by Craig Oliver
Early on I personally asked Prime Minister Harper if he would attend. He declined, saying he was not at ease at big public gatherings—a peculiar admission for a politician, as he himself conceded. I respected it, however, and was prepared to welcome the stand-in he promised. Happily, all of the other party leaders confirmed their attendance.
On an evening in early December 2008, the ballroom of the Fairmont Chateau Laurier was packed with hundreds of well-wishers, among them at least two generations of political warriors from four political parties and a large contingent from the press gallery. Most younger Members of Parliament had never experienced such an event—a gathering of politicos that was, for once, free of poisonous partisan bickering.
To the delight of the organizers, just hours before the event word came that the prime minister would attend after all. He gave a witty, well-timed speech that perfectly suited the roast-the-host theme as he recalled my reportage of man’s discovery of fire and Champlain’s landing at Quebec. The audience was charmed and amazed by this uncharacteristically hilarious performance and wondered why we did not see this side of Harper more often. Jean Chrétien and Lloyd Robertson also spoke to good effect, while everyone tried on the googlie-eyed joke glasses found in their gift bags. We raised a hundred and fifty thousand dollars that night for the W. Bruce Jackson Endowment for Fellowships in Ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa.
When people ask what the world looks like through my eyes, I refer them to French Impressionism and to one of the greatest painters of the nineteenth century, Claude Monet, who suffered from cataracts. In his youth, Monet led a busy life of travel across all of Europe, immortalizing what he saw in oils on canvas. As he grew old and infirm and his vision faded, Monet turned to his own garden for the inspiration of some of his greatest work. He found fulfillment in what was closest. The scenes he painted resemble the world I see every day, a pastiche of shapes and shadows and swirls of colour with no crisp outlines or sharp details. The other senses are no less sharp, however; the parade of life is no less exhilarating. I have to say it’s not a bad view.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
For more than half a century politics has been the theatre of my life, and it has presented an engrossing stage show.
I have been the eager critic, dashing out of my comfortable seat when the curtain falls to report, assess, and judge the work. The actors tell the story, not me; everything hangs on the script and the performance. When the house lights come up, I have not had to care how the play ends and so I have remained uninvolved, or as some critics of the critics would observe, I have avoided the responsibility yet savoured the power. While courageous men and women have contended with one national crisis after another, I have judged from a safe distance. Whatever fleeting notoriety I have achieved owes everything to those players.
Almost without exception, I have genuinely liked and admired the politicians I have covered. I make no apologies for knowing many of them well backstage. Media managers expect their senior staff to be well acquainted with the powerful in all parties: Senior staff need access for reasons of accuracy, fairness, and competitiveness. And politicians need to get their message out. The Parliament Hill precinct is a village of fewer than a thousand men and women. Journalists, bureaucrats, and pols bump elbows at the same bars, attend the same charity and cultural events, and play golf and squash together. Inevitably, friendships develop.
That closeness is as common today as it was decades ago, although some rules of engagement have changed. No politician can expect to be protected from exposure of serious wrongdoing. When their opponents fling mud at them, politicians can hope at least for a fair hearing from the media, but at some point the responsibilities of the journalist’s job may trump the friendship. As for gossip about the private lives of the public people we cover day and night, my own belief is that these details become news only when they seriously affect the performance of the politician’s elected duty. Otherwise, there is nothing to be gained by ruining the lives of public officials who display the same frailties and foibles as the rest of us.
I hope the members of our band of canoeing adventurers will feel that I have reflected our collective triumphs and mishaps fairly. To my bowman, Tim Kotcheff, and my trail-riding companion, Lloyd Robertson, thank you both for a lifetime of loyal friendship.
I must offer my deep appreciation to the staff of the CTV Ottawa bureau for creating such a supportive environment.
My thanks to Diane Turbide of Penguin Canada who was the first to read a few lines of this work many years ago and encouraged me in the fanciful thought that I might have a book in me. I’m grateful too to my agent, John Pearce, who placed the manuscript in the capable hands of my publisher, and to my copy editor, Sharon Kirsch, who gave it a final polish. I cannot write thirty to this project without acknowledging my own editor, Jan Walter, for her unerring good judgment and skill.
