The Harper government says the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony must reflect its agenda as the price of its $20-million commitment to the event, an internal government briefing memo says.
The memo, marked secret and released under an access-to-information request, describes the role of the Canadian government in wording that appears to mix politics and sports, despite widespread criticism of China for politicizing the Beijing Olympics.
"The Minister has recently confirmed with VANOC in writing that the Department of Canadian Heritage intends to invest $20-million toward the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in order to ensure that the event adequately reflects the priorities of the Government and helps to achieve its domestic and international branding goals," the memo says.
"The 2010 Federal Secretariat will be leading the effort to ensure that all of the conditions associated with the investment are incorporated into the contribution agreement. These conditions will ensure that the department has appropriate input and oversight into VANOC's ceremony planning."
Frank King, who was the organizing committee chairman for the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, said that no level of government was given authority over any of the events at those Olympics, including the opening and closing ceremonies. Members from each level of government sat on individual committees, but the organizers had the power to make all final decisions over events, he said. Financial commitments from the municipal, provincial, and federal levels were made to fund facilities only.
"No one level of government told us which way to go," he said. "It was complete synergy. There was nobody who was lobbying because what they wanted wasn't getting done.
"The governments have to get over only one thing," he said, referring to his experience in Calgary. "They're not in charge."
The opening ceremony will take place on Feb. 12, 2010, in Vancouver's downtown B.C. Place stadium. The total budget for the opening and closing ceremonies is $40-million. Federal cabinet minister David Emerson announced on Feb. 22 this year that the federal government would give $20-million toward the 2010 Olympic ceremonies. "We and all Canadians look forward to a memorable opening ceremony that will allow the world to see the best that Canada has to offer," Mr. Emerson said.
A news release at that time stated that the federal government would collaborate with VANOC, the 2010 Olympic organizing committee, "to ensure that the opening ceremony is truly representative of Canada's cultural diversity and linguistic duality, by highlighting the excellence and richness of the performances of leading Canadian artists."
The internal memo, obtained by researcher Ken Rubin, is dated Feb. 5, less than three weeks before Mr. Emerson announced the federal commitment. The memo was to Judith LaRocque, a Canadian Heritage deputy minister, in preparation for a meeting with Mr. Emerson, his staff members and representatives from the organizers, including VANOC's chief executive officer John Furlong. The meeting coincided with celebrations in Ottawa marking the two-year countdown to the Games.
The memo was signed by Marie-Geneviève Mounier, assistant deputy minister in International and Intergovernmental Affairs and Sport. A notation says the memo was prepared by Tim O'Malley in the 2010 Federal Secretariat.
"It's outrageous," Garry Neil, a cultural policy consultant based in Toronto, said in an interview. The memo fits logically into a pattern displayed by the federal Conservative party in relation to the arts - specifically Bill C-10 and recent cuts announced to arts programs, he also said. He was particularly concerned with the specification that the ceremony "adequately reflects the priorities of the government.
"Who's the government? The government is the cabinet. The government is the ruling political party, which is the Conservative Party. It's not the priorities of Canadian people."
