned to wait for and to escort two premiers directly to their suites. The first one to arrive was an ex-schoolteacher and a man who had a reputation for getting back to basics and his common-sense revolution. Word came in that he had arrived at the airport and was on his way to the hotel. He arrived with his wife and teenage son. I greeted them at their car and informed them that I would be taking them directly to their suite.
Do you know what it’s like when you just entered a room and two people have been arguing? You know the energy you feel? Well, the energy that came out of that car was “nuclear.”
I escorted them through the lobby to the doorman who had a private elevator waiting for them. In the elevator we went and no sooner had the button for the 10th floor been pressed, and the door closed, did the premier let loose on his son.
He was a big man and this scared the crap out of me. At the same time, he said to his son, “You have been messing around all day and I have had enough.” The rest of the elevator ride and the walk down the hall on the 10th floor was silent. I opened the door to the suite, they entered in silence, I informed them that their luggage would be up momentarily and asked if they needed anything.
Mrs. simply looked at me with such a cold and helpless face and said politely, “No thank you, we’re fine.” This was not going to be a fine stay. This guy was a monster. Good luck!
The second premier I was assigned to was much younger and from the west. He arrived a little later that afternoon and was with his son as well, but no wife. I opened the door of the town car that transported him from the airport and the first thing I noticed were his unlaced Converse High Tops. He was so relaxed and in a great mood. He asked me where the check in was and I told him I was the check in and he laughed and said, “That’s cool. You don’t seem to be to French.”
To which I replied, “I’m working hard on learning French but someone else is welcoming the Quebec premier.” He laughed and asked me a question about beer. Our trip up the elevator to his suite was smooth and fun. He was in a great mood and the furthest thing from a tight-lipped politician that you would ever meet. What a contrast between the two.
The following week I went to London, England for a work assignment and was fortunate to get a business class upgrade from my Toronto-based boss.
A week later I was returning home and I grabbed the Globe and Mail to catch up on news from home. I will never forget that newspaper. On the front page were two headlines: “Ontario Premier and His Wife Separate, she is filing for divorce,” and “British Columbia Premier Resigns over casino licensing scandal.”
Man, do I have the Midas Touch.