A reporter’s life can take a tremendous toll on those closest to him. I am thankful that my wife, Anne-Marie Bergeron, worked in the same business and could roll with the unpredictability of a newshound’s calling. Too many nights my daughter, Annie Claire, kissed goodnight to my image on the television screen. The experience cannot have been completely off-putting, since she will shortly begin studies at the Columbia Journalism School in New York City. My greatest hope is that she will find a career as rewarding, challenging, and satisfying as her old dad did.
INDEX
A
Across Canada, 53
Afghanistan war, 266–69
Allen, Tony, 203
Ambrose, Rona, 282
Anderson, Rick, 205
Anne, Princess, 56
Apps, Alf, 284
Arafat, Yasser, 242
Argentina, 173–79
Armaly, Mansour F., 130–31
Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting (APEC), 247
Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, 118
Avison, Margaret, 326
B
Baird, John, 281, 296
Bell, Martin, 157
Benson, Thom, 36
Bergeron, Anne-Marie, 147–48, 149–50, 209, 212
Bickle, Bill, 12
Blakeney, Allan, 43
Bloc Québécois, 198–99, 204, 298
Bouchard, Lucien, 198, 243
Bourassa, Robert, 96
Boyle, Harry, 53, 59, 62
Bradlee, Ben, 137
Brady, James, 133, 134
Brinkley, David, 131
Brison, Scott, 208
Broadbent, Ed, 294
Brock, Dan, 284
Brocklebank, J.H., 38–39
Brownlee, Bonnie, 196
Buchanan, Judd, 116, 118, 119, 217, 238–39
Buckler, Sandra, 279–83
Bush, George H.W., 130, 132, 134, 145
Bush, George W., 265–66, 273
C
Caine, Michael, 69
Calgary Stampede, 212–13
Cameron, Don, 63
career, 64–65, 66, 67–68, 72, 103
and Champ, 78
and CO assignments, 148, 173, 183
demotion, 81
drinking habits, 80
hires Wallin, 178
journalistic demands, 158–59
meets CO, 65
personality, 66
and Robertson, 75, 76
and Saltzman, 70, 71
Camp, Dalton, 188
Campagnolo, Iona, 84–85, 181–82, 256–57
Campbell, Kim, 199–201, 207, 240
Canada AM , 67–71, 72
Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, 146, 193, 200
Canadian Alliance, 206
Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 190
Canadian Institute of Speech, 31
Canadian National Institute for the Blind, 320, 326
Canadian National Railways Radio Department, 37
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), 63, 66, 186
Carlson, Margaret, 131
>
Carpenter, Evelyn, 33
Carter, Jimmy, 128, 129, 169, 264
Casey, William J., 142–43, 181
Castro, Fidel, 170
CBC, 34, 35. See also CFPR
competition with CTV, 72, 74, 77
Newsworld, 289
in Prince Rupert, 24, 25
CBC International Service, 30
CBK Saskatchewan, 35, 36
CFPR, 24, 25, 26–34, 32, 33, 34
CFTO, 64, 67, 72
Champ, Henry, 77–79
Charest, Jean, 199, 201
Charles, Prince of Wales, 56–57
Charlottetown Accord, 194
Chercover, Murray, 80–81
Chrétien, Aline, 245, 250, 251
Chrétien, Jean, 225
and 1993 election, 240–41
and 1995 referendum, 243–44
and 2000 election, 249
attack on protester, 246–47
and Campbell, 201, 207
change in character, 247
and Clarity Act, 244–45
compared with Mulroney, 194
