Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's

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Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - NegPhil - 05-02-2008

Why Tories are blowing off the G-G's arts party
By JANE TABER
From Saturday's Globe and Mail

May 2, 2008 at 9:49 PM EDT

OTTAWA — Tonight, Marjory LeBreton will put on her best gown and her highest heels and go to the National Arts Centre.

And she will be lonely.

LeBreton, the Government leader in the Senate, is the only member of Stephen Harper's Conservative cabinet to be attending tonight's black-tie affair – the Governor-General's Performing Arts Awards Gala.

“Sad turn-out,” says one of the organizers, who asked not be identified, about the dearth of cabinet ministers and government MPs.

In political Ottawa, cabinet ministers are the stars of the galas; they're the “gets” for events, giving the corporate crowd a chance to rub shoulders with the lawmakers.

But the gets just aren't coming out tonight even with the Tragically Hip and actor/comedian Eugene Levy among the award recipients.

Why not? Tories don't like the arts? They don't like the Governor-General? They want to be back in their ridings campaigning, fearing a snap election? They don't want to pay for their own tickets?

It seems that it's all that, and more.

Indeed, it used to be – at least during the years of Liberal rule in Ottawa (1993-2005) – that the Heritage Minister and other cabinet ministers and MPs were all over this gala, which honours Canada's best and brightest in the arts and those who contribute to the arts.

Back then, even Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and his wife, Aline, would put on their black tie and attend.

Tonight, however, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen, cannot make it.

Heritage Minister Josée Verner, who is not popular among the arts crowd for Bill C-10, which would deny tax credits to TV and film productions that contain graphic sex and violence or other content deemed offensive, has another engagement.

And you should hear the other excuses: A senior Conservative MP says he looks chubby in his tuxedo.

Health Minister Tony Clement says, “Hmmm … can't speak for anyone else but I'm only very rarely in Ottawa on weekends.…” Today he's in the Maritimes.

“As for the Hip, not to brag, but I've seen them four times in concert. Unless they do their live version of New Orleans Is Sinking with the Orca-in-the-fish-tank digression, I've seen it all!” the minister adds.

One of Clement's cabinet colleagues says he and many of his fellow Tories don't get “jacked up” by meeting arts and cultural celebrities, but would if they were honouring “hockey players,” for example.

A veteran Tory organizer says the awards show has become “stale” and “stuffy.” He also thinks the timing is bad: “People don't want to stay here on the weekends when the weather is nice. Bad, bad time of year,” he says.

Particularly bad during a minority government when the threat of an election is always present: Cabinet ministers and MPs feel the need to be back working in their ridings.

An Ottawa lobbyist, who has organized a fair share of galas, also believes the Conservatives' accountability and transparency measures have put a chill on attendance. As a result, cabinet ministers have to pay their own way, although their ticket is slightly discounted: $180, which includes dinner before the performance. “I suspect that this is the issue,” the lobbyist says.

More frank is the assessment from the assistant to a Harper cabinet minister: He says his boss did not receive an invitation (hmm, organizers must have dropped the ball).

“As for why others didn't show up, I have my suspicions, but airing them would involve me implying that Conservatives aren't interested in art,” says the assistant.

And then the ultimate diss: Another senior cabinet minister says he just doesn't like Governor-General Michaëlle Jean, who plays host for the evening gala. He gives the “thumbs-down” gesture as he says this. “She's no Ray Hnatyshyn,” he says.

The Governor-General's office will not comment on the attendance. A spokeswoman for Jean, however, noted that this is not a “political event.”

The G-G Awards Gala has been an annual affair since the awards were established in 1992 by the late former governor-general Ray Hnatyshyn.

But there have been some changes this year: It used to be the CBC would broadcast the awards later in the year.

This year, however, the CBC has dropped the awards show. A spokeswoman said it was simply a programming decision (nothing about poor ratings) and that it will be reviewed next year.

And then gala organizers moved the date around, deciding after the last show, which was way back in November, 2006, to move it to May.

The view of organizers was to separate this gala from the other two big Ottawa galas – the NAC Gala, which is a fundraiser for the NAC Orchestra and takes place in the fall, and the Black and White Opera Soiree, a fundraiser for the NAC and Opera Lyra Ottawa. It takes place in the winter.

“Maybe it was just too many galas in too little time. I don't know,” said the organizer about the move.

Indeed, the other two galas at the NAC are political star-studded events. But that's due to the shrewdness of the organizers: Laureen Harper was the honorary chair of the first one and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and his wife, Ontario MPP Christine Elliott, were the chairs of the Black and White.

And no one can discount the Politics and the Pen Gala, which is a fundraiser for the Writers' Trust of Canada. It is cleverly held on a Wednesday night, when MPs are in town. The event is always sold out and has become the Ottawa gala; you can't move without bumping into a cabinet minister.

“For this one I guess we felt the G-G's name was a big enough draw,” says the organizer. Not for government members but for the public, perhaps. In fact, NAC spokeswoman Jayne Watson says the gala will be sold-out – 2,000 people are expected to attend the awards show.

The NAC produces the gala performance; Bell Canada Enterprises has been the sponsor since the beginning.

“The Gala is a celebration for and about the recipients, their lifetime achievements, and their family, friends and fans,” says Watson, putting a good face on the situation. “It is great to see ministers, MPs in attendance, but the evening is about the artists and not the politicians.”

Behind closed doors, however, organizers are wondering how they can attract more political stars – especially those from government.

