1979
Page 6
clark: My left-wing . . . ?
harper: So co-opted are you by Liberal hegemony, most of the policies you’re struggling to get thought Parliament, which you believe to be centre-right, are in reality centre-left.
clark: I believe I have an idea about why you’re rarely encouraged to speak, Steve. And what are the qualities I possess that, if it weren’t for my utterly co-opted politics, make me the ideal leader of a Canadian conservative revolution?
harper: You’re from Alberta. Power is shifting west, and there’s never been a Western-born prime minister.
clark: Diefenbaker! No, he was born in Ontario.
harper: Ontario, yes. You’re the first one, and that alone unlocks vast amounts of support for you, if only you’d exploit it.
clark: Not interested in playing regions against each other.
harper: I’m aware. But if you were, you could remain in power for a decade. The other quality you possess is: you’re a forgettable blank. A nobody.
clark: I’m a nobody.
harper: A complete nobody. You’re the leader of this country, and the vast majority of Canadians couldn’t pick you out of a police lineup.
clark: I see.
harper: And that’s good. Because here’s how our revolution would’ve been different from Thatcher’s: we are a people that avoids confrontation. Britons need it; they thrive on it; it’s how they built an empire. We hate it. And so, as long as the leader is as still, silent, and blank as possible . . . he can do whatever he wants.
clark: But you have to communicate; you have to be visible. You have to lead, for God’s sake.
harper: My guess is that Canadians are sort of over being led. If someone tried leaving them alone, they’d probably be okay with that.
clark: But Trudeau! He’s the most popular politician the country’s ever seen.
harper: And you defeated him.
clark: And I’m nobody.
harper: You are. That’s why it’s such a waste. The moment is right for a conservative revolution—Britain has hers, America is about to get its own. You’re perfectly situated to give us ours, and in a few minutes you’re going to throw it all away.
clark: If I can’t get this budget through, I don’t deserve to govern.
harper: Let me ask you: do you believe that if you allow what’s about to happen to happen, that history will say you’re a principled person? That Joe Clark gave up power because his conscience told him to?
clark: I’ve no idea.
harper: Let me end the suspense for you: it will not. History will say you were weak-willed and incompetent.
Another beat.
clark: Okay.
harper: Let me implore you, sir, probably at the expense of my job: think for yourself. Do what needs to be done. Ignore Quebec. For every vote you lose there you’ll pick up two west of Brockville. Acknowledge the power the West has and recognize that every time the price of oil rises, that power increases. Think for yourself, and forget Ontario—stop pretending you’re a member of the Ontario elite. Ontario is the past, and the West is the future. Believe in people, in their resilience and ability to adapt. The more you ask of people, the more they’ll respect you. The more you convince them that relying on the state for anything is wrong, the more they’ll respect you. I know that somewhere inside you is a true conservative politician. Find it. Find it, sir.
clark: Steve—
harper: Sir, who knows if the country will ever have this chance again. Be the person the country needs you to be, sir, Mr. Clark. Not the person you are!
clark: Hey!
harper: Don’t let Trudeau have the country back. He’ll just pass it to Mulroney, and God only knows what he’ll do to it. I can’t bear to think of what will happen if you do this, sir. Don’t do this, Mr. Clark. There are half a dozen procedural ways for you to avoid this vote.
clark: Steve!
The division bell is ringing, calling MPs to vote. A pause.
harper: Sir—
clark: Steve, I have to go.
harper: But— Yes, sir.
clark: Thanks for the chat.
harper: It wasn’t . . . that wasn’t a chat.
harper is leaving.
clark: Steve: I asked you before. Do you have any interest in pursuing politics as a career?
harper: Oh, no, sir. I’m going to go back to university and get a degree in economics.
clark: Really? Economics?
harper: I find it’s, um, more nuanced than politics. Politics is a blunt instrument. It’s clumsy. Irrational. It’s . . .
clark: Shabby. I agree.
harper: Yes. I was going to say: inelegant.
clark: Yes. Inelegant. A better word. But you’re passionate, and that would take you a long way in this business.
harper: I consider passion a huge liability for a politician, sir.
clark: I was . . . I was trying to pay you a compliment, Steve.
harper: I know you were, sir.
A pause as the two regard each other. Suddenly, harper goes to clark. He shakes clark’s hand.
Thank you, sir. Thank you very much for talking to me.
harper goes. clark sits. After a long beat he hits the remote. “Que Sera, Sera,” the live version by Corinne Bailey Rae, plays.
Flora macdonald arrives at the door. Projection:
Flora MacDonald.
macdonald: You coming?
clark: Yes. Let’s get it over with.
He rises.
Oh, by the way, don’t let me forget, there’s a problem with those stupid fake passports that would probably result in the deaths of all involved if they get used.
macdonald: Oh dear.
clark: Let’s try to keep that in mind. We’re going to be busy later.
macdonald: Okay.
clark: I’ll see you down there.
She’s leaving.
Flora? Thanks.
macdonald: Thank you, Joe.
She goes.
After a few moments, clark takes off his brown jacket. He rubs his face with it.
These projections run during the following action:
The Progressive Conservatives lost the confidence vote 139–133.
clark balls up the coat, shoves it in a closet or drawer.
Trudeau led the country during the Quebec referendum of 1980. His charisma, intelligence, and strength made the difference. The No side won with 59.6% of the vote.
Trudeau’s creation of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, proposed as part of constitutional reform initiated during the referendum, transformed the country.
clark then kicks off his shoes. He hides them under the rug.
These are Trudeau’s greatest achievements, neither of which would have occurred had he retired.
clark sits on the floor, peels off his socks. He stuffs each one into a water glass.