confidence of, 239
and Day, 207
and death of E. Oliver, 309
and E. Oliver, 239–40
Eye Institute fundraiser, 327
and foreign affairs, 241–42
and Ignatieff, 294
and Iraq invasion, 266
and journalists, 257, 271, 278
and Manning, 207
and Martin, 244, 247–49, 251–53, 256–57
as object of ads, 200
policies, 202
political career, 236–57
relationship with wife, 250, 251
resignation, 252, 260
strengths, 241
24 Sussex break-in and, 245–46
Chrétien, Michel, 250
Clarity Bill, 244–45, 287
Clark, Joe, 47, 96, 97–103, 187–88, 201
Clinton, Bill, 199–200
Coates, Bob, 99
College of Physicians and Surgeons, 41
Collenette, David, 251
computers
introduction for election coverage, 73
Conners, Connie, 146
Conservative Party, 208–9
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, 38, 39, 40–41
Copps, Sheila, 259
Crosbie, John, 100
Crosby, Bing, 32–33
CTV
competition with CBC, 72, 73–74, 77, 184
election coverage, 72–74
expansion, 74–75
growth of, 63–64, 66, 67
hires Robertson, 76
and News Channel, 288
Cunningham, Bill, 76
D
Dahl, Cliff, 6, 16, 19, 22, 23, 50, 103, 104, 308
Davey, Ian, 293
Davey, Keith, 101, 181
Davis, Bill, 102
Day, Stockwell, 206, 207–8, 249, 312
Deaver, Michael, 144
DePoe, Norman, 59, 64
Diefenbaker, John, 45–47
Dion, Stéphane, 286, 287
Donolo, Peter, 241–42, 245, 246, 293, 294
Double Vision (Greenspon and Wilson-Smith), 257
Douglas, T.C., 38, 39–41, 42, 45
Drainie, John, 59
Dubois, Charles, 268–69
Duffy, Mike, 290
E
Eagleburger, Lawrence, 142
Earnscliffe Strategy Group, 262
Easton, David, 3
Easton, Elizabeth. See Oliver, Elizabeth
Easton, Isabel, 3
Easton, William, 3
El Salvador, 157–69
election coverage
1962, 45
1965, 45–46
1972, 72–74
1979, 94
1988 (free trade election), 191–93
2000, 249
2004, 263–64
2011, 299
Nicaragua 1984, 171
Elizabeth II, 48–49, 56–57
Ellis, Patricia, 131–32
Eye Institute (Ottawa), 285, 319, 326
F
Falklands War, 173–79
Farmers’ Union, 55
Faulkner, Hugh, 116
Fecan, Ivan, 278, 302
Fife, Robert, 277, 282
Fitzwater, Marlin, 132
Flaherty, Jim, 281, 282, 283, 296
Fotheringham, Allan, 324
Fowler, Robert, 114
Fox, Bill, 116, 196, 225, 226–27
Fox, Malcolm, 173
Fox, Terry, 87
Frank magazine, 190
Fraser, Blair, 310
Fraser, Sheila, 260
Frum, Barbara, 323
G
Giorno, Guy, 301
Godfrey, John, 113, 218, 225
Goldenberg, Eddie, 114, 201, 225, 245, 249, 313–14
Gomery, John, 261
goods and services tax, 194
Gorbachev, Mikhail, 151, 152, 153, 154
Gossage, Pat, 143
Gotlieb, Allan, 85, 143–44, 145, 146–47
Gotlieb, Sondra, 85, 144, 146
Gould, Tom, 64, 72, 73, 80
Gow, John, 118, 119
Graham, Katherine, 137
Greenspon, Edward, 257
Grey, Deborah, 202
Gutensohn, Merlin, 31
Gwyn, Richard, 84
H
Haig, Alexander, 134, 137, 142, 158, 159, 161, 173
Hankinson, Will “Hank,” 29, 30, 31–32, 34
Harper, Stephen, 236, 259, 263
and Canadian Alliance, 208
Eye Institute fundraiser, 326–27
on Liberal Party, 295
May 2011 election, 296–303
and media, 271–74, 299
merger of PC and Alliance parties, 208–9
performance in debates, 264