There will be a smattering of Liberals, including Liberal leader Stéphane Dion and his wife, Janine Krieber. Newly-elected Toronto Centre MP Bob Rae is also expected tonight.

Oh, and before we forget: The NAC says, too, that Val Day, the wife of Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, will also be there.

Her husband, however, has another engagement.

Re: Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - The Heron Outside - 05-03-2008

Damn shame. I think we'd all like to see that snapshot of Gord and Stephen "Wouldn't it be nice to have a Prime Minister with a vision, instead of one who just wants to be Lionized" Harper shaking hands...

Sounds like Tony Clement's a big fan too. Are you here, on the 'base Mr. Clement? If so, you've got a real funny face.

Re: Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - sean.bonner - 05-03-2008

President Harper is bailing??!
Don't believe it Confused

hock:

Re: Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - Woodrov - 05-08-2008

NegPhil Wrote:This year, however, the CBC has dropped the awards show. A spokeswoman said it was simply a programming decision (nothing about poor ratings) and that it will be reviewed next year.

Instead, we get this "programming decision":

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.cbc.ca/testthenation/episodes/sports/">http://www.cbc.ca/testthenation/episodes/sports/</a>

:roll:

Re: Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - laliber - 05-08-2008

The Heron Outside Wrote:Sounds like Tony Clement's a big fan too. Are you here, on the 'base Mr. Clement? If so, you've got a real funny face.

"Orca-in-the-fish-tank digression" ... someone must have this boot?

Re: Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - NegPhil - 05-23-2008

Thank God for the Tragically Hip
The Ottawa Citizen
By Peter Simpson

Thank God for the Tragically Hip

The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards gala was held at the National Arts Centre Saturday night, and although there was lots of politics - of the particularly petty variety - floating around in the days before the event, not a single word of it was mentioned from the stage during the 3.5 hour show.

Not until the Tragically Hip took the stage, at least. Only Gord Downie had the wisdom to say something about the embarrassing behaviour of federal Conservative politicians.

As you may have heard, members of the federal Tory caucus declined to attend the annual, black-tie affair. Not even the federal Heritage Minister, Josée Verner, had the decency to show up. It seems that on a Saturday night in Ottawa when the governor general and a couple of thousand others - many of whom have traveled great distances - gather to celebrate the lifetime achievements of some of Canada's most revered artists, the minister responsible for the arts in Canada can't be bothered to attend. How petty of the Conservatives. How embarrassing for all Canadians. (And in case you think that I'm a lefty whiner going on about this, I freely state here that I voted for the Harper regime in the last federal election.)

The governor general stayed above the undignified fray, declaring beforehand, through her staff, that the gala was not a political event. That's true, and it's the Conservatives who turned it into one by refusing to attend for any number of supposed and specious reasons. Say what you want about Jean Chretien, you never would have caught him confusing politics with the basic dignity of tradition in such a petty way.

The Official Big Beat Position was that those who got up on stage to speak should say something about all this, but nobody did. Now, the show went on far longer than scheduled, and parts of it were less stimulating than other parts, so it's possible that somebody slipped in a comment that I missed during a brief nap: if so, it was a passing remark. Only Gord Downie put it front and centre, and in vintage Downie fashion.

The Hip, Canada's best band, like, ever, closed the show with a four-song set - Fully Completely, World Container, Ahead by a Century and last summer's hit In View. As the band kicked into song two, Downie made his statement, (the exact quote recorded by my coworker Lynn Saxberg for her blog, Face the Music): "The arts show us the best parts of ourselves. I can understand how that might scare some people. Fortunately those people aren’t with us tonight.”

Gord, you rock.

The statement didn't get a huge response, but that's probably because it was delivered in that staccato patois known as Gordspeak, which is delivered between, or during, songs, and could go anywhere and could mean nothing or could mean something. I suspect that most people in Southam Hall didn't really get the full sense of the statement, given Gord's trademark style of banter, but some people got it. And it was appreciated.

Too bad more people on stage didn't take up the cause. Sometimes, Canadians are just too damned polite.

******

P.S. Crystal Pite's five minute performance at the gala was astounding. I can say, without reservation, that it was the most compelling and unforgettable five minutes of dance I've ever seen. I'd say more, but I know nothing of dance, so all I can say is, "Wow." Or, to quote my companion (not Mrs. Big Beat, who was away, but Mrs. Big Beat Not Exactly as Illustrated): "That was insane!"

That is all.

Published Monday, May 05, 2008 3:47 PM by Peter Simpson

Re: Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - tth_fan - 05-23-2008

Nobody says it like Gord! He's mentioned in a few interviews of his disdain for Harper and his government, and World Container (song) is obviously a hit towards Harper.

Re: Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - tigerthelion - 05-23-2008

tth_fan Wrote:Nobody says it like Gord! He's mentioned in a few interviews of his disdain for Harper and his government, and World Container (song) is obviously a hit towards Harper.

The country is better off in the hands of the Conservatives than the Liberals, though.

Personally, I am in favour of no political parties. I'd like a system where everybody runs as in Independent.

Re: Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - emperor penguin - 05-23-2008

Gord Downie Wrote:"The arts show us the best parts of ourselves. I can understand how that might scare some people. Fortunately those people aren’t with us tonight.”

Fear no art and you fear no reflection Big Grin

Re: Globe and Mail- Tories are blowing off the G-G's - tigerthelion - 05-23-2008

emperor penguin Wrote:
Gord Downie Wrote:"The arts show us the best parts of ourselves. I can understand how that might scare some people. Fortunately those people aren’t with us tonight.”

Fear no art and you fear no reflection

That's good. Smile