Maureen McTeer wrote the bar exams through the election of 1980. She passed, and was called to the Ontario bar in April, 1980.
Clark remained a member of Parliament and became Brian Mulroney’s Secretary of State for External Affairs in 1984.
Mulroney’s decision, in 1986, to award a jet maintenance contract to a Montreal firm instead of one from the West is widely seen as the moment that birthed the Reform Party. It’s also the moment that made Stephen Harper renounce the Progressive Conservative party forever.
In 1993, Harper defeated Progressive Conservative Jim Hawkes to become the Reform MP for Calgary West. It was Hawkes who, in 1985, gave a young Harper his first job on Parliament Hill, as an assistant.
clark removes his vest, hides it somewhere.
Clark once again became leader of the PCs in 1998. He resisted all attempts to merge his party with Reform.
The Progressive Conservative Par
ty merged with the Reform Party in 2003, soon after Clark stepped down as leader.
He removes his pants, hides them somewhere. Hides his tie.
Until his retirement, and in spite of the fact that the PC party no longer existed, Clark considered himself a Progressive Conservative member of Parliament. He retired in 2004.
clark leaves as the music continues.
In 2004, Stephen Harper became leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, merging the parties of the right.
harper, now in a contemporary suit, enters and stands behind the desk.
He won power in 2006, running on a five-point plan. With Harper as leader, the Conservatives won elections in 2006, 2008, and 2011.
Jenni byrne, his senior advisor, enters and stands across the desk. The music snaps off.
harper: So what?
byrne: so what??!
harper: Jenni. Why are you so upset?
byrne: Why am I—!
harper: I admit it’s inelegant.
byrne: We just passed legislation that fixes the date of the election, so it happens every four years.
harper: Correct.
byrne: And you propose we ignore that new law, and have an election this October.
harper: Correct.
byrne: Instead of October of next year. As per our new law.
harper: Yup.
byrne: Don’t you think . . .
harper: What? That we’ll make people mad?
byrne: No. Yes! We’ll get flayed in the press, the House, everywhere, for ignoring the legislation we just passed.
harper: To which I repeat: so what?
byrne: The base will hate it too!
harper: Oh, the base. The base will be fine. Have you seen this?
He hands her paper.
byrne: What’s this?
harper: Latest polling.
She reads. A pause.
byrne: This is . . . This is majority territory.
harper: Uh huh.
byrne: We’re finally polling in majority territory.
harper: Uh huh.
byrne: Okay. Probably we should have an election this fall instead of waiting until next year.
harper: I concur.
byrne: And look! We’re likely going to pick up seats in Quebec!
harper: Yes.
byrne: Quebec!
harper: Yes.
byrne: Get excited, Stephen!
harper: I am excited, Jenni. This is me excited.
Projection:
The Right Honourable Joe Clark.
clark appears at the door.
clark: Excuse me. Hi.
harper looks up. byrne turns.
Hi. I was just in the building. Thought I’d say hi.
harper: Hello.
Projection:
May 27, 2008.
clark: They’re putting up my portrait. Finally. Are you . . . ?
harper: Am I . . . ?
clark: Planning to attend. It’s in ten minutes.
byrne exits, squeezing past clark.
byrne: Excuse me. Congratulations, sir.
clark: Ms. Byrne. (looking around) Boy, I don’t miss this place.
harper: No, I expect you don’t.
clark, relaxed and cheerful, wanders into the room. harper watches him.
clark: Boy. I never really noticed at the time, but this office is just . . . It’s wood, wood, wood. Isn’t it?
clark wanders. He opens a cabinet. It’s empty.
I used to have a big old sound system in here. Very elaborate.
harper: I don’t listen to a lot of music.
clark: Oh? I thought you were a big Beatles guy.
harper waits. Music begins: “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City” by Bruce Springsteen. The live version from the Hammersmith Odeon concert in 1975.
Anyway. Sorry! You coming?
The two men look at each other.
Projection:
Harper did not attend the ceremony.
The music swells. Projection:
In 2015, the Liberals returned, once again, to power.
Blackout.
The End
Acknowledgements
The play is, of course, a work of fiction.
I’m grateful to Jeffrey Simpson and John Ibbitson, both of whom provided insight into the events the play covers.
My thanks to Moira and Alison Lawrence for their input.
Jackie Maxwell originally commissioned the play for the Shaw Festival, and I’ll always be grateful to her for that. Development input came from Miles Potter, Laurel Green, Tim Carroll, Eric Coates, and Morwyn Brebner. Workshop readings were sponsored by the Shaw Festival and Alberta Theatre Projects.
My thanks to Pam Winter for her relentless, now decades-long support.
About the Author
Michael Healey is one of Canada’s leading theatrical voices. Some of his plays include Courageous, The Drawer Boy, Proud, and Rune Arlidge, among others. With an outstanding breadth of work, Michael has won a number of awards as a playwright, including Dora Mavor Moore awards, a Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama, and a Chalmers Canadian Play Award. He lives in Toronto.
1979 © Copyright 2017 by Michael Healey
First edition: April 2017
Playwrights Canada Press
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Author photo © John Healey
Cover art by Friction Creative
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Healey, Michael, 1963-, author
1979 / Michael Healey. -- First edition.
A play.
Issued in print and electronic formats.
ISBN 978-1-77091-750-7 (softcover).--ISBN 978-1-77091-751-4 (PDF).
--ISBN 978-1-77091-752-1 (EPUB).--ISBN 978-1-77091-753-8 (Kindle)
1. Clark, Joe, 1939- --Drama. I. Title.
PS8565.E14A62 2017 C812’.54 C2017-900684-3
C2017-900685-1
We acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), the Ontario Media Development Corporation, and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.