personality of, 275–76
as polit ician, 270
second term as PM, 289–92
Harris, Phil, 32
Harvey, Denis, 75, 114–15, 232, 314
Hatfield, Richard (Dick), 102, 131
Hayes, Charles M., 3
health care, universal, 40–42
Hees, George, 84
Helin, Art, 19, 20, 290
Helin, Carole, 290
Herbert, Bill, 49, 59
Hill, Jay, 205, 282
Honderich, John, 84
Hoover, J. Edgar, 135
Hope, Bob, 137
Hormats, Robert, 141
Howard, Ross, 225
Hurricane Gloria, 147
Hurst, Robert, 277, 282, 283
Hussein, Saddam, 265
Hutchinson, Helen, 71
I
Ignatieff, Michael, 284–87, 293–95, 297, 300–1, 302
internet
effect on media coverage, 288
Iraq war, 265–66
Iron Ore of Canada, 99
J
Jennings, Charles, 59
Jennings, Peter, 59
Johnson, Al, 39
Johnson, Ted
1995 referendum, 243–44
canoe trips, 112–13, 219, 220, 222, 224, 225, 304–6, 313
and Trudeau, 181
Juginovic, Jana, 278
Juneau, Pierre, 63, 64
K
Kennedy, John F., 44
Kenney, Jason, 280, 283
Kenny, Colin, 94
Kirby, Michael, 313
Kirck, Harvey, 73, 74, 77, 129
Kotcheff, Tim
canoe trips, 106–10, 112, 116, 119, 124, 219, 221–22, 224, 226, 313, 317
career, 61
and Ottawa ultimatum, 183–84
L
LaFlamme, Lisa, 268
Laird, Alan, 17
Laird, Dorothy, 17, 18
Laird, Ken, 17, 18
Lang, Michelle, 269
Lang, Otto, 55
Lavigne, Brad, 297–98
Layton, Jack, 296–97, 298, 301, 303
Lazar, Swifty,
132
LeDrew, Stephen, 302
Lehrer, Jim, 132
L’Enfant, Pierre, 129
Lesage, Jean, 48
Lévesque, René, 74
Liberal Party
2011 election, 295–303
convention of 2005, 284
and Gomery Commission, 263
Harper’s dislike of, 295–96
lobbyists, 185, 187
Logan, Rick, 99
Lynch, Charles, 102, 191
M
Macdonald, Althea, 231
Macdonald, Don, 87, 231, 233–34
MacDonald, Joanne, 274
Macdonald, Ruth, 231
Macfarlane, John, 115, 117, 222, 223, 313
Mackasey, Bryce, 90
MacKay, Peter, 208–9, 282
Maclear, Michael, 76, 80
MacNaughton, David, 185
Makenny, Mac, 213
Malling, Eric, 82
Manning, Ernest C., 202
Manning, Preston, 201–7, 244, 270
Manning, Sandra, 204, 207
Mansbridge, Peter, 323
Martin, Paul
character, 261
and Clarity Act, 244
differences with Chrétien, 244, 249, 251, 252–55
as finance minister, 202, 241
and Gomery Commission, 260–61, 263
and Ignatieff, 284
and January 2006 election, 264
and June 2004 election, 263–64
leadership ambitions, 247, 251, 253–59
leadership convention (1990), 240
leadership convention (2000), 248
leadership convention (2003), 259–60
as prime minister, 262
similarity to Carter, 264–65
Mazankowski, Don, 100
McAdam, Pat, 99
McCain, John, 287
McCourt, Mike, 82, 129
McGaw, Jack, 80
McKinnon, Steve, 261
McNeil, Robert, 132
McPhail, Ian, 232
McTeer, Maureen, 98, 103
media
coverage in internet age, 288
mainstream, 288–89
medicare. See health care, universal
Meech Lake Accord, 183, 193–94, 198
Meese, Ed, 145
Michaluk, Tom, 267
Minifie, James M., 41
Morgan, Gwyn, 275
Morse, Eric, 121–22
Mulcair, Thomas, 298–99
Mulroney, Brian, 203, 240
1988 election, 191–93
and Charlottetown Accord, 194
and CO, 188–89
and free trade, 193
goods and services tax, 